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SEEC Elects 114th Congress Leadership

January 30, 2015

Washington, D.C. — This week members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) unanimously elected Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs to serve as SEEC Leadership in the 114th Congress. SEEC Leadership will serve through the end of 114th Congress.

Co-Chairs:

Rep. Gerald Connolly (VA)

Rep. Paul Tonko (NY)

Rep. Doris Matsui (CA)

Vice-Chairs:

Rep. Jared Polis (CO)

Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME)

Rep. Steve Israel (NY)

Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA)

Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA)

Image removed.Congressman Gerald Connolly represents Fairfax and Prince William Counties in Northern Virginia. As a Co-Chair of SEEC, he has worked to reduce fuel convoy deaths among U.S. soldiers, expand weatherization programs for American homeowners, and protect public lands. He serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he is ranking member on the Subcommittee on Government Operations. Prior to his election to Congress, Connolly served as the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, the largest jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area, where he spearheaded the Cool Counties climate stabilization initiative.

Image removed.Congressman Paul Tonko is currently serving his fourth term Representing New York’s 20th District. A nationally recognized expert on clean energy policy, he served 15 years as Chair of the NYS Assembly Energy Committee, and as President/CEO of the New York State Energy Research Development Authority. He serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

Image removed.Congresswoman Doris Matsui represents the 6th District of California, which includes the capitol city of Sacramento and the surrounding areas. She has served on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee since 2008 where she advocates for policies that would level the playing field for clean energy companies and works to prevent the harmful effects of climate change. As a member of the Health Subcommittee, she is interested in the public health impacts of climate change. A dedicated advocate of clean energy technology issues, she is a senior member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Congressional High-Tech and Spectrum Caucuses.

Image removed.Congressman Steve Israel founded SEEC in 2009 and is a former Co-Chair. Representing New York's 3rd Congressional District, Congressman Israel has been a congressional leader promoting policies to support economic growth in an innovative and energy-independent America. Israel believes that energy independence is not just an environmental and economic imperative, but also an issue of our national security. Israel is a member of the House Leadership serving as the Chair of Policy and Communications.

Image removed.Congressman Jared Polis was first elected in 2008 and represents Colorado’s Second Congressional District. This beautiful district include Colorado’s central mountains, which boast the nation’s top ski and recreation destinations, as well as Boulder and Fort Collins, epicenters for innovative startups and home to two of Colorado’s flagship universities and their climate research and clean energy development programs. As a Vice-Chair of SEEC he has led efforts to promote investment in breakthrough energy innovation, preserve of our public lands and natural resources, and protect clean air and drinking water for all Americans.

Image removed.Congresswoman Chellie Pingree began her working life in Maine as an organic farmer on the island of North Haven, where she lives today. She has successfully started several small businesses and currently owns the Nebo Inn and Restaurant and the Turner Farm on the island. Pingree is a member of the Appropriations Committee and has been a national leader on agriculture reform that supports healthy, sustainable food and farm policy.

Image removed.Congressman Matt Cartwright was first sworn into Congress on January 3, 2013 to represent the people of northeastern Pennsylvania and the eastern Lehigh Valley. In his first term Cartwright introduced 57 pieces of legislation focused heavily on protecting the environment from exemptions and loopholes in fundamental environmental protection statutes. Cartwright was appointed to serve on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules; Cartwright is also a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Cartwright has stepped forward as a leader, having been elected class president in his first term and Regional Whip by his colleagues thereafter.

Image removed.Congressman Alan Lowenthal represents California’s 47th Congressional District. Before being elected to Congress Lowenthal served for two-decades as a city council member and California legislator where he fought against the private and public sector belief that environmental protections and economic success at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles were mutually exclusive. His landmark environmental legislative efforts helped lead the adjacent ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to becoming the cleanest and greenest ports in the world, while remaining the busiest and most successful container port complex in the Western Hemisphere. Lowenthal serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, and is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. He is also a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.