WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) joined Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), and other Republican colleagues in a press conference on H.R. 5859, the Trillion Trees Act.
The bill, which is backed by President Trump, would bring together government and the private sector to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050. The initiative is based on a July 2019 Swiss report featured by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science that concluded planting 1 trillion trees across the world could sequester 205 gigatons of carbon.
The Trillion Trees Act has three parts:
- Plant more trees in urban areas and on marginal agriculture land domestically while offering technical support and assistance to maximize forest growth internationally and reverse deforestation.
- Grow more wood in existing forests and make them more resilient to insects, diseases and catastrophic wildfires.
- Incentivize innovative building practices with a sustainable building tax credit.
To read the bill text, click here.
To view Congressman Higgins’ remarks, click here.
To view the full press conference, click here.
Congressman Higgins issued the following statement:
“The Trillion Trees Act is an easy win for the environment. This initiative helps capture carbon and promotes conservation efforts in a responsible manner. Weaponizing the federal government against private industry is not the answer to environmental concerns. We must seek policies that encourage greater innovation and partnership with industry. The Trillion Trees Act is reflective of that spirit and will benefit both our economy and the environment, without further regulation of industry nor restriction of personal freedoms.”
