Hon. Seth Magaziner

I am fighting in Congress to lower energy costs by getting more affordable clean energy including wind and solar onto the grid, cracking down on runaway profits by the big energy companies, ending the war in Iran, and fighting to end the Trump Administration’s tariffs that are contributing to high energy prices by making grid upgrades more expensive. The best way to make energy more affordable and protect ratepayers from the volatile price swings of the commodity markets is to produce more clean energy here locally as quickly as possible.

To this end, I am fighting for legislation to reinstate the clean energy tax credits that were rolled back by the Trump Administration last summer, and for comprehensive permitting reform to make it easier to build the domestic clean energy projects and transmission and grid upgrades we need to keep pace.

Local residents deserve full knowledge of the potential impacts that data centers will have on their communities. Data center developers should bear the full responsibility for their costs to connect to the grid and any needed impact mitigation. I support requiring data centers to be transparent about their impact on the public grid, the extent to which they will raise electricity rates for everyday homeowners and business owners, their demand on local water supplies, and the environmental impact they will have on the areas in which they are built so that local governments may make the best decisions for their residents.

To achieve this, I am introducing a bill that will require FERC to establish a standardized study and review process conducted by a third party before data centers are permitted to connect to the grid. It will include requirements for data centers to cover grid upgrades that are necessary to their connection, so that consumers are not faced with higher utility bills and costly grid upgrades when data centers are approved.

Rhode Island is uniquely vulnerable to the worst effects of climate change as a low-lying area with extensive coastline and tidal waters, from rising oceans to stronger hurricanes and more. In Congress and as a Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am working to bring more federal funding home for Rhode Island’s coastal infrastructure to increase resilience and reduce damage to property and life. I am also focused on bringing home federal money to address and mitigate flooding in areas all across the second congressional district, as widespread chronic flooding continues to worsen as extreme rain and weather becomes more frequent. My office works closely with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Emergency Management Agency, along with other state and local governments, to ensure that federal funds are directed to the communities that need them, for both acute solutions and long term projects and planning.

PFAS is a threat to our residents and our clean water now, and we have to act accordingly. In Congress, I am fighting to secure more funding to research and develop PFAS alternatives at the same time as we phase it out of use and clean it out of our environment. I cosponsor the PFAS Alternatives Act, which aims to accelerate the development of PFAS-free materials for firefighter gear, keeping them safe to do their life-saving work. I also worked with the rest of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation to deliver $47.5 million for the state to fund local clean water projects.These projects will address contaminants like PFAS to keep them from entering Rhode Island’s natural waters.

Moving forward, the federal government must continue to work to replace PFAS in consumer and industrial products and abate its presence in our land and waters. I will continue to hold the Trump administration accountable to have the most expansive definition of PFAS to minimize PFAS exposure and keep Americans healthy.

The declines in drug overdose deaths that the state has seen are a testament to great work of the health care providers, first responders, and mental health organizations in the state. In Congress, I am focused on ensuring that our state has the federal resources we need to continue this trend.

First, we must restore federal funding to Medicaid and the ACA following the nearly $1 trillion cut to the program that Republicans pushed through Congress last year to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Medicaid is the largest payer for addiction treatment in the country.

Additionally, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is how federal dollars reach Rhode Island organizations on the front lines of overdose prevention. I have fought the Trump Administration’s reckless attempts to cancel billions in addiction and mental health grants, and proposals to eliminate SAMHSA as a standalone agency, and will fight to ensure that SAMHSA is protected and fully funded. It is imperative that local providers have reliable funding that they can count on, year after year, so they can hire staff, expand treatment, and reach more people.

Rhode Island is home to some of the greatest research scientists and institutions in the world, and that’s because of federal support for science and technology, from basic research and development to cutting edge clinical trials. American research has led to countless biomedical advances that save lives every day, and our engineering advances add billions to the American economy.

I am committed to ensuring that science funding remains strong in the United States, and that scientific research is not politicized. Along with my colleagues in Congress, I have successfully fought the Trump Administration’s arbitrary and devastating freeze of National Science Foundation grants, as well as their attacks on ocean monitoring, health research, and other core areas of research. I will continue to fight against new proposals to require political appointees to sign off on research grants, and when Democrats are in the majority in Congress next year, we will use our leverage over the government funding process to protect federal funding for our vital scientific research.