WASHINGTON, D.C. — The selection of U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) to serve as ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee opens the door to bipartisan action on infrastructure, resilience, and conservation priorities in the next session of Congress.

“Representative McMorris Rodgers’s selection to serve as the Energy and Commerce Committee’s ranking member is good news for Americans eager for bipartisan solutions on the challenges facing people and wildlife alike,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Although we may not agree on every issue, we look forward to working with Representative McMorris Rodgers to put millions of Americans back to work deploying cleaner sources of energy, ensuring clean air and clean water, bolstering community resilience, restoring essential wildlife habitat, and building on the recent historic conservation victories. We look forward to working with her, Chairman Pallone, their Senate peers, and the Biden Administration to confront the crises facing frontline communities and all Americans, find common ground to address the changing climate, recover America’s wildlife, and put Americans back to work conserving and restoring our natural resources.” 

“We appreciate the history of open communication and working together on common objectives, and see promise for this to expand for the benefit of our natural resources,” said Mitch Friedman, executive director of Conservation Northwest.