Senator Sherrod Brown Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

Senator Sherrod Brown is a climate champion for Ohioans in the U.S. Senate. Brown acknowledges that climate change is here and has pushed for aggressive action against the crisis, sponsoring legislation that addresses all of its worst effects. To protect workers from extreme heat, Brown introduced legislation – that was later implemented by the Department of Labor – requiring employers to develop a plan to prevent heat-related illness and injuries. On flooding, he called for reauthorization and strengthening of the National Flood Insurance Program and increased investment in flood mitigation. And, to address water pollution, Brown cosponsored bills to remove lead from drinking water and helped write and pass major investments in Ohio’s water infrastructure. Brown has also worked to hold Big Oil accountable, calling for an industry-wide investigation into the industry’s price-fixing and co-introducing a bill that would crack down on profiteering by Big Oil and return the industry’s excessive profits to working people. Legislation that Brown supported to advance our clean energy economy has already spurred over $10 billion in investment and has helped create 13,887 new clean energy jobs in the Buckeye State, and with his support, will continue to see more. 

In stark contrast, Bernie Moreno has made oil and gas production a centerpiece of his campaign for Senate. Moreno questioned climate change and likened global warming concerns to “a cult.” He also has called for more oil and gas exploration in Pennsylvania.  In contrast to Brown’s work to address extreme weather and air and water pollution, Moreno has not said or done anything to address the impacts of the climate crisis – instead, he wants to repeal legislation that seeks to address them. He’s even repeatedly lied about Democrats mandating electric vehicles and taking $300 million from Medicare and Medicaid to subsidize them – claims that have been refuted time and time again. It’s clear that Moreno would be a threat to Ohioans’ health, safety, and economy  if elected. 

Bernie Moreno is out of touch with the Ohioans. More than six in 10 Ohio voters think developing more renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, should be the most important priority for addressing Ohio’s energy needs, while Moreno wants to repeal legislation that has led to Ohio’s clean energy boom. In Ohio, the impacts of climate change will mean more frequent flooding, ice cover on the Great Lakes forming later or melting sooner, and more extremely hot days. The state’s agriculture, its economy, and people’s health will all be hurt: 

• In the past decade, Ohio has experienced 46 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $148.5 billion in damages and killed 463 people. 
• Climate change has caused Ohio to see an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. Toledo is the eleventh-fastest warming city in the nation.  
• By 2050, Ohio’s widespread summer drought severity is projected to increase by approximately 50%.
• Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme rainfall and flooding in Ohio. Over the last half-century, average annual precipitation in most of the Midwest has increased by 5 to 10%. In the past decade, Ohio has been impacted by 38 severe storms and five flooding billion-dollar events. 
• According to the 2024 State of the Air Report, Ohio has some of the worst pollution in the nation. The Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton metro area ranked 19th and Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville ranked 22nd for worst annual particle pollution in the nation. 
• In 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency considered the Ohio River Basin one of the most toxic watersheds in the country. The Ohio River watershed is the primary drinking water source for over 5 million people. The Ohio River Basin drains from areas affected by environmental pollution from heavy industrialization, including mining and resource extraction for energy development, chemical production, and durable goods manufacturing.
• A 2022 study estimated that Ohio local governments will need to increase annual spending by $1.8 – $5.9 billion by midcentury to adapt to climate change.

Advancing Climate Action

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While Senator Sherrod Brown recognizes the need to act now to address climate change and has voted for legislation showing that Congress understands the issue, Bernie Moreno has likened having global warming concerns to being in “a cult.” 

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• Brown said we can “take aggressive action to combat climate change.” 
• Brown acknowledged that “climate change is here” and “we must act now.” 
• In 2011, Brown voted against an amendment that would repeal the scientific finding that greenhouse gasses endanger human health and the environment. 
• In 2015, Brown voted for an amendment which expresses the sense of Congress that climate change is real and that man-made pollution is a significant contributor to climate change. 

• Moreno questioned climate change and likened global warming concerns to “a cult…it’s just emotion, it’s fear, it’s this idea that the planet is burning.” 
• Moreno criticized Senator Sherrod Brown for “appeasing the people who want to think that our climate is at stake…we know it’s not true.” 

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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As of June 2024, Ohio has received over $13.2 billion in funding from the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy plan – that’s money going to communities all across the state to promote climate resiliency, reduce pollution, and advance climate-smart agriculture. The Brown-backed clean energy plan has already spurred  $10.47 billion in investment and helped create 13,887 new clean energy jobs in the Buckeye State, but Moreno wants to repeal it and take away the good-paying jobs it creates.

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• Brown voted for the clean energy plan, which has given Ohio over $13.2 billion in funding and led to a clean energy boom, helping create 13,887 new clean energy jobs in the Buckeye State. 
• In 2009, Brown cosponsored a bill that called for reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels by encouraging significant investments in clean energy across the economy and requiring a reduction in climate pollution. 
• In 2009, Brown cosponsored the Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act, which would have provided loans to manufacturing facilities in the United States to produce clean technology products and components. 
• In 2010, Brown introduced the Offshore Wind Energy Research and Development Act, which required the Department of Energy to initiate the development of a roadmap to assist and coordinate offshore wind power implementation.
• Brown said we have to act now to grow the renewable energy economy and make Ohio communities more resilient to climate disasters. 

• Moreno repeatedly lied about Democrats mandating electric vehicles and taking $300 million from Medicare and Medicaid to subsidize them. 
• Moreno wanted to repeal the clean energy plan, which has turbocharged Ohio’s clean energy boom.
• Moreno criticized the Biden-Harris administration for transitioning away from fossil fuels. 

Water Pollution

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The Ohio River,  which provides drinking water to over five million people, is the second-most endangered river in the nation due to pollution. While Senator Sherrod Brown has cosponsored bills to remove lead from drinking water and helped write and pass major laws that invest in Ohio’s water infrastructure,  Bernie Moreno has not provided any plan to address water pollution in Ohio. 

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• Brown voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, which provided Ohio with $210 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades. 
• In 2010, Brown introduced a bill amending the Clean Water Act to authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants for state and local governments to develop and implement water quality monitoring and notification programs. 
• In 2015, Brown introduced a bill requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and publish recommendations on the level of microcystins deemed safe for drinking water, standardized procedures for testing, and feasible treatment techniques to achieve a safe level. 
• In 2016, Brown cosponsored the Lead Testing in School and Child Care Drinking Water Act, which would establish grants to test for lead contamination in drinking water at schools and childcare programs. 
• In 2023, legislation that Brown helped write and pass provided over $45 million to communities across Ohio to address emerging contaminants, such as PFAS, in drinking water.
• In 2024, legislation that Brown helped write and pass made major investments in Ohio’s water infrastructure by replacing lead pipes and addressing emerging contaminants to ensure safe drinking water for Ohioans. 
• Moreno has not provided any plan to address water pollution in Ohio. 

Extreme Rainfall And Flooding

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Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme rainfall and flooding in Ohio. While Senator Sherrod Brown called for the reauthorization and strengthening of the National Flood Insurance Program and increased investment in flood mitigation, Moreno has not provided any plan to address extreme rainfall and flooding in Ohio. 

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• In 2023, Brown called for reauthorization and strengthening of the National Flood Insurance Program and increased investment in flood mitigation. 
• Brown acknowledged the way climate change causes extreme rain, saying that Ohio farmers can lose entire growing seasons and will soon be forced to learn to grow crops that used to be better suited to Arkansas than to Ohio.
• Brown understood that we can only expect flooding to get worse – and become more common – as climate change continues. 
• Moreno has not provided any plan to address extreme rainfall and flooding in Ohio. 

Extreme Heat

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Climate change has caused Ohio to see an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. While Senator Sherrod Brown introduced legislation – that was later implemented by the Department of Labor – that protected workers from extreme heat on the job by requiring employers to develop a plan to prevent heat-related illness and injuries, Bernie Moreno has not provided any plan to address extreme heat in Ohio. 

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• In 2021, Brown introduced legislation – that was later implemented by the Department of Labor – to protect workers from extreme heat on the job by requiring employers to develop a plan to prevent heat-related illness and injuries, including adequate hydration, paid rest breaks, and more.
• Brown acknowledged the way climate change impacts our weather, saying that Ohio students and teachers have to endure schools without air conditioning in 90-plus degree heat, for more and more days at both ends of the school year.
• Moreno has not provided any plan to address extreme heat in Ohio. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

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Senator Sherrod Brown has stood up to Big Oil throughout his career.  In several different Congresses, Brown cosponsored legislation to prohibit oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, cosponsored a bill to close billion-dollar tax breaks to Big Oil companies, and co-introduced legislation that would crack down on profiteering by Big Oil and return the industry’s excessive profits to working people. Bernie Moreno meanwhile, advocated for Big Oil while receiving nearly $125,000 from the industry. 

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• Brown critiqued Big Oil for raking in record profits through price gouging while polluting Ohio communities for decades. 
• In several different Congresses, Brown cosponsored legislation to prohibit oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes. 
• In 2003, Brown cosponsored the Stop Oil Spills Act, which accelerated the deadline banning the operation of single hull tankers. 
• In 2003, Brown cosponsored a bill to prohibit oil and gas drilling in the Finger Lakes National Forest. 
• In 2005, Brown cosponsored the Gasoline Price-Gouging Act, which declared it unlawful for commercial vendors to sell gasoline or diesel fuel at prices that are a 10% or greater increase from the average prevailing price in major disaster areas. 
• In 2007, Brown cosponsored the Petroleum Consumer Price Gouging Protection Act, which declared it unlawful for suppliers to sell crude oil, gasoline, or petroleum distillates at an unconscionably excessive price in energy emergency areas. 
• In 2010, Brown cosponsored the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Unlimited Liability Act, which amended the Oil Pollution Act to make the party responsible for an offshore oil spill liable for all discharge removal costs and damages. 
• In 2011, Brown cosponsored the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act, which would close a number of corporate tax breaks that allow oil companies to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes. 
• In 2023, Brown co-introduced the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act, a bill that would crack down on Big Oil’s profiteering and return the industry’s excessive gains to working people.
• In 2024, Brown called for the Department of Justice to investigate Big Oil for price-fixing.
• Moreno wanted the U.S. to “produce energy here at such a high level” that it “become the prominent energy exporter around the world.”
• Moreno received nearly $125,000 from the oil and gas industry in his 2024 campaign for Senate.