PA-08 Race Backgrounder

Matt Cartwright Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

Representative Matt Cartwright is a climate champion for Pennsylvanians. Cartwright has taken action to address the gravity of the climate crisis and introduced legislation requiring climate resilience be incorporated into decision-making. To address water and air pollution, Cartwright has cosponsored several bills that would increase funding for water infrastructure, protect drinking water, and preserve Pennsylvania’s waterways. On extreme weather events and flooding, Cartwright understands the need to proactively improve infrastructure and systems ahead of disasters, and has introduced bills to improve government readiness while also fighting to secure disaster aid funding. He also backed legislation to build federally-funded electric vehicle charging stations – the first of which was completed in his district. Cartwright has worked to hold Big Oil accountable while in office, voting for legislation to crack down on alleged price gouging by oil companies and criticizing the industry for making record profits off working people. Legislation that Cartwright supported has already spurred over $1 billion in investment and helped create 2,881 new clean energy jobs in the Keystone State, and with his support, will continue to see more. 

In stark contrast, Rob Bresnahan is attempting to run for Congress and has made oil and gas production a centerpiece of his campaign. Bresnahan not only defended fossil fuel industry interests and attacked Cartwright for “cowtail[ing]” to “the climate crazies” and voting to halt exports of LNG, but has failed to provide Pennsylvanians a single policy solution or proposal to address the climate crisis. From air and water pollution to natural disasters and flooding, Bresnahan has been silent and has offered no solutions. Instead, Bresnahan opposed the clean energy plan and wants to keep the state reliant on fossil fuels. 

Bresnahan is completely out of touch with Pennsylvanians. 78% of Pennsylvanians support significantly increasing the use of renewable energy like wind and solar to generate electricity, but Bresnahan opposed the legislation that has led to the state’s clean energy boom and wants to keep people reliant on fossil fuels. In Pennsylvania the impacts of climate change will increase flooding, harm ecosystems, disrupt farming, and increase some risks to human health. The state’s agriculture, its economy, and people’s health will all be hurt: 

• In the past decade, Pennsylvania has experienced 56 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $230 billion in damages and killed 609 people. 
• Climate change has caused Pennsylvania to experience an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. In the summer of 2024, Lackawanna County, located in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, broke three daily heat temperature records.    
• Due to climate change, Scranton, which is located in Pensylvannia’s 8th Congressional District, will experience 15 days above 94 degrees Fahrenheit annually in 30 years. 
• Due to climate change, Wilkes-Barre, which is located in Pensylvannia’s 8th Congressional District, will experience 16 days above 95 degrees Fahrenheit annually in 30 years. 
• Pennsylvania faces an increased risk of wildfires. There are 13,605 properties – representing 85% of properties – in Wilkes-Barre that are at risk of being affected by wildfires over the next 30 years.
• According to the American Lungs Association’s 2024 State of the Air Report, the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which is located in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, ranked 124th for 24-hour particle pollution and 146th for annual particle pollution. 

Advancing Climate Action

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While Representative Matt Cartwright has taken action to address the climate crisis and has introduced legislation requiring that climate resilience be incorporated into decision-making, Bresnahan has attacked him for “voting to halt the exporting of LNG” and “cowtail[ing]” to “the climate crazies.” 

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• Cartwright acknowledges that climate change is “going to fundamentally alter our lives in the coming decades.” 
• In 2021, Cartwright introduced a bill requiring federal agencies with direct international development programs and investments to incorporate climate resilience considerations into their decision making.
• In 2024, Cartwright introduced a bill to protect America’s natural resources and wildlife from the effects of climate change and increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events.
• Bresnahan has attacked Cartwright for “voting to halt the exporting of LNG” and “cowtail[ing]” to “the climate crazies.” 

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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As of June 2024, Pennsylvania has received over $17 billion in funding from the Cartwright-backed clean energy plan, which has already spurred over $1 billion in investment and helped create 2,881 new clean energy jobs in the Keystone State. As Cartwright backed legislation to build federally-funded electric vehicle charging stations – the first of which was completed in his district – Bresnahan has defended fossil fuel industry interests, opposed the landmark clean energy plan, and called for Pennsylvania to tap into fossil fuel resources instead. 

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• Cartwright voted for the clean energy plan, which has already spurred over $1 billion in investment and helped create 2,881 new clean energy jobs in the Keystone State.
• In 2021, Cartwright voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has funded the building of electric vehicle charging stations in Pennsylvania – the first of which was in his district.
• Bresnahan has defended fossil fuel industry interests and attacked President Joe Biden and Representative Matt Cartwright over their pause on LNG exports. 
• Bresnahan opposed the clean energy plan, calling it “a massive government spending bill that has hampered our economy and contributed to rising costs.” 

Water & Air Pollution

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While Representative Matt Cartwright has cosponsored several bills to increase funding for water infrastructure, protect drinking water, and preserve Pennsylvania’s waterways, Bresnahan has not provided any plan to address air and water pollution in the state. 

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• In February 2024, Cartwright sponsored the Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act, which requires the Environmental Protection Agency to track and report long-term changes of mercury concentrations in air, water, soil, and fish and wildlife.
• In 2020, Cartwright cosponsored the Clean Water for All Act, which broadened the definition of bodies of water that fell under jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. 
• In 2021, Cartwright voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has already funded 120 clean school buses in several Pennsylvania school districts. 
• In 2023, Cartwright cosponsored a bill that would require hydraulic fracturing operations test for and report on underground sources of drinking water that are contaminated by such operations. 
• In 2023, Cartwright cosponsored a bill that increased funding for water infrastructure, including funding for several programs related to controlling water pollution or protecting drinking water.
• In 2023, Cartwright cosponsored the Clean Water Act, which put back into place successful protections that have safeguarded our rivers, streams, and wetlands for over 50 years.
• Bresnahan has not provided any plan to address air and water pollution in Pennsylvania. 

Extreme Rainfall And Flooding

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Due to climate change, extreme precipitation events are projected to increase in Pennsylvania, causing more intense flooding and landslides. While Representative Matt Cartwright understands the need to proactively improve infrastructure ahead of extreme weather events, has introduced bills to improve government readiness, and fought to secure disaster aid funding, Bresnahan has no plan to help Pennsylvanians deal with extreme rainfall and flooding.

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• Cartwright has pushed for the proactive improvement of infrastructure and systems ahead of extreme weather events, explaining that for every dollar spent on mitigation,  $6 can be saved on the averted potential recovery costs after a natural disaster. 
• In 2014, Cartwright cosponsored a bill to increase affordability of homeowner flood insurance, repeal triggers that increase rates during lapses in policy coverage, and more. 
• In 2022, Cartwright introduced legislation to improve government readiness for extreme weather disasters and secure proper funding to prepare for such events. 
• In 2024, Cartwright sent a letter to President Biden, pushing him to provide Pennsylvania aid to recover from severe flooding and help rebuild damaged or destroyed infrastructure. 
• Bresnahan has not provided any plan to address extreme rainfall and flooding in Pennsylvania. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

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Representative Matt Cartwright has held Big Oil accountable while in office. He has voted for legislation to crack down on price gouging excessive price increases by oil companies and criticized the industry for making record-high profits off working people, while Bresnahan has over $50,000 of personal investments in fossil fuel companies and has taken nearly $40,000 from the industry during his 2024 campaign for Congress. 

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• Cartwright voted for the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, a bill that cracks down on price gouging and excessive price increases by oil company CEOs.
• A spokesperson for Cartwright said “there is no excuse for multinational oil companies to make record-high profits off the backs of working people in northeastern Pennsylvania.” 
• Bresnahan has over $50,000 invested in fossil fuel companies, including more than $30,000 worth of stock in Exxon Mobil and thousands in ConocoPhillips, Dominion Energy, Occidental Petroleum, and more. 
• Bresnahan has taken nearly $40,000 from the oil and gas industry during his campaign for Congress.