Washington, D.C. — In response to President Biden’s remarks in Maui today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld:

“We couldn’t agree more with President Biden that we must combat the climate crisis and environmental injustices from extreme weather and tragic fires like the one that claimed at least 114 lives here–particularly faced by Lahaina’s Native Hawaiians and historically excluded communities everywhere. So far, the administration has already deployed over 1,000 personnel, including from EPA and Army Corps of Engineers along with search and rescue teams. As the President said, ‘the country grieves with you, stands with you and will do everything possible to help you recover, rebuild, and respect cultural traditions when the rebuilding takes place.’ It’s heart-breaking that the deadly fires in Lahaina and Maui, fueled by drought and extreme weather, will impact the people of Hawai’i for generations. It’s critically important to continue to aid those impacted, stop special interests from exploiting this catastrophe, and help ensure all communities are prepared for worsening climate-crisis fueled disasters.”

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