Senator Carper Receives CAC’s Climate Changemaker Award 

This week, the Climate Action Campaign (CAC) announced U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) is the recipient of its third annual “Climate Changemaker” award. During his service in Congress, Senator Carper has been a steadfast supporter of climate action. With his upcoming retirement in January 2025, the Senate will lose one of its most important advocates for protecting our planet and fighting climate change.

As a long-serving member and Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Carper has played a central role in shaping policies – often in bipartisan fashion – that keep communities safe from harmful pollution and protect our environment. Through numerous bills and dogged work with the EPA to finalize pollution standards, he helped clean up our air, advance environmental justice, and saved Americans money at the gas pump and on their electric bills. That work culminated in the adoption of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which together represent the largest climate investment made by any country anywhere in the world. CAC also awarded retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

“For nearly a quarter century, the Senate has known no stronger climate champions than Tom Carper and Debbie Stabenow. We are thrilled to present them with our Climate Changemaker Award in recognition of their record of service and success,” said Margie Alt, Director of the Climate Action Campaign. “Without their leadership, vital initiatives related to climate-smart agriculture, environmental justice, electric vehicles, and so many more crucial areas may never have been enacted. Their fierce advocacy for clean air and healthy families will be deeply missed, but we know their achievements will benefit communities in Delaware, Michigan, and across America for decades to come.”

“As a senator from the lowest-lying state in the nation, Delawareans and I know all too well the existential threat that climate change poses to our way of life. Fortunately, we’ve made a lot of progress in the fight against climate change – in Delaware and across our nation,” said Senator Carper. “Over the years as member and later Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I have had the privilege of working with my colleagues to craft consequential climate, clean energy, and infrastructure legislation – from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act and the AIM Act to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, just to name a few. I am grateful to the Climate Action Campaign and all its member organizations for this recognition and for being longtime partners in our shared work to protect our one and only planet.”

CAC presented the awards on behalf of its coalition of major national environment, environmental justice, and public health groups, and dozens of state partners across the country. Previous recipients of the Climate Changemaker Award include: Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Representative Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Representative Summer Lee (PA-12), Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14), Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03), and Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07).