Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD, 1st District) was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2010 from Maryland. He currently serves on the House Committee on Appropriations.
Andy Harris and Climate Change
The Eastern Shore of Maryland, which falls under Harris’s congressional jurisdiction, is already experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change. Sea levels have started to rise, and a 2017 study conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists listed the Eastern Shore as one of the most chronically inundated locales in the United States. Harris, however, is quick to question the correlation between anthropogenic carbon emissions and climate change. “I believe the actual science is uncertain,” Harris said in a 2013 interview with the Star Democrat. That same year the Maryland League of Conservation Voters awarded Harris with the “climate change denier award.”
Harris has persisted with his climate science denial. In a 2018 debate, Harris was asked a question regarding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2018 report, to which he responded “there are many different projections for the pace of climate change” and “differing analysis for the degree of causality assigned to types of emissions.”
Most recently, Harris is quoted placing strong emphasis on poor “forest management” policies for this year’s historic wildfire season. “Is there a contribution of climate change?” Harris pondered in an October interview with the Talbot Spy. “There might be, but the primary cause… is forest management.”
Harris has earned a 3% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters. He has voted against environmental legislation such as the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act and the Climate Action Now Act, both of which address climate issues pertinent to his district: offshore drilling and the damages of climate driven weather events.
Andy Harris and Friends:
Throughout his career, Harris has received a total of $181,712 from the oil and gas industry, including $10,000 from Koch Industries in the 2020 election cycle. Harris won reelection in 2020.
Climate of Denial