Mike Kelly, a climate activist from Bainbridge Island, will be the guest of Congressman Derek Kilmer at the State of the Union address.

Kelly is the Congressional District Liaison in Washington’s 6th Congressional District for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.

Kilmer, a 6th District Democrat, said he invited Kelly to the State of the Union as his guest because of Kelly’s work on climate change.

“Climate change is real, and it requires bold action,” Kilmer said.

“Thankfully, folks across our region are stepping up to raise awareness about the need to act, and Mike Kelly, local organizers, and the team at Citizens Climate Lobby are leading the way,” Kilmer added. “I’m proud to have Mike attend the State of the Union to continue the call for the President to listen to the American people who are not just demanding action — but leadership — to combat climate change and its impacts. We know that, if we do this right, we can not only help our planet — we can create quality jobs and sustainable economic growth.”

Kelly is founder and CEO at Tech DNA, a technology consultancy based on Bainbridge Island. He is also a political activist, starting with his work with Students for a Better Environment in college. Kelly is now the Congressional District Liaison in Washington’s 6th District for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.

He thanked the Citizens Climate Lobby and others who have been speaking out on climate change.

“In our region, we’re seeing the impacts of climate change firsthand. Our seas are rising, our forests are burning, and our economies are suffering from the impacts of a warming climate,” Kelly said.

“Luckily, the American people are organizing for change. And in places like Washington’s 6th Congressional District, we have champions like Representative Derek Kilmer who are answering the call of duty and taking action to address climate change right now,” Kelly said. “I’m honored to attend the State of the Union on behalf of Citizens Climate Lobby in Washington’s 6th Congressional District and the hundreds of thousands of advocates that are part of Citizens Climate Lobby across the nation who are organizing to make a difference and combat this urgent threat.”

Mark Reynolds, executive director of Citizens Climate Lobby, said climate change is “an urgent, existential crisis.”

“This invitation shows that Rep. Derek Kilmer certainly has taken notice,” Reynolds said. “Rep. Kilmer has gone several steps further, cosponsoring major climate legislation like the bipartisan Energy Innovation Act (HR 763) a carbon pricing policy that will reduce our emissions 90 percent by 2050.”

“All of us at Citizens’ Climate Lobby appreciate Rep. Kilmer’s action on climate change and his support of bold solutions,” Reynolds added. “We’re also grateful to Mike for all the time, energy, and passion he puts in as a CCL volunteer working to preserve a livable world. When Rep. Kilmer and Mike attend the State of the Union, they’ll do so with the support and gratitude of 180,000 Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers from across the nation.”

Kilmer led a coalition of more than 100 members of the House last year in introducing an ambitious agenda to address the climate challenge and embrace the notion that the United States, through its powerful economy and culture of innovation, can be best positioned to be the global leader developing and producing the next generation technologies to help the international community combat climate change.

Kilmer co-sponsored the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 (HR 5221) to establish a nationwide goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and directing every federal agency to develop and implement a plan for achieving that goal as well as the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (HR 1243) to address the health impacts of climate change and to provide dedicated resources to communities that are actively working to address these impacts.

Kilmer also introduced the Ocean Acidification Innovation Act (HR 1921), which passed the House in June 2019, to drive more federal support into ocean acidification research.