Emilia Sykes

ON THE ISSUES

• Lead fight to repeal House Bill 6 and promote a clean energy future for Ohio in the state legislature
• Supports policies that will save Ohioans money on their energy bills, create good-paying jobs and combat the climate crisis
• Working to ensure that our nation’s energy infrastructure and its workers will be strong for generations to come
• Voted against H.R. 1435 to protect clean car standards
• Earned 100% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard
• Endorsed by LCV Action Fund
• Endorsed by NRDC Action Fund

WHY THIS RACE MATTERS

• Toss-up race
• Holding this seat in Ohio will help win a pro-environmental majority in the House, making it easier to pass climate legislation at the federal level
• Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

Representative Emilia Sykes is running for a second term to represent Ohio's 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She began her career as an Administrative Staff Advisor at the Summit County Fiscal Office, where she helped to create a county land bank to repurpose vacant and abandoned properties, and as a Law Clerk to the Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia. In 2014, Sykes was elected to the open 34th District seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. In 2019, during her final term in the House, she was elected by her colleagues as House Democratic Leader. She has been a champion for the environment and the people of Ohio, leading the fight to repeal House Bill 6 and promote a clean energy future for Ohio. House Bill 6 was referred to by Vox as “the worst energy bill of the 21st century,” bailing out coal and nuclear plants while gutting clean energy and energy efficiency programs. It is also the biggest government  corruption scandal in Ohio history. As Ohio Republicans were pushing HB6, Sykes led Ohio House Democrats to propose an alternative Clean Energy Jobs plan that would establish a 50 percent renewable energy portfolio standard by 2050; change 2014 setback requirements enacted that require wind turbines on commercial wind farms to be 1,300 feet from the nearest property line, among the strictest in the nation which have stymied wind farm development in Ohio; require a 50 percent in-state preference for new wind and solar projects; expand weatherization programs for low-income Ohioans; and create training programs for clean energy jobs.

Sykes supports policies that will save Ohioans money on their energy bills, create good-paying jobs, combat the climate crisis, and build a clean energy infrastructure that will support and bolster our economy. She believes that all Americans should be able to access the economic opportunities of a clean energy economy, so we create and invest in workforce development programs that support workers during this transition. As the only Ohioan on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Sykes is working to ensure that our nation’s energy infrastructure and its workers will be strong for generations to come. In Congress, Sykes will continue to fight for climate action and environmental justice. Representative Sykes has earned a 100% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.