Bill Foster

ON THE ISSUES

• Introduced the Better Energy Storage Technology Act, which made $45 million of investments to develop new energy storage technologies
• Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant action Congress has ever taken to address climate change
• Earned 95% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard

WHY THIS RACE MATTERS

• Reappointed to the House Committee on Science and Space Technology, as the chair of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
• Holding this seat in Illinois will help the environmental movement reclaim a pro-environment majority in the House of Representatives in 2024, which will help pave the way for climate action

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

Representative Bill Foster is running for a seventh term to represent Illinois’s 11th congressional district. Foster previously served two terms in the U.S. House in the neighboring 14th district. As a PhD physicist with decades of experience working at a Department of Energy laboratory, Foster has been a leader in Congress on supporting the research required for our nation's clean energy transition. In 2020, Foster introduced the Better Energy Storage Technology Act, which made $45 million of investments to develop new energy storage technologies, which will allow our grid to rely on intermittent clean energy sources like wind and solar. Additionally, Foster’s amendment to invest $14.7 billion in upgraded infrastructure at our nation's Department of Energy National Laboratories was adopted and signed into law as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. Foster has also been a strong supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic investment in our nation's clean energy infrastructure that will allow us to reach emissions targets that avert the worst impacts of climate change. 

Additionally, Foster has worked to protect native species and their habitats, including our public lands and waterways. He led the push in Congress for the repair and fortification of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Illinois, is the last line of defense against the invasive Asian Carp reaching the Great Lakes and threatening ecological disaster, not to mention the health of countless endangered species. He has also consistently supported increased funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which seeks to clean up pollution and promote healthy ecology in this critical ecosystem and waterway. Foster has supported over $100 million in annual funding to safeguard endangered species, and has voted for the protection of these species, such as the lesser prairie chicken and the northern long-eared bat July 2023. In Congress, Foster will continue to expand upon this critical work, Representative Foster has earned a 95% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. Representative Foster is endorsed by NRDC Action Fund.