Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins carried her four medals into the halls of Congress this week, using her athletic platform to call for stronger environmental protections and climate action.
Diggins, the most decorated cross-country skier in American history, is part of an athlete-driven environmental advocacy group called Protect Our Winters. The organization sent a delegation to Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with lawmakers and raise concerns about recent changes at the Environmental Protection Agency since President Donald Trump returned to office.
“I don’t want to stick my head in the sand and ignore the world burning,” Diggins said. “I feel like I have a responsibility to use my voice to advocate for change. And so that’s why it’s so important to me, because I want my great-grandkids to be able to build a snowman and try cross-country skiing someday, and be able go hiking and fishing and camping in the summer, and breathe clean air. I want that for them very badly.”
Diggins stepped away from professional ski racing this year following a bronze medal finish in the women’s 10-kilometer interval start at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Throughout those Games, many skiers voiced alarm about climate change and the rapid melting of glaciers around the world — a trend that threatens the very future of winter sports.
She described bringing her medals to Washington as a “beautiful, full circle moment.” Diggins said she would view the trip as a success if it helps open the door to bipartisan conversations that could eventually strengthen the EPA. Republicans who currently control Congress have largely backed the Trump administration’s approach to the agency.
“We’re trying to advocate for solutions that are going to protect us long term, and training and racing through four Olympics, that was a very long-term thing, you know? It’s not quick, immediate gratification, you work and you work and you work,” Diggins said. “I think it’s a nice reminder of like, it’s OK that we are looking for solutions for the future.”
The coalition is far from a typical lobbying group. Professional ski mountaineer Brody Leven said he only owns a suit for his trips to Washington with Protect Our Winters. Still, he believes athletes are uniquely positioned to bring people together around climate policy.
“We’re good at looking at adversity in the face and still moving forward,” Leven said. “And we’re good at knowing something is going to be hard and trying to do it anyways.”
The group planned meetings with members of both parties in the House and Senate. Olympians Jaelin Kauf, Gus Schumacher, Bea Kim, Julia Kern, and Olivia Giaccio were also part of the effort, according to Protect Our Winters.
Under the current administration, the EPA has revoked a key scientific determination that had been central to climate change policy, moved to roll back restrictions on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants, and announced additional cuts to federal air and water pollution standards while promoting fossil fuel use. Critics say these moves conflict with the agency’s core mission of protecting public health and the environment.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has described the agency’s direction as “driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age.” He has argued that reducing regulatory burdens will save trillions of dollars, lower the cost of living, and help revive American manufacturing.
Environmental advocates counter that the EPA under Zeldin has walked away from its duty to shield the public from harmful greenhouse gas pollution at a moment when climate change is fueling more frequent and severe weather events, including stronger hurricanes, deadlier floods, and more destructive wildfires. States, cities, and public health organizations have filed legal challenges against a range of the agency’s recent rule changes.
Ben Gubits, vice president of campaigns and advocacy for Protect Our Winters, said the group expects the federal government to safeguard the health of both Americans and the planet. The organization has lobbied Congress for roughly a decade, including visits in 2021 and 2022 when it pushed for passage of a major climate bill. President Joe Biden signed that legislation — known as the Inflation Reduction Act — in 2022.
“We are really thinking about a long-term and positive vision for the future, and how do we rebuild these critical institutions beyond the Trump years,” Gubits said.
Also part of the coalition is Stuart Nissenbaum, who began working at the EPA early in the Biden administration and departed about a year ago. Nissenbaum said having Olympians alongside him in Washington helps amplify the message. These athletes are the best in the world at what they do, and they competed while wearing the American flag — a combination he believes will resonate with members of Congress.
Nissenbaum said his message to legislators is straightforward: clean air and clean water are not partisan issues, and policies protecting the environment should be rooted in science.
“Clean air and clean water isn’t something that we should take for granted,” he said. “It affects every single person.”
