Blog

Week in Review: April 19, 2019

Apr 19, 2019

More kick off rallies in home towns. More details on climate policies. More attention on climate change on the campaign trail this week.

The New York Times asked 2020 candidates about the specific climate policies they support at this point, including carbon fees, stronger pollution standards, and money for research.  

Candidate & Policy Announcements

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) ended his exploratory committee and officially announced his campaign for president at rally in Indiana, where called climate change “the great security issue of our time” and “a life and death issue for our generation.” In Iowa, Buttigieg said “the only debate worth having is over whose plan is the best plan” and added more details to his climate plans, including support for a carbon fee and dividend and estimated spending $10 billion a year on research and development.  

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced a plan for protecting public lands and harnessing their potential in the fight against climate change, which includes a moratorium on drilling on public lands and a goal of generating 10 percent of our energy from renewable projects on these lands. Warren’s plan also includes others components to restore public lands funding and protections. In South Carolina, Warren committed “to stop all future offshore drilling” on day one, and she continued to promote her public lands plan at stops in Colorado and Utah.

Former Congressman John Delaney (D-MD) announced his National Service and Climate Corps plan, which would place young people clean energy, infrastructure and other sustainability fields and emphasizes opportunities in rural and low-income communities. Delaney also tweeted his policies in a thread of haikus, including plans to tackle climate change.

Climate at Events, In the Media, & On Social Media

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) advocated for STEM and clean energy job training to “strengthen our economy and combat climate change” in a new campaign video. Gillibrand also expressed support for a debate focused on climate change.

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) appeared on Pod Save America, where she called out the current administration for not doing anything on climate change and noted, “The urgency growing and growing and growing.” Harris also tweeted about her support for the Green New Deal and climate action.

Former Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO) called for a bipartisan approach to solving climate change late last week in Iowa.

On Meet The Press, Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) detailed his support for cutting carbon pollution in the electrical grid and transportation and noted how climate change is accelerating migration. Inslee has also thrown his support behind the push get the DNC to host a debate focused on climate change and prioritized a just transition that focuses on communities dealing with the brunt of climate pollution in an appearance on Pod Save America.  

In Florida, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called out climate science deniers and discussed her support for action, detailing the economic impacts of flooding in the state.

Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) campaigned on climate at stops in North Carolina and Virginia, and he shared his climate policies priorities, including supporting the Paris climate agreement, increasing clean car standards, transitioning to clean energy and reaching “net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as humanly possible.”  

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) shared his top priority of “creating an industrial policy that brings together the public and private sectors to dominate emerging technology sectors, create jobs, and combat climate change” on All in With Chris Hayes.  On This Week, he noted how combating climate change will create good jobs.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for action on climate change at campaign stops in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Sanders also discussed climate change is threatening our national security at town hall on Fox News.

Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) kicked off his campaign at rally in California, where he spoke about the “existential threat” of climate change, his support for clean energy jobs with high labor standards, and how “businesses can now make more profit from the solution.”  

Andrew Yang named climate change as the number two issue as a part of his participation in a CNN town hall and noted “climate change is about to accelerate and become a growing crisis.”

Senator Cory Booker (D- NJ) kicked off his Justice For All Tour in New Jersey, where he said, “We won’t wait to meet the crisis of climate change — because we have no other choice” and added support for investing in clean energy and accountability for polluters. Campaigning in Iowa, Booker committed to get to work on a “massive climate agenda” if elected and advocated for “incentives for other countries to more aggressively transition off of coal.”

In Iowa, former Secretary Julián Castro (D-TX) expressed the need for bold and urgent action on climate, noting it is the issue folks wanted to hear about most.

Black and white image of a man and a woman holding their fists in the air. Other fists are seen against the sky in the background.

Join the fight

Stay informed

©2024 League of Conservation Voters

Donate

©2024 League of Conservation Voters