Trump Wanted to Withhold Wildfire Aid to California Over Political Differences, Former DHS Official Says
18 August
Politics
Trump and Paradise Mayor Jody Jones view damage from the Camp Fire in Paradise, California on Nov. 17, 2018. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump wanted to cut off wildfire relief money to California because the state did not support his political goals, a former administration staffer has claimed.
<p>In a scathing campaign ad released Monday by Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT), former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Miles Taylor said that his experience had showed him that the president wanted to "exploit the Department of Homeland Security for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda."</p><p>In one example, Taylor cited a phone call Trump made to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).</p><p>"He told FEMA to cut off the money and to no longer give individual assistance to California," Taylor said. "He told us to stop giving money to people whose houses had burned down from a wildfire because he was so rageful that people in the state of California didn't support him and that politically it wasn't a base for him."</p>
<div id="6bf8a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6e65d0bb81b3536a01b11b1e10e42798"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1295428131503964162" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Revelations by Trump's former DHS chief.
POTUS
- Tried to stop CA fire victim relief funding b/c blue state
- Want… https://t.co/Qvggd5iqjC</div> — Republican Voters Against Trump (@Republican Voters Against Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/RVAT2020/statuses/1295428131503964162">1597689109.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Taylor does not say when Trump made the alleged call, the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Rageful-Trump-wanted-to-cut-off-California-15490529.php" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle pointed out</a>.</p><p>However, Trump did publicly clash with California over wildfire aid two months after the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/camp-fire" target="_self">Camp Fire</a> killed 84 people and devastated the town of Paradise.</p><p>In January 2019, he <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-wildfire-funding-fema-2625553888.html" target="_self">said</a> he had ordered FEMA not to give any more money to the state, but said the reason was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/forest" target="_self">forest</a> management policies, not politics.</p><p>"Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen," the president tweeted at the time. "Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!"</p>
<div id="8ee70" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="65c68dadcb57f6f53593f64d71263b3b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083022011574747137" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would… https://t.co/l5Jyjb8lEs</div> — Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/1083022011574747137">1547047543.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The tweet was widely criticized by California firefighters and politicians at the time for making such a threat following a major tragedy. Trump's focus on forest management was also seen as a way to downplay the role of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> in fueling more extreme fires.</p><p>"Californians endured the deadliest wildfire in our state's history last year. We should work together to mitigate these fires by combating climate change, not play politics by threatening to withhold money from survivors of a deadly natural disaster," California Senator <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/kamala-harris" target="_self">Kamala Harris</a>, who is now <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a>'s <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/kamala-harris-environmental-legacy-biden-2646958079.html" target="_self">running mate</a> in his bid to unseat Trump in November, tweeted at the time.</p>
<div id="9f935" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="48ac78198bfc72a939cf49db480ca15b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083022784895303680" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Californians endured the deadliest wildfire in our state’s history last year. We should work together to mitigate t… https://t.co/ni9zzpaqte</div> — Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris)<a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/statuses/1083022784895303680">1547047728.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Trump critics also pointed out that more than half of forested land in California is controlled by the federal government, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. However, despite Trump's threat, the aid was never actually withheld.</p><p>The White House responded to Taylor's video by saying he had never raised any complaints while working for DHS from 2017 to 2019.</p><p>"This individual is another creature of the D.C. Swamp who never understood the importance of the President's agenda or why the American people elected him and clearly just wants to cash-in," White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/17/trump-california-wildfire-money-397340?fbclid=IwAR2hOyquSnLgw_OUW3ZHX7OR6KJGjPzJTsKnSu1j1DtVGnhS92Rd-u2lKQo" target="_blank">POLITICO</a>.</p><p>In the video, Taylor also endorsed Biden in the November election, becoming one of the highest ranking former administration officials to do so, <a href="https://abc7.com/president-donald-trump-cal-fire-california-wildfires-federal-funding/6374757/" target="_blank">ABC 7 reported</a>.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Trump Admin. Takes Advantage of California Fires to Funnel More ... ›
- Judge Dismisses Trump Admin Lawsuit Against California's Cap ... ›
- 'This Is Political Retribution:' Trump Admin Attacks California's ... ›
- Trump Threatens to Cut Off California Wildfire Aid - EcoWatch ›
- How Google Is Fighting Fire With Real-Time Mapping Data ›
- A Gender-Reveal Party Started a Wildfire That Burned Nearly 10,000 Acres - EcoWatch ›
- 7 Devastating Photos of Wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington ›
- New California Law Opens Doors for Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters - EcoWatch ›
- New California Law Opens Doors for Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters - EcoWatch ›
- Trump Denies Climate Science in California, Biden Labels Him a 'Climate Arsonist' - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
The Environmental Legacy of Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s Newly-Announced Running Mate
12 August
Politics
California Senator Kamala Harris endorses Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Michigan on March 9, 2020. JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty Images
Former Vice President Joe Biden made a historic announcement Tuesday when he named California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in the 2020 presidential election.
<p>Harris is now the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to run for national office for a major political party in the U.S., the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) pointed out. She also has a strong legacy of championing environmental justice throughout her career.</p><p>"Congratulations to Senator Kamala Harris, a true environmental champion!" LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said in a <a href="https://www.lcv.org/article/lcv-action-fund-statement-joes-bidens-vp-pick-senator-kamala-harris/" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p>
<div id="dd1a3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="68af3c0112c4b985dfd2678d05cb02d9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1293294015278985217" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@JoeBiden @KamalaHarris Her stellar 91% lifetime score on LCV's Environmental Scorecard speaks for itself:… https://t.co/ZClO9w8soC</div> — LCV – League of Conservation Voters (@LCV – League of Conservation Voters)<a href="https://twitter.com/LCVoters/statuses/1293294015278985217">1597180296.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Harris has a lifetime LCV environmental voting score of 91 percent, better than Biden's 83 percent, <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11082020/kamala-harris-joe-biden-election-2020-climate-change" target="_blank">InsideClimate News noted</a>. Her selection won praise from several mainstream environmental groups, including the <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/08/sierra-club-statement-biden-harris-2020" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>, <a href="https://foeaction.org/news/friends-of-the-earth-action-applauds-the-historic-selection-of-kamala-harris-as-the-democratic-nominee-for-vice-president/" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth Action</a> and <a href="https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/kamala-harris-for-vice-president/?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=AFciven" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund</a>.</p><p>Harris is a co-sponsor of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/green-new-deal" target="_self">Green New Deal</a> resolution, according to <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-the-kamala-harris-vp-pick-means-for-bidens-energy-and-climate-platform" target="_blank">Greentech Media</a>, and promised to end the filibuster during her own presidential campaign so that the major climate legislation would have a chance at passing. Her unique contribution to the green movement, however, is her lifetime focus on environmental justice in particular. This is a key issue for the Biden campaign as a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/2020-election-climate-change-abortion-2638025748.html" target="_self">growing awareness</a> of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> corresponds with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-activist-racial-justice-2646152490.html" target="_self">nationwide protests over racial injustice</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/black--hispanic-americans-coronavirus-2645677258.html" target="_self">health disparities</a> made starker by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic.</p>
<h3>Environmental Justice</h3><p>When Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, she created the office's first environmental justice unit in 2005, InsideClimate News reported.</p><p>"Crimes against the environment are crimes against communities, people who are often poor and disenfranchised," Harris said at the time, as <a href="https://grist.org/politics/kamala-harris-is-bidens-vp-pick-what-does-that-mean-for-the-climate/" target="_blank">Grist reported</a>.</p><p>She has continued championing the issue as a Senator. This summer, she introduced the Environmental Justice for All Act with Senators Tammy Duckworth and Cory Booker to ensure the federal government considers low income communities and communities of color when issuing permits, Greentech Media reported.</p><p>She also teamed up with New York Representative and Green New Deal champion <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/alexandria-ocasio-cortez" target="_self">Alexandria Ocasio Cortez</a> to introduce the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/harris-aoc-climate-legislation-2639501313.html" target="_self">Climate Equity Act</a>, which would create a new Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability within the Office of Management and Budget to make sure that all environmental legislation and regulations are assessed based on their impact on frontline communities.</p><p>The duo first proposed the act last summer and formally introduced it last week.</p>
<div id="c4f11" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="67da6c1aa88b185f74fa063adbac316a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1292181834571354115" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This week, @RepAOC and I introduced the Climate Equity Act, legislation to ensure that we center the fight against… https://t.co/bpQi8aELxk</div> — Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenKamalaHarris/statuses/1292181834571354115">1596915131.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"COVID-19 has laid bare the realities of systemic racial, health, economic, and environmental injustices that persist in our country," Harris said in a statement about the new legislation reported by <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/510920-harris-aoc-push-climate-equity-bill-with-green-new-deal-roots" target="_blank">The Hill</a>. "The environment we live in cannot be disentangled from the rest of our lives, and it is more important than ever that we work toward a more just and equitable future."</p>
<h3>Climate Liability</h3><p>During her presidential campaign and her time as California attorney general, Harris also emphasized holding <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuel" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> companies accountable for their pollution, InsideClimate News pointed out.</p><p>As attorney general, she opposed a Chevron refinery expansion in Richmond, a majority Black and Hispanic community. She also sued Southern California Gas Co. over a methane blowout near Los Angeles.</p><p>Finally, she joined AGs United for Clean Power, a group of 17 attorneys general who said they would hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change. However, Harris never actually sued ExxonMobil, despite mistakenly claiming she had during a debate last year. She did repeatedly emphasize the need to hold fossil fuel companies responsible on the campaign trail and promised to have the Department of Justice launch an investigation.</p><p>"They are causing harm and death in communities. And there has been no accountability," she said at a CNN Town Hall on climate change.</p>
<h3>Weaknesses</h3><p>But Harris' prosecutorial record has another side. She has faced criticism from Black and progressive voters for her role as top prosecutor in a state that incarcerates African Americans at a rate five times higher than their share of the population. This has dampened her image somewhat with younger climate activists.</p><p>"I think Kamala Harris is a big win for women of color and environmental justice, however she definitely has some work to do in order to show our generation that she's become more progressive since her prosecutor days," 15-year-old climate activist and <a href="https://earthuprising.org/" target="_blank">Earth Uprising</a> founder Alexandria Villaseñor told InsideClimate News.</p><p>On the environmental front, Harris' weaknesses include the fact that she was one of the last Democratic candidates to unveil a climate plan, and, when she did, it did not include a ban on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/fracking/" target="_self">fracking</a>, Grist pointed out. She has also accepted donations from fossil fuel companies in the past, though she pledged not to do so this election.</p><p>Weighing Harris' legacy, <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> co-founder Varshini Prakash said the Senator was willing to grow in response to criticism.</p><p>"Throughout the course of her campaign for President, Senator Kamala Harris showed her responsiveness to activist and movement pressure to make climate a top priority, and demonstrated her willingness to be held accountable," Prakash said in a statement reported by Greentech Media. "I'm also deeply aware of Senator Harris' record as a prosecutor and the ways in which a number of her decisions harmed communities of color, which our movement has spoken about in the past and will continue to."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Kamala Harris Introduces Environmental Justice Bill in Senate ... ›
- Harris and AOC Introduce Climate Equity Act to Protect Frontline ... ›
- 145 Progressive Groups Urge Biden to Shun Fossil Fuel Execs and Lobbyists - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Hundreds of activists gathered outside the CNN studios at 30 Hudson Yards where a Town Hall on Climate Policy was held on Sept. 4. Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty Images
For the first time, Democratic contenders for President participated in a town hall solely focused on the climate crisis. For more than seven hours last night, 10 candidates fielded questions from an audience of Democratic voters and from CNN's moderators.
<p>After a summer of record <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/heat-waves">heat waves</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" rel="noopener noreferrer">wildfires</a> and ice melt, and on the heels of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-dorian" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hurricane Dorian</a> stalling over the Bahamas and dropping record rainfall, there were no longer softball questions about whether or not human-induced climate change is real. Instead, questions touched on many aspects of environmental damage, not just from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coal</a> and cars, but also from farming, industry, human migration, adaptation, deforestation, trade, the food system and the racial and economic divide in the face of a changing climate, amongst several other topics.</p>
<p>Throughout the night, the candidates faced some straight forward questions from the moderators about light bulbs and plastic straws; the tough questions came from young people in the audience, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2019/democrats-climate-town-hall" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> pointed out. In fact, <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1169402501470121989" target="_blank">one of the questions</a> seemed to rattle former Vice President Joe Biden. </p>
<p>"How can we trust you to hold these corporations and executives accountable for their crimes against humanity when we know that tomorrow you are holding a high-dollar fund-raiser hosted by Andrew Goldman, a fossil fuel executive?" asked Isaac Larsen, a 27-year-old Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern. </p>
<p>Biden then used an outsized portion of his 40-minutes to explain away his connections to Andrew Goldman, a co-founder of a liquid natural gas company. Biden was also <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/climate-crisis-town-hall-august-2019/h_34cc6c1ce9c1ca32ec6227e75f3e6931" target="_blank">asked by a 19-year-old</a> how her generation can trust him to prioritize their future over <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/big-business" rel="noopener noreferrer">big business</a>. </p><p>A high school student <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/09/04/julian-castro-fracking-cnn-climate-crisis-town-hall-2020-vpx-sot.cnn" target="_blank">asked Julian Castro</a> why he should be trusted when he supported fracking as mayor of San Antonio. Similarly, a college student asked Amy Klobuchar if she could actually stand up to the beef and dairy industry when they have so much influence in government and, in particular, Minnesota, which she represents in the Senate.</p>
<div id="449e4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="41J58Q1578578342"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1169403430160482306" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">https://t.co/xCe6YrKpiZ</div> — darien DignityRespectKindness (DRK) (@darien DignityRespectKindness (DRK))<a href="https://twitter.com/EQVILIBRIS/statuses/1169403430160482306">1567642478.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Several of the candidates took exception to the questions that the moderators asked as too simplistic and too much an echo of conservative talking points. For example, being asked if the US should rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, Sen. Cory Booker bristled, ""I'm sorry. That is, like, a cost of entry even to run for president or talk about the presidency."<br></p><p>Elizabeth Warren was exasperated by Chris Cuomo's question about whether the government should regulate light bulb uses. She pointed out that it is a conservative talking point to the put the onus on the consumer rather than polluting industries, as <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/09/give-me-a-break-elizabeth-warren-just-cut-through-the-dumbest-climate-argument/" target="_blank">Mother Jones</a> reported. </p><p> "Oh come on, give me a break," <a href="https://youtu.be/MdbLtrnLkO8" target="_blank">Warren said to Cuomo</a>. "This is exactly what the fossil fuel industry wants us to be talking about. That's what they want us to talk about: This is your problem." </p><p>And, when Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked by Anderson Cooper if he would reinstate the light bulb requirement, he simply answered, "<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/09/05/bernie-sanders-duh-trump-policy-lightbulbs-climate-town-hall-sot-vpx.cnn" target="_blank">Duh</a>!"</p>
<p>Some other notable moments came from Andrew Yang who offered creative solutions and knew how much of a carbon-tax he would like to levy. He also championed changing the calculation of gross domestic product <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/climate-crisis-town-hall-august-2019/h_4d415f1885140796a7419890dc57348f" target="_blank">to include environmental factors</a>. "Let's upgrade it with a new score card that includes our environmental sustainability and our goals," he said.</p><p>Sen. Kamala Harris said she would direct the Department of Justice to investigate oil and gas companies whose practices "are causing harm and death in communities. And there has been no accountability," she <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/climate-crisis-town-hall-august-2019/h_d40eef6688c0b2751777f6a0d259c095" target="_blank">said</a>.</p><p>Sanders boasted about his $16 trillion spending plan as the most serious approach to a mounting crisis. "We are fighting for the survival of the planet Earth, our only planet. How is this not a major priority?" Sanders asked during the town hall.</p><p>Sanders also unequivocally opposed nuclear power plants. "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to add more dangerous waste to this country and the world when we don't know how to get rid of what we have now," he said, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2019/democrats-climate-town-hall" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>That differed from several other candidates. Both Andrew Yang and Sen. Booker championed nuclear power as a necessary ingredient for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 plan. Harris worried about waste, but said she would leave it up to the states to decide, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2019/democrats-climate-town-hall" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Kamala Harris Becomes Latest 2020 Dem to Support a Green New ... ›
- Elizabeth Warren Adopts $3 Trillion Climate Crisis Plan, Challenges ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Support Ecowatch
By Julia Conley
Though she has yet to unveil a climate action plan as part of her presidential campaign, Sen. Kamala Harris on Monday signaled her intent to keep low-income communities at the forefront of any efforts to stem the climate crisis.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The California Democrat joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/29/us/politics/kamala-harris-aoc-climate-change.html" target="_blank">introduce</a> bicameral legislation known as the Climate Equity Act, which would ensure that lawmakers keep in mind the positive and negative effects climate-related bills will have on vulnerable communities on the frontlines of the crisis, before voting for them.</p><p>"It is not enough to simply cut emissions and end our reliance on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>," Harris said in a <a href="https://www.harris.senate.gov/news/press-releases/harris-ocasio-cortez-announce-landmark-legislation-to-ensure-green-new-deal-lifts-up-every-community" target="_blank">statement</a>. "We must ensure that communities already contending with unsafe <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_self">drinking water</a>, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_self">toxic air</a>, and lack of economic opportunity are not left behind. We need a Green New Deal based in climate and environmental justice, which means building a clean economy that protects communities that have been neglected by policymakers for far too long."</p>
<p>Under the Climate Equity Act, the two lawmakers said, all environment-related legislation would be given a rating based on the benefits and costs it would incur for low-income communities, which are often in easily-flooded areas or regions dominated by oil and gas refineries or other pollution-causing industry giants.</p><p>A legislative proposal's effects on vulnerable communities which have been polluted and subjected to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding">flooding</a> that is worsening due to the climate crisis and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" rel="noopener noreferrer">rising sea levels</a> should be considered just as important as the financial cost of a bill, Ocasio-Cortez argued.</p><p>"We can't do anything without a [Congressional Budget Office] score, but we never actually consider if it's disastrous to communities as long as it's revenue-neutral," Ocasio-Cortez told The New York Times<em>.</em></p><p>The Climate Equity Act would also require all federal grants and investment programs to undergo a review to make sure frontline communities will benefit and would require representatives from those regions to be "at the table" during those reviews.</p><p>Americans who have faced the most damage to their homes, livelihoods and health would be asked to provide "insights and comments on how to minimize negative impacts and maximize benefits of rules and regulations on frontline communities,"<a href="https://www.harris.senate.gov/news/press-releases/harris-ocasio-cortez-announce-landmark-legislation-to-ensure-green-new-deal-lifts-up-every-community" target="_blank">according to</a> Harris and Ocasio-Cortez's proposal.</p><p>Harris is among the 2020 Democratic candidates who have not yet shared a comprehensive climate action plan. As Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/29/slamming-use-poor-communities-dumping-grounds-corporate-polluters-jay-inslee-unveils" target="_blank">reported</a>, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday unveiled his Community Climate Justice proposal to establish a new Justice Department office focusing on holding corporate polluters accountable for the damage they do to poor communities.</p><p>Sen. Bernie Sanders (U-Vt.) <a href="https://berniesanders.com/issues/combat-climate-change-and-pass-a-green-new-deal/" target="_blank">included</a> investment in frontline communities in his plan to pass a Green New Deal while Beto O'Rourke <a href="https://betoorourke.com/Climate-change/" target="_blank">pledged</a> to mobilize $1.2 trillion to help communities facing poor air or water quality.</p><p>The recent national focus on frontline communities is being welcomed by climate action groups which have worked for years to call attention to the effects of fossil fuel and chemical emissions on low-income areas.</p><p>"They are timely and they are needed, and they help us to begin to think critically about the steps that are going to be necessary to protect people's lives in the moment, and in these challenges that are rushing at us at a very quick pace," Mustafa Ali, who established the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice, told The New York Times<em>.</em></p><p>"This hasn't been how the U.S. has done environmental policy in the past," said political science professor Leah Stokes in a Twitter thread. "The question is: are we going to do the same thing as we address the climate crisis? Are we going to leave vast swathes of the U.S. behind, particularly communities of color? Or are we going to ensure that the Green New Deal centers justice? Harris and [Ocasio-Cortez] say, 'Let's center justice.'"</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/29/timely-and-needed-proposal-harris-and-aoc-introduce-bill-keep-frontline-communities?cd-origin=rss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Senate Dems Vote 'Present' on Green New Deal to Foil McConnell's ... ›
- Ocasio-Cortez Fires Back at Trump Over Green New Deal - EcoWatch ›
- The Environmental Legacy of Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s Newly-Announced Running Mate - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Sen. Kamala Harris held a news conference after announcing her bid for president on Jan. 21. PBS NewsHour / YouTube screenshot
Kamala Harris on Monday became the latest Democratic presidential contender to back a Green New Deal, in what has become a "litmus test" for 2020 hopefuls, according to the youth-led Sunrise Movement that helped launch the ambitious economic and climate proposal.
"I support a Green New Deal and I will tell you why," the California Senator said during a CNN town hall in Iowa. "Climate change is an existential threat and we have got to deal with the reality of it."
<p>
Harris also took aim at the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-climate-change-weather-2626613514.html">climate skeptics in office</a>.
</p><p>
"We have got to deal with the reality of the fact that there are people trying to peddle some ideas that we should deny it. They are peddling science fiction instead of what we should do, which is rely on science fact," she said at the town hall.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0b5c5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="V5M0NE1576683770"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1090093124200906757" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">“I support a Green New Deal … Climate change is an existential threat to us and we have got to deal with the realit… https://t.co/TDr5B49Zig</div> — CNN (@CNN)<a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/statuses/1090093124200906757">1548733428.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxUzp9SZ6-VB-4wSm8sselVMsqWZrSrYpYC9slHKLzo/edit" target="_blank">The Green New Deal</a>—made popular by freshman Rep. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/alexandria-ocasio-cortez">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> (D-N.Y.)—aims to create a select committee of House members that would have the authority to "develop a detailed national, industrial, economic mobilization plan" to allow the United States to become carbon neutral and to "promote economic and environmental justice and equality."
</p><p>
The increasingly popular plan has been <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd/" target="_blank">backed by</a> at least 45 members of Congress and hundreds of environmental, social justice and political groups.
</p><p>
As for the names vying for the 2020 presidential ticket, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as well as former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro have also backed the Green New Deal, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/427386-kamala-harris-endorses-ocasio-cortezs-green-new-deal" target="_blank">The Hill</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="63600" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="AW4HGJ1576683770"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1088552452373151744" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Climate change is an immediate and catastrophic threat to our future. And yes, it's real.
We need to:
✅Get to net-… https://t.co/efyWTSlqOU</div> — Kirsten Gillibrand (@Kirsten Gillibrand)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenGillibrand/statuses/1088552452373151744">1548366103.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
"It's becoming the new litmus test for every Presidential candidate: if you want to lead our nation and claim to represent young people, come out in FULL support of the Green New Deal," the Sunrise Movement tweeted after Gillibrand announced her support at a recent event in San Francisco.
</p><p>
"If mobilizing to confront the climate crisis is not one of your top 3 issues, it's going to be hard for our generation to take you seriously," the group also <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1089678713862660096" target="_blank">tweeted</a> to the presidential contenders. "Embrace it, or thank u, next."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="632be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="T64GOL1576683770"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1088616887787745280" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Last night, @Gillibrandny voiced support for the #GreenNewDeal at an event in San Francisco!
It's becoming the new… https://t.co/jelUQaNxO8</div> — Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@Sunrise Movement 🌅)<a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/statuses/1088616887787745280">1548381466.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Sen. Warren, who appeared on <em>The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell</em> on Monday, explained how her newly proposed wealth tax plan can help fund Green New Deal policies. </p><p>"How about we invest that in a Green New Deal, to help protect this planet?" she said. <br></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4aec082903dd5f68a57c26d4f5e16ee3"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/thelastword/videos/359415661556369/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>Also during the CNN town hall, Harris mentioned that the top two fastest-growing occupations on the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm" target="_blank">Bureau of Labor Statistics list</a> are installers for solar panels and wind turbine service technicians.<br></p><p>
"We need those jobs to be created and filled because we need to be dedicated to that kind of work, and that's what a Green New Deal has to include," she said.
</p><p>
She then lamented, "Our planet is at great risk ... we have policymakers who are in the pockets of big oil and big coal (and) don't fully appreciate the fact that we are looking at something that is presenting an existential threat to our country.</p><p>
"And, listen, all children need to be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and we've got to have a commitment to a policy that will allow that to happen for ourselves and our children and our grandchildren. And right now we don't," she concluded.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="5a992" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="B13MEG1576683770"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060195834149720064" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"The Best and Worst Midterm Results for the Environment" by Olivia Rosane for @EcoWatch: https://t.co/lk15e8lnUo</div> — Michael E. Mann (@Michael E. Mann)<a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/statuses/1060195834149720064">1541605359.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
- 81% of Voters Support a Green New Deal, Survey Finds - EcoWatch ›
- 1,000+ Youth Activists Storm Capitol to Demand Green New Deal - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less