“And I think in that we have to let it run its course”.
Advertisement
On how she plans to accomplish her goals, Clinton proposes giving states, towns and rural communities financial incentives to fight climate change, either by placing more stringent curbs on emissions than the law requires or through stepped up investments in renewable energy.
“Now, we need Clinton to show she understands the other half of the climate change equation – and prove she has the courage to stand up against fossil fuel projects like offshore and Arctic drilling, coal leasing in [Wyoming’s] Powder River basin and the Keystone XL pipeline”, he added in a statement. “This is one of most urgent threats of our time and we have no choice but to rise and meet it”, said Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the November 2016 election. Steyer hosted a fundraiser for Clinton in May.
Even a largely glowing response from billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer made a point of noting that “in the coming months we look forward to hearing more details about her proposals”.
Environmental groups praised Clinton for setting the goals but said they wanted to see details and a conviction that she would follow through.
But given her entry in to the White House race, and a new package of clean-energy ideas being put out by her campaign, Clinton was asked again Monday if she would at last weigh in.
Despite her strong rhetoric on renewable power, Clinton did not stake out a clear position on the Keystone XL pipeline, according to the Associated Press.
After Clinton said Monday that she couldn’t speak on Keystone “because I had a leading role in” the pipeline’s administration review, McKibben said by email that her rationale was “silly” because “she’s rightly full of insights about Iran, about Benghazi, about Korea, about a thousand other ongoing issues the State [Department] processes daily”.
“We need to get the incentives fixed in our tax system which as you know are too heavily weighted toward fossil fuels”, Clinton said during a day of campaigning in central Iowa.
Climate change has become a key issue in the Democratic presidential primary, where Clinton is the heavy favorite.
Crediting coal-miners for having “created an industrial revolution”, Clinton said “it is important that we help them transition to a new economy”.
The Democratic presidential candidate called for installing 500 million solar panels by 2020 as part of a plan she likened in its ambitions to President John F. Kennedy’s moonshot in the 1960s.
It would also increase capacity to the nation’s power grid with a combination of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal.
Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon estimated the 10-year cost of the grant program would be $60 billion, which he said would be offset by raising taxes on the oil and gas industry.
Advertisement
As governor, O’Malley doubled Maryland’s renewable fuel production, and reduced greenhouse gases in the state by 10 percent during his two terms.
