Another one bites the dust left behind by a climate change-induced drought.
As the originator of the environmentally ambitious Green New Deal, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has a noteworthy endorsement in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. She hasn’t handed out that precious stamp of approval yet, but as candidates start to roll out their climate change-fighting policies, Ocasio-Cortez is taking note.
For example, former Vice President Joe Biden rolled out his climate policy on Tuesday, and Ocasio-Cortez has already told CNN’s Miranda Green that she’s not a fan. Biden may have praised the Green New Deal as a “crucial framework” in the proposal, but it still calls for achieving net-zero emissions and a 100 percent clean energy economy “no later than 2050.” The Green New Deal, meanwhile, demands that happens by 2030 — something Ocasio-Cortez was sure to point out.
Meanwhile, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has marketed himself as the “climate candidate,” and his policy proposal has lived up to that nickname. He’s called for a complete overhaul of America’s energy systems, vehicles, and new building to achieve “clean, renewable and zero-emission energy” by 2035, which Ocasio-Cortez called the “golden standard” among candidates’ plans so far.
Ocasio-Cortez was sure to point out that she’s not endorsing any candidate yet, though she did suggest former Rep. John Delaney “sashay away” from the race on Tuesday after he said Medicare for All is “not good policy.” Kathryn Krawczyk
