Climate plan sets Sanders apart from the rest of the pack

[babylonsister]

Climate plan sets Sanders apart from the rest of the pack
By Varshini Prakash, opinion contributor — 08/27/19 07:30 AM EDT


Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recently released his vision for a Green New Deal plan in Northern California, alongside communities scarred by the record wildfires last fall.

While fires in the Amazon forest and the Arctic catch headlines, the policy itself has also gotten significant attention — and for good reason: It is the boldest and most ambitious plan out there to stop our climate from breaking down and address the inequities caused by our fossil fuel economy.

With this plan, Sanders has not only raised the bar for presidential candidates, but he lays out a real political strategy to make his Green New Deal happen.

The scale and scope of Sanders’ Green New Deal set his plan apart from the rest. A $16-trillion federal investment over 10 years to transition to publicly-owned clean electricity, create 20 million new jobs, and address the historical harm from pollution on poor communities and communities of color show that Sanders takes the climate emergency seriously.

Although he’s not the only candidate to advance the conversation, Sanders’ Green New Deal stands out in making it clear from the beginning that he is preparing to be an “Organizer-in-Chief.” He pledges to “generate the political will necessary for a wholesale transformation of our society” and take on the “fossil fuel billionaires whose greed lies at the very heart of the climate crisis.”

more...

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/458887-climate-plan-sets-sanders-apart-from-the-rest-of-the-pack


Varshini Prakash is the executive director and a co-founder of Sunrise, a movement of young people stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. The movement is best known for a November 2018 sit-in at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, which helped put the Green New Deal in the national spotlight. Prakash recently was Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) guest to the State of the 2019 Union address and was named one of Grist’s 2018 50 “Fixers.”

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread babylonsister.

[TexasTowelie]

2. Yet Mother Jones gave Bernie's climate change plan a D-.

If you’re going to propose a massive, $16 trillion plan, the first thing you should do is get as many people on board as possible. Instead, Sanders practically revels in pissing off as many stakeholders as possible. He’s going to tax the rich. He’s going to hobble the fossil fuel industry. He’s going to ban nuclear power. He’s going to nationalize electric generation and turn it over to the federal government.

And then there are the absurd promises. He’s going to create 20 million new union jobs. (No he’s not, unless he also creates 20 million new human beings.) He’s going to eliminate fossil fuels by 2030 at the latest. (I don’t think even the most optimistic environmentalist thinks we can build out solar and wind that fast.) Electricity will be “virtually free” by 2035. (Oh please.)

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/08/bernie-sanders-gets-a-d-for-his-climate-plan/

[babylonsister]

3. No, Kevin Drum did. You know what they say about opinions. nt

[TexasTowelie]

4. So why should I place Varshini Prakash's opinion over Kevin Drum's opinion?

It's not like the Sunrise Movement doesn't have its own agenda.

[babylonsister]

5. Seriously? Seems their agenda is to stop climate change so

perhaps, having weighed the candidates' platforms, they endorse this one.

Sunrise, a movement of young people stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.

[awesomerwb1]

10. You literally posted an opinion

[babylonsister]

11. Yea, from this guy who might

know what he's talking about.

Varshini Prakash is the executive director and a co-founder of Sunrise, a movement of young people stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. The movement is best known for a November 2018 sit-in at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, which helped put the Green New Deal in the national spotlight. Prakash recently was Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) guest to the State of the 2019 Union address and was named one of Grist’s 2018 50 “Fixers.”

As I've noted, I'm still undecided, but believe credit should be acknowledged.

[George II]

6. Good to see they recognize it for what it is, right there in the first line:

"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recently released his vision for a Green New Deal plan..."

It's NOT a "plan", it's a vision for a plan. Very few details, and loaded with things totally unrelated to climate change.

[Uncle Joe]

7. "Where there is no vision, there is no hope"

[George II]

8. With that I take it you're going to stop calling what he released the other day a "plan".

[George II]

9. "Where there is no plan, there is no progress" (my quote)

Walter Mondale had fun with this (although he lost):

[ehrnst]

12. 2007: Senator Hillary Clinton Applauds Passage of Green Jobs Energy Amendment

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) announced that the Senate has approved a green job training proposal she introduced with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The measure authorizes new programs to train workers for "green collar jobs" that involve the design, manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The amendment is now part of the comprehensive energy bill currently being debated by the Senate.

"To attack global warming, we need to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy," said Senator Clinton. "Deploying these technologies is a win-win that will reduce pollution and create new, good-paying jobs. This important legislation will help to train workers to meet the needs of the growing clean energy sectors of our economy."
.........................................................................

The Sanders-Clinton Amendment would establish an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce Training Program to be administered by the Department of Labor in coordination with the Department of Energy. The amendment addresses emerging workforce shortages that could stymie growth of the renewable energy and efficiency industries. A 2006 study from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) identified the shortage of skills and training as a leading non-technical barrier to renewable energy and energy efficiency growth. In particular, the NREL study identified a number of critical unmet training needs, including lack of reliable installation, maintenance, and inspection services, the shortage of key technical and manufacturing skills, and failure of the educational system to provide adequate training in new technologies. The program established by the Sanders-Clinton amendment would target individuals including veterans, workers displaced by economic globalization, workers seeking pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency, and individuals in need of updated training. Industries eligible for training services under the program include: energy-efficient building, construction, and retrofits; renewable electric power; advanced automotive drive trains; bio-fuels; and the deconstruction and materials use industries.

The Sanders-Clinton amendment would authorize up to $40 million per year in grants on a competitive basis under a National Training Partnerships program and up to $40 million per year in grants to states to implement labor exchange and training programs. Preference would be given to states that show leadership in promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Eligible entities would include non-profit organizations that are composed of partnerships between industry and labor, taking advantage of established programs in order to ensure the highest-quality training possible. The funding would be sufficient to train between 20,000 and 30,000 workers per year. The Sanders-Clinton amendment also provides up to $20 million per year for national and state industry-wide research, labor market information, and labor exchange programs.

https://votesmart.org/public-statement/268586/clinton-applauds-passage-of-green-jobs-energy-amendment?fbclid=IwAR2fFGZfQ47N1SzxaHwwgWi5QuQR56cgXFHEupN05nfPcgwOiEi9rXyLOUk#.XWVOe-hKgdV