States with poor climate policy ‘overlap’ with those seeking to limit rights, Kamala Harris says
With the country’s economy in a recession right now, there’s little appetite for climate action.
As Senator Harris, Democrat from California, said at a town hall meeting Wednesday.
“We’ve got record numbers of people in poverty. We’ve got record numbers of people on food stamps. Most of the new people who have come in the last several years have experienced the economic realities,” Harris said.
“One of the reasons we’re in recession is that the country’s so polarized around issues like this.”
Harris added that “climate change is one of those issues that is so polarizing that people like [President Donald Trump] are able to use this issue as a cudgel to hit back at their opponents.”
The senator also brought up her Senate Climate Action Task Force’s call to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.
“As you know, I am the chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force,” Harris said. “We’re working on a proposal with the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies, and it is our hope that we can get a bill that does that done that becomes a priority for the next Congress.”
The state of California — which has one of the most expensive electric power rates in the nation, Harris said — is particularly bad because the state’s economy is “highly dependent” on the energy industry.
“If we reduce our carbon output by even the smallest amount, we can send a signal to the rest of the world that we’re interested in addressing this challenge,” she said.
As for her own work, Harris said she is a “stronger, stronger supporter of the fossil fuel industry than my opponent,” referring to Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Nearly 40 Democratic senators call for climate change questions in debates Joe Biden has long forgotten North Carolina: Today’s visit is too late MORE (D-Calif.).
Harris also claimed Trump’s tax cuts are responsible for lowering the price of oil and natural gas by at least
