Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Release Climate 'Equity' Plan

[bigtree]

Alex von Witzleben @AlexWitzleben 9m
#KamalaHarris and #AlexandriaOcasioCortez Release Climate ‘Equity’ Plan aimed at ensuring that climate change plans benefit low-income communities nyti.ms/3395hey

WASHINGTON — Senator Kamala Harris of California and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Monday will introduce legislation aimed at ensuring that climate change plans benefit low-income communities. The congresswomen described the measure as a key element of the Democrats’ Green New Deal.

The new proposal, titled the Climate Equity Act, provides a view of Ms. Harris’s environmental priorities. Under the plan, any environmental regulation or legislation would be rated based on its impact on low-income communities, which are disproportionately affected by climate change because they are often in flood zones, near highways or power plants, or adjacent to polluted lands known as brownfields.

The rating system would be modeled after the Congressional Budget Office score, which measures benefits against costs for every major piece of legislation.

The bill would also establish an independent Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability to represent vulnerable communities, and create a position of senior adviser on climate justice at “all relevant agencies.”

read: https://t.co/8g3wQ5UuOh?amp=1

[comradebillyboy]

1. Sounds a lot like the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

with a bit more emphasis on poor people.

[bigtree]

2. John Dingell of Michigan wrote the NEPA

...Scoop Jackson pushed the bill, Nixon signed it.


Gave us the 'environmental impact statement.' Several other environmental acts mushroomed from it.

[comradebillyboy]

3. One of the landmark environmental laws. I worked on

quite a few environmental impact statements myself.

[lapucelle]

6. Senator Harris has a link to a discussion draft of the legislation

at her official congressional website. You can read background and the draft here.

https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/CEA%20background.pdf

https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/DISCUSSION%20DRAFT%20-%20Climate%20Equity%20Act.pdf


According to WaPo, both Harris and Inslee unveiled plans on Monday.

On Monday, two contenders, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, released climate plans aimed at ensuring communities already facing an exceptionally large amount of pollution don't get saddled with any more. The proposals come as environmental groups demand presidential candidates address the socioeconomic and racial dimensions of efforts to alleviate global warming.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2019/07/30/the-energy-202-kamala-harris-and-jay-inslee-s-new-climate-plans-target-environmental-injustice/5d3f274788e0fa1454f7ffeb/?utm_term=.831ed1ad6e43

[comradebillyboy]

7. Thanks, I'll read it.

[guillaumeb]

4. Recommended.

The word "existential" is often overused, but climate change is truly an existential crisis.

[Andy823]

5. K&R nt