Associated Press
As the Earth sizzled through a summer with four of the hottest days ever measured, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have starkly different visions on how to address a changing climate while ensuring a reliable energy supply. But neither has provided many details on how they would get there.
During her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris briefly mentioned climate change as she outlined “fundamental freedoms” at stake in the election, including “the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.”
As vice president, Harris cast the tiebreaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law that was approved with only Democratic support. As a senator from California, she was an early sponsor of the Green New Deal, a sweeping series of proposals meant to swiftly move the United States to fully green energy that is championed by the party’s most progressive wing.
Trump, meanwhile, led chants of “drill, baby, drill” and pledged to dismantle the Biden administration’s “green new scam” in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. He has vowed to boost production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal and repeal key parts of the 2022 climate law.
Environmental groups, which largely back Harris, call her a “proven climate champion” who will take on Big Oil and build on Biden’s climate legacy, including policies that boost electric vehicles and limit planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants.
Republicans counter that Biden and Harris have spent four years adopting “punishing regulations” that target American energy while lavishing generous tax credits for electric vehicles and other green priorities that cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Democrats have a clear edge on the issue. More than half of U.S. adults say they trust Harris “a lot” or “some” when it comes to addressing climate change, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in July. About 7 in 10 say they have “not much” trust in Trump or “none at all” when it comes to climate. Fewer than half say they lack trust in Harris.
Electric vehicles
Trump has frequently criticized tough new vehicle emissions rules imposed by Biden, incorrectly labeling them an electric vehicle “mandate.″ Environmental Protection Agency rules issued this spring target tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks and encourage but do not require sales of new EVs to meet the new standards.
Trump has said EV manufacturing will destroy jobs in the auto industry. In recent months, however, he has softened his rhetoric, saying he’s for “a very small slice” of cars being electric.
The change comes after Tesla CEO Elon Musk “endorsed me very strongly,” Trump said at an August rally in Atlanta. Even so, industry officials expect Trump to roll back Biden’s EV push and attempt to repeal tax incentives that Trump claims benefit China.
Harris has not announced an EV plan but has strongly supported EVs as vice president. At a 2022 event in Seattle, she celebrated roughly $1 billion in federal grants to purchase about 2,500 “clean” school buses. As many as 25 million children ride the familiar yellow buses each school day, and they will have a healthier future with a cleaner fleet, Harris said.
The grants and other federal climate programs not only are aimed at “saving our children, but for them, saving our planet,″ she said.
Climate law, jobs
Harris has focused on implementing the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021, as well as climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided nearly $375 billion in financial incentives for electric cars and clean energy projects.
Under Biden and Harris, U.S. manufacturers created more than 250,000 energy jobs last year, the Energy Department said, with clean energy accounting for more than half of those jobs. “America is more energy secure than ever before with the highest domestic energy production on record,’’ the Harris campaign said.
Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, deride climate spending as a “money grab’’ for environmental groups and say it will ship Americans’ jobs to China and other countries while increasing energy prices at home.
“Kamala Harris cares more about climate change than about inflation,” Vance wrote in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
Goodbye Paris?
Trump, who has cast climate change as a “hoax,” withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. He has pledged to do so again, calling the global plan to reduce carbon emissions unenforceable and a gift to China and other big polluters. Trump promises to end wind subsidies included in the climate law and eliminate regulations imposed and proposed by the Biden administration to increase the energy efficiency of lightbulbs, stoves, dishwashers and shower heads.
Harris has called the Paris Agreement crucial to address climate change and protect “our children’s future.″
The U.S. returned to the pact soon after Biden took office in 2021.
LNG pause
After approving numerous projects to export liquefied natural gas, or LNG, the Biden administration in January paused consideration of new natural gas export terminals. The delay allows officials to review the economic and climate impacts of natural gas, a fossil fuel that emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
The decision aligned the Democratic president with environmentalists who fear the recent increase in LNG exports is locking in potentially catastrophic planet-warming emissions even as Biden has pledged to cut climate pollution in half by 2030.
Trump has said he would approve terminals “on my very first day back” in office.
Harris has not outlined plans for LNG exports, but analysts expect her to impose tough climate standards on export projects as part of her larger stance against large oil and gas companies.
___
Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
23 comments
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 31, 2024 at 5:49 pm
Good afternoon Sage Patriots & Dook 4 Brains Leftys,
The Dooks of the Demoncratic Party have been pushing this climate change “BS” out their “Tater Holes” for years and years.
Their solution is th strangle the USA financially while the Europians, Ruskies, India, and our favorites….the bearded woman hateing, Jew Hateing, HomerTestical hateing Muzzys all totally off the financial hook.
Then to add insult to injury the Demomcrats spend the €FF out of the money on cutting off little boys weiners, little girls breastestes, and The Green New Deal full of kick-backs to Demoncrats.
“WAKE UP AMERICA & VOTE TRUMP”
Thank you,
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 31, 2024 at 6:37 pm
Good evening America,
I, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL],
have determined my, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]’s above posting of Sage Wisdom to be my bestest ever.
FURTHERMORE:
I, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], fully expect all voters, regardless of party, to rally behind DON “THE DONALD” TRUMP to keep…not just America, but The World from going “Straight To HELL in a handbasket”.
Thank you for your support,
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
rick whitaker
August 31, 2024 at 6:45 pm
ELVIS, i love your garbage. you spew bad humor, bad political advice, and no doubt, bad breath. you got it all dude, pure garbage. let’s hear more. please try to come up to date and quit lying so much, so us younger people can handle it. we love your garbage, it makes us feel kinda superior in comparrision. my garbage ain’t shit compared to yours. keep spewing dude.
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 31, 2024 at 7:45 pm
Thank you, my Brother In Christ, for your devotion and support to me, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL],
You will be with me, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], in Christian Heaven for Eternity….
Q.) WHAT COULD BE MORE SAGE?
A.) NOTHING
Thank you Rick for your love and Fielity to me, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
*Elvis & Rick 4 Ever!!!!
rick whitaker
September 1, 2024 at 1:22 pm
EARL SHITTS, you are trying to bait me. you know very well that i am too openminded to believe in ANY of the christian cult fairy tales. i will leave that to dudes like you whom are too far into the world of christian lies and fantasies to think clearly. you make these silly comments that i am your “bestie”, you don’t have any besties. earl you are a lonely sick-minded POS, sad, but just.
Silly Wabbit
August 31, 2024 at 8:59 pm
He kwazy.
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
September 1, 2024 at 10:10 am
Good Mornting Wabbit,
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], loves The Wabbit and thank you for being one of my, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]’s, BESTY LEFTYS, along with my buddy, Rick Whittaker, and pledgeing your vote for TRUMP!!!! See y’all can both pretend to be annoying DOOK 4 BRAINS LEFTYS while saving the planet with your TRUMP vote,
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
Yrral
September 1, 2024 at 6:01 am
Vote for more Hurricane for Florida,maybe one in week or so, what if there a hurricane in Florida on election day
Elvis Pitts American "FRIEND OF LEFTYS"
September 1, 2024 at 8:28 pm
Thank you Yrral,
I, Elvis, am counting on your TRUMP vote. We will be together in Christian Heaven for eternity, Yrral, if you follow my Sage Advice.
Thanks Yrral, I know I can count on your TRUMP VOTE,
Elvis Pitts American “FRIEND OF LEFTYS”
Yrral
September 3, 2024 at 12:45 pm
You can count on a Cat5 near the ,16th of September near Tampa Bay 100 percent guaranteed , according to model,what if hurricanes hit Florida on election
Ron Ogden
August 31, 2024 at 6:45 pm
“. . .industry officials expect Trump to roll back Biden’s EV push and attempt to repeal tax incentives that Trump claims benefit China.”
If the people see an economic benefit from buying EVs, they will want EVs, and if they want EVs, they will have them. That’s called “democracy.” By the way, very few are buying EVs, even with the eye-watering federal transfer payments as inducements.
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 31, 2024 at 7:49 pm
Listen up, Dook 4 Brains, Ron:
EV stands for “EVER VIRTOUS”
AND HAS NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH YOUR GREEN NEW €FFIN DEAL.
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL] HAS SPOKEN!!!!
rick whitaker
September 1, 2024 at 2:18 pm
THE SPHINCTERMAN HAS SPOKEN
rick whitaker
August 31, 2024 at 6:53 pm
RON, i think people are just waiting for the competitive dust to settle. the toyota water engine might come in quicker. either way, oil is the past, and the future hasn’t got here yet.. hopefully trump won’t get his tiny little orange hands on our government again.
"NOT" THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 31, 2024 at 7:50 pm
This guy Elvis is speaking to me,
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 31, 2024 at 7:53 pm
There you have it, America, a totally un-biased opinion proving that “THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]” is “”AMERICA’s THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]”
Michael K
August 31, 2024 at 8:10 pm
Drill baby drill includes the Gulf of Mexico, right? .
Day 38
September 1, 2024 at 9:21 am
Next time you fly from Florida to the west look down over the Gulf of Mexico. What do you think is going on there? 🤣
rick whitaker
September 1, 2024 at 2:28 pm
PEACHY THE EASY MARK, water is going on down there. maga want’s to pollute it more, and the dems want to pollute it less. it’s our choice, too bad the greedy, don’t care about the future their kids are going to live in. now let me hear your crazy answer to this comment. i can count on you to reflect the opposite of my values. so i guess maga cultist do have a purpose in life, to show contrast between maga and dems. the contrast between reality and maga are stark.
Ocean Joe
September 1, 2024 at 5:36 am
If his outrageous behavior on January 6th didn’t disqualify him to serve, continued climate denial should. Then again, climate denial and the unwillingness to sacrifice, the selfishness that goes with it, the refusal to even try to preserve a decent environment to pass on typifies Republican policy, despite a majority of Republican voters say they are concerned about the environment.
Instead of complaining about the price of oil, complain about the price of olive oil. Then realize it’s because excessive heat and drought stressed the harvest. Georgia had its worst peach season ever. Or you can abandon the Paris Accords like Trump did, use the pollution of others as an excuse to do nothing. Easy when you’re 78 and only think about yourself and are too lazy to understand basic science.
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
September 1, 2024 at 11:31 am
Good Morn ‘ting to all my BESTY Leftys above who have committed with me, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], to seceretly vote for TRUMP.
Rick, OJ, Wabbit, and Litterally Millions of other, Former Dook 4 Brains Leftys, I, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], thank you one and all.
I love you guys so much that I am sharing an investment stratigy with you.
STAND BY FOR SAGE FINANCIAL ADVICE FROM THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]:
Heres the “Skinney” HYDROGEN.
Hydrogen The Fuel Of The Future Today. Thats right my BESTY LEFTYS locate any and all manufactures and distributers of hydrogen and invest before the general public gets wind of my Sage Financial Wisdom.
IN THE FUTURE:
You will either look back as a share holder and thank me, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], or you will look back as one of the Putz’s who failed to take my Sage Advice and say, “Why oh Why did I fail to do as, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL], told me to do.?????
Thank you my, THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]’s, BESTY LEFTYS,
THE SAGE ELVIS [FKA EARL]
rick whitaker
September 1, 2024 at 12:20 pm
EARL , you are a political fool and of course a financial fool, nobody cares what you pretend to think. ha ha ha you’re laughable.
ELVIS PITTS AMERICAN
September 1, 2024 at 9:38 pm
Good evening Sage Patriots, My Besty Leftys, and to all Dook 4 Brains Leftists,
STAND BY FOR NEWS:
“Its NOT CLIMATE CHANGE”
“Its THE €FFIN WEATHER”
I, ELVIS PITTS AMERICAN, HAVE SPOKEN.
Thank you, Sage Patriots, My Besty Leftys, and to all Dook 4 Brains Leftists,
The Sage ELVIS PITTS AMERICAN
Comments are closed.