States with poor climate policy ‘overlap’ with those seeking to limit rights, Kamala Harris says
The US state of Texas, which has been accused of being hostile to rights in the past, has been praised by former California attorney general Kamala Harris for its climate action plan. Harris said that Texas stands out from the pack on climate change issues because of its high level of climate leadership.
“This is the first time a state has been given a very high grade from me based on the fact that it has, after many years of trying to bring climate policies into the state of Texas, is the one that has been able to pull them through and get them implemented,” Harris said in a phone interview with DW.
As per Harris’ evaluation, Texas has done “a really good job of bringing people under the tent of the EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) office, and is able to be aggressive in doing things that we should all be doing, and that is passing legislation, but also taking an aggressive stance on this issue, like the state’s plan for renewable energy is an example of that.”
Harris said that Texas’ state action plan makes “important efforts to protect the environment, and protect the people who live here.”
“I think we need a national strategy, but Texas’s plan is something that, I think, we should emulate and really take a very aggressive stance on,” Harris said.
“I think that this has been the most progressive state on climate change, and I think it’s interesting how they have a plan that goes out to every single person in their community, and even a plan that, even if you’re not in a particular zip code, you get a chance to vote on it,” Harris added.
Harris said she was especially impressed with the plan that includes the following steps that would have a positive effect on global warming:
Enroll 100,000 Texans in jobs in green energy sector.
Provide $200 million in state climate funding in two grants that will help small businesses reduce their electricity consumption, and make their facilities more efficient.
Allow farmers and ranchers to sell the carbon dioxide they emit.
Replace all Texas state government computers with a web platform to save money by eliminating the need for paper-based documents.
Under the Texas climate leadership, Harris said it would not be surprising if Texas was considered among the leaders in climate policy in the coming years. “I