WASHINGTON—Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill on July 29 that would ensure any climate change legislation considered by Congress prioritizes low-income and vulnerable communities.
The Climate Equity Act would ensure that Congress and the White House are held accountable for putting low-income and indigenous communities and minority groups that are on the “front lines” of climate change at the core of climate proposals, such as the Green New Deal.
“We need a Green New Deal based in climate and environmental justice, which means building a clean economy that protects communities that have been neglected by policymakers for far too long,” Harris said in a statement on July 29.
Harris has not yet unveiled a plan to combat climate change but joins more than half of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates in endorsing the Green New Deal resolution championed by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
The Green New Deal platform calls on Congress to carry out a 10-year, government-driven mobilization to decarbonize the economy through investments in clean energy, buildings, and transportation, as well as job retraining and social and environmental justice programs.
The Climate Equity Act would require that any climate-related bill undergo “equity” scoring in the same way the Congressional Budget Office conducts economic scoring of major pieces of legislation.
It would also establish an Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability to give representation to front-line communities during rulemaking processes, and create a new position of senior adviser for climate and environmental justice at all relevant agencies to ensure compliance.
“The Climate Equity Act ensures that as we go forward to solve our climate crisis, we are focusing on communities most impacted by the crisis and the transition to renewable energy,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
