Climate change is an urgent crisis that demands immediate, bold action.
We do not have any time to lose. In order to meet the scale of this challenge, we can't tinker around the edges. We need to rapidly accelerate the transformation of our economy and our environment in ways that achieve sustainability, justice, freedom, and happiness for our families and communities. Julie supports a broad set of ambitious policies and investments in communities, infrastructure, and technology that will help us achieve true sustainability -- both environmental, and economic.
Texas’ environment produces sufficient wind and solar power, which means our state is uniquely positioned to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We need to end subsidies and handouts to the fossil fuel industry, transition the U.S. economy to 100% carbon-neutral electricity by 2030 and 100% renewable electricity by 2035, eliminate emissions from all new light- and medium-duty vehicles, and make all new buildings zerocarbon. In order to meet these targets in an inclusive manner, Julie believes that we need to develop a clean energy workforce, hold polluters liable, and support frontline communities.
That's why Julie believes that we need to fight for a Green New Deal. It ensures a just transition to good-paying jobs for those working in the fossil fuel industry, while ensuring that front-line, indigenous communities and communities of color have the chance to build opportunity and to rebuild after being left behind by the fossil fuel economy. And by massively stimulating the American economy, a Green New Deal will raise wages and drive innovation while saving the planet.
Right now, the entire global economy is built to support corporations who are deeply incentivized to continue perpetrating catastrophic climate change. To address the many problems we face as a result -- environmental and economic -- a Green New Deal calls for a holistic combination of solutions at every level.
But our current path is unsustainable and unjust. An economy that was already overtly skewed to favor those at the top is now teetering on the brink of a recession, while America's massive income inequality is worsening. Meanwhile, our lives and livelihoods rely upon clean air and water, healthy farms and ranches, and the ability to sustain the worst effects of climate change—such as catastrophic hurricanes like Harvey and Rita, the drought spreading across Texas, and sea-level rise around Galveston and the Gulf Coast.
The existential crisis of climate change demands urgent, equity-oriented action, at scale.
You can count on Julie to fight for a Green New Deal more than any other candidate, because you'll never have to worry about where her priorities lie. She has taken the No Fossil Fuels Money pledge, and she has sworn off all PAC money. Julie is fighting for people, not corporations and lobbyists.
In Congress, Julie will support legislation that meet the goals of a Green New Deal to:
- 1. Transition the United States to carbon-free, 100% renewable energy by 2035.
- 2. Eliminate emissions from the power sector in the 10-15 year time frame we have left to address the climate crisis.
- 3. Supercharge the economy through major investments in American industries and manufacturing, modernizing our infrastructure, skilled labor, and innovation in clean technology.
- 4. Provide workforce development and training, labor protections, livable wages, and collective bargaining rights for all jobs in the transition away from fossil fuels.
- 5. Create millions of good-paying new jobs through low-carbon emission generation technologies, solar and wind technologies, energy efficient goods manufacturing and installation, building construction and retrofits, environmental remediation, forestry, and agriculture.
- 6. Ensure a just transition.
- 7. Invest in renewable energy, efficiency, smart grid, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean energy technologies and green infrastructure to reach our decarbonization goals.
- 8. Democratize the clean energy economy by increasing community ownership of energy generation through more distributed systems and public cooperatives.
- 9. Stop fossil fuel extraction on public lands.
- 10. Hold big business civilly or criminally accountable for their current or historical pollution.
- 11. Innovate and expand energy efficiency through new building, power, and industrial standards, technology, and retrofits.
- 12. Remove lead service water lines and fix water infrastructure problems in America, and protect our watersheds and waterways.
- 13. Restore the American landscape through reforestation, wetlands restoration, and expanded sustainable farming and soil practices.
- 14. Work with front-line, indigenous, and low-income communities and communities of color to build resilience and ensure pollution-free communities and economic opportunity.
- 15. Modernize mass transportation by scaling up charging infrastructure for zero emission passenger vehicles and transition away from fossil fuels in heavy duty vehicles, aviation, and rail, while innovating and scaling up the next generation of carbon-neutral fuels and biofuels.
- 16. Ban offshore drilling in the Arctic and the ANWR, and prevent Kinder Morgan from seizing Hill Country land through eminent domain.
- 17. Create incentives and standards to promote soil health for better food, water quality, and carbon storage.