Bernie Sanders Unveils Climate Plan

December 07, 2015

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by Alex Seitz-Wald (NBC News) Democratic presidential Bernie Sanders rolled out an expansive climate plan Monday that aims to cut U.S. carbon emissions 80% by 2050 and create 10 million clean energy jobs.

To accomplish these goals, the 16-page plan takes a kitchen sink approach, including everything from a tax on carbon to a ban on fracking to a push for more walkable cities.

And beyond the environmental goals, the plan has a political one, too - to enfeeble the fossil fuel industry, whom Sanders says has "bribed politicians into ignoring [climate] science".

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And beyond the carbon tax, Sanders would ban fracking, ban offshore drilling, and ban the exportation of oil or liquefied natural gas.

He would use money from the carbon tax to finance clean energy development, enhancements to the national grid, and improvements to make homes more efficient. He would also raise the fuel economy standards to 65 miles per gallon by 2025 for cars.

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The Vermont senators Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley have both already released their own comprehensive climate plans, which have also been warmly received by environmentalists. READ MORE and MORE (BernieSanders.com) and MORE (Slate.com)

Excerpts from Sander's plan:

Embrace a science-based standard for carbon pollution emissions reductions. We have a very limited window of time to transition away from fossil fuels toward clean energy for all Americans to prevent a global temperature increase that will cause cataclysmic impacts. Bernie knows that to maintain a safe and healthy planet for our kids and grandchildren we must listen to the scientists who say we must decrease carbon pollution emissions by at least 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050.
Put a price on carbon. Bernie agrees with leading economists on both ends of the political spectrum: a tax on carbon is one of the most straightforward and cost-effective strategies for quickly fighting climate change.

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Create clean, domestic energy alternatives to power our cars and trucks. The transportation sector accounts for about 26 percent of carbon pollution emissions. We must move our transportation sector beyond oil by running our cars and trucks on electricity generated by solar and wind power. We need efficient public transportation, advanced renewable fuels and high-speed passenger and cargo rail.

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Invest in advanced renewable fuels and keep our energy dollars at home. Renewable fuels have become a key component of our national strategy to move beyond oil in the fight against climate change. Renewable fuels must be produced in a way that achieves our environmental and energy security goals. We must both ensure that our renewable fuels production is truly sustainable, and we must also prevent the oil companies from derailing our progress in developing cleaner and more sustainable alternatives to gasoline and diesel. We should emphasize new, clean technologies like cellulosic ethanol and algae-based fuels. Advanced biofuels have enormous potential to deliver dramatic reductions in carbon pollution and strengthen rural economies, all while keeping our energy dollars here at home instead of sending them overseas to oil oligarchs in Russia and the Middle East. READ MORE