Inslee’s “Evergreen Economy” Plan Includes Green Infrastructure and Climate-Smart Ag, but Barely

by Declan Foraise (Ecosystem Marketplace) Washington state Governor Jay Inslee has built his entire campaign on climate change, and today (May 16, 2019) he unveiled his “Evergreen Economy” proposal to redirect more than two dozen existing US programs towards the climate challenge. Details remain scarce, but here is what we know about how the plan impacts the country’s forests, farms, and fields.

Jay Inslee is pitching something called “ARPA-Ag” to promote research into climate-smart agriculture under the Department of Agriculture as part of his $9 trillion Inslee compares his “Evergreen Economy” climate action plan.

Inslee’s proposal puts the bulk of its emphasis on new energy technologies and only makes passing reference to natural climate solutions, which research shows can deliver 37 percent of the mitigation needed to reach the Paris Agreement’s 2-degree target. The plan does call for massive investment in infrastructure, but it’s not clear to what extent emerging green infrastructure technologies that incorporate natural elements like rivers, trees, and flood plains, will be deployed.

Inslee has built his campaign on tackling climate change, and he’s promised to release more details in the weeks ahead. For now, here is what his plan says about agriculture: READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: FULL DISCLOSURE: Concerns in the oil and gas sector are mounting as several Democratic presidential candidates call for the SEC to force companies to disclose climate change risks. The idea from 2020 presidential prospects — like former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — pits greens and investors eager for more information on how climate change could affect their bottom lines against fossil fuel producers who worry new disclosures would decrease the value of their oil and gas assets, Pro's Ben Lefebvre and Anthony Adragna report.

For example: Biden's climate plan says, if elected, he would take executive action on his first day to require "public companies to disclose climate risks and the greenhouse gas emissions in their operations and supply chains." And Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's spokesman said Inslee planned to include "increased stringency in climate pollution and risk disclosure" in the detailed climate plans that he has been rolling out.

Right now, the SEC recommends companies disclose their climate change risks, but it does not require it and offers no standard for exactly what information they should make public. The Wall Street regulator requested in 2016 public feedback about potentially changing climate-related risks required for disclosure in SEC filings, but since President Donald Trump's election, action on this front has stalled, Ben and Anthony report.

Now, Democrats' proposals are catching the attention of industry. Lobbyists in the energy industry told POLITICO that they are warning clients to reach out to Democrats to press them on the harms publicly traded energy companies would face if the SEC were to force them to produce regular reports of how climate change is impacting their business. Lobbyists are also advising clients what legal actions they could take to slow down any changes at the SEC, Ben and Anthony report this morning. READ MORE