Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday announced what she would do to tackle the climate crisis if elected president in 2020, promising to “take aggressive executive action to confront” the growing issue.
The Minnesota Democrat said if elected, she would ensure the US participates in the Paris climate agreement on day one of her presidency, restore the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, bring back the fuel-economy standards and introduce legislation that would put the US on a path to 100% net zero emissions by 2050, among other things.
The climate plan, which is the latest to emerge from the crop of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls, comes several days ahead of a prime-time town hall hosted by CNN that will focus on the climate crisis. Klobuchar, who will be among the 10 candidates participating in the event, has previously announced her support for a number of the actions in her plan. The newly-released proposal provides a deeper look at what Klobuchar hopes to tackle if elected to the White House.
According to the plan, the 2020 hopeful would focus on resurrecting US involvement in the Paris climate agreement. A hallmark of former President Barack Obama’s presidency, Trump has pledged to abandon the landmark 2015 deal on global warming targets.
Klobuchar also pledged to restore the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which, according to the plan, “set emissions standards for states with respect to reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.” To further tackle emissions, Klobuchar, according to the plan, would also bring back the fuel-economy standards, which she said the Trump administration has “weakened.” Additionally, she would work with Congress to “pass sweeping legislation” that would put the US on a path to 100% net zero emissions by 2050.
The 13-page plan also says Klobuchar would “invest in research that will create new opportunities tackle the climate crisis” and support and promote green energy production in rural areas.
