Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) touted his status as an “original cosponsor” of a bill that would force America on the path to a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050.
The “100 Percent Clean Economy Act of 2019” was officially introduced in the U.S. House Thursday and now has more than 150 cosponsors. The legislation sets a nationwide goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050, defined as “net-zero climate pollution across all sectors, while remaining technology neutral.”
Phillips’ office said 2050 is the “urgent deadline” set by the Fourth National Climate Assessment and the Paris Climate Accords to “avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change.”
The bill directs all federal agencies to immediately begin using their existing authorities to put America on the path to a 100 percent clean energy economy. The legislation also directs the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate agency plans and issue an annual report on the progress made toward a clean energy economy.
“When it comes to our climate, habitat, and economy, we are living in an era of great opportunity – and great consequence,” Phillips said in a statement. “The leaders of tomorrow’s economy will be those who take climate action today. We must swiftly and justly transition to a clean energy economy that benefits all communities, creates good-paying jobs, and is in line with what the science demands. I am committed to ensuring that the United States remains a leader in climate change innovation, and I am proud to co-sponsor this important legislation to help our country transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050.”
Phillips is one of 18 members of the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force, which calls climate change an “existential threat to the health, national security, economic prosperity, and future of our people and planet.”
The first-term congressman recently testified in support of carbon pricing before the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
“Humankind’s ability to thrive on a dramatically changing planet is in question,” Phillips said during his remarks, noting that he’s a cosponsor of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which puts a fee on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
“Climate change has a price, and this legislation makes sure that big polluters are the ones paying it,” Phillips added.
When it comes to our climate, environment, and habitat, we're living in an era of great opportunity – and great consequence. Ever wondered how a carbon pricing plan could work? Watch my testimony before @ClimateCrisis to learn more: pic.twitter.com/KTXrxeO1O8
— Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) November 15, 2019
Michigan’s Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12), a lead sponsor of the 100 Percent Clean Economy Act, claimed that her home state is experiencing “once every 100 year storms” as “yearly events.”
“Look at the world: devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, melting glaciers, rising sea levels,” she said. “The Great Lakes are at historic high levels. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report was clear that we must rapidly transition to a clean, net-zero emissions economy. This bill sets goals to achieve a clean economy by 2050 with significant progress each year. To accomplish this we must bring environmentalists, workers, and businesses together and ensure we are building coalitions that actually accomplishes this.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dean Phillips” by Dean Phillips.
