States with poor climate policy ‘overlap’ with those seeking to limit rights, Kamala Harris says
(Photo: REUTERS/Bart Jan van der Kolk)FILE – In this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris attends a “climate change, clean energy, and health freedom” town hall in San Francisco. Harris, who is expected to announce her presidential campaign Wednesday, May 25, 2019, says U.S. states with poor climate policy “overlap” with those seeking to limit rights, and the two should unite. Harris’ comments come as the first Democratic presidential debate is set to begin in Detroit (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File).
(Photo: AFP Contributor/JOSHUA TRUJILLO)WASHINGTON – U.S. States with poor climate policies overlap with those seeking to limit rights, and the two should unite, Washington state Sen. Kamala Harris said on Saturday, as the first Democratic presidential debate takes place in Detroit and she faces questions over her climate change stance.
“We don’t make the rules on this planet, so it’s up to us,” Harris, a Californian running for president, told reporters at the Washington Convention Center. “It’s not the job of the federal government to tell the states how to do their job. So, let’s focus on our jobs, let’s make a smart, smart, smart decision. Let’s focus on what is in our power.”
A spokeswoman for Harris declined to comment on how states were treated in her climate policy.
Harris’ decision to take on fossil fuel interests and support a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system after years of advocating for clean energy was an effort to broaden her appeal to young voters and progressive voters, with whom she has historically struggled.
Her candidacy has been mired in controversy as she has battled her opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has said her environmental policies are insufficiently progressive.
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