Congressional supporters of a so-called “Green New Deal” this month offered the first substantive glimpse of what the long-discussed proposal would entail, introducing a nonbinding resolution (H.Res. 109/S.Res.59) outlining a plethora of lofty policy goals.
Sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the Green New Deal resolution would express the sense of Congress that the federal government has a duty to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and secure clean air and water for all Americans within ten years. To meet these ambitious goals, the resolution outlines a number of vague policies the government should implement over the next decade, such as:
- Building resiliency against climate change and extreme weather;
- Repairing and upgrading infrastructure, including by “guaranteeing universal access to clean water”;
- Generating 100 percent of the nation’s electricity through “clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources”;
- Upgrading every building across the country to achieve maximum energy and water efficiency; and
- “Identifying other emission and pollution sources and creating solutions to remove them.”
The resolution further specifies that the above policies should be developed in such a way as to ensure that all Americans are provided with clean water and affordable food and housing, as well as the guarantee of a job with “paid vacations and retirement security.”
The sheer breadth of the Green New Deal plan suggests it faces a steep climb up Capitol Hill, especially given that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has refrained from endorsing this or any other particular approach to combatting climate change. But the document encountered harsh pushback from some Republicans, who called it a “massive government overreach” that would represent “the first step down a dark path to socialism.”
To that end, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised a vote on some version of the Green New Deal in the near future – likely as an attempt to put Senate Democrats on record in support of legislation that the GOP believes will prove to be divisive among voters.