Days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, some of the most high-profile figures in the U.S. climate movement came together for an online fundraiser to support Vice President Kamala Harris' fledgling campaign. The event highlighted Harris' past far-left stances. [emphasis, links added]
Organizers said the event raised more than $100,000 for the Harris campaign, showing: Powerful climate NGOs, which attract millions of dollars in donations each year, are ready to throw their weight behind the current vice president.
At the fundraiser on July 25, washington free beacon learned, speaker The support for Harris is due in large part to her support for the trillion-dollar Green New Deal and green energy subsidies, as well as her opposition to fossil fuel fracking.
The fundraiser took place even as the Harris campaign attempted to roll back many of the policies highlighted by the speaker and move toward centrism on energy issues.
For example, the campaign said Harris no longer supports a ban on fracking or certain provisions of the Green New Deal. The vice president will deliver a high-profile speech next week in Pennsylvania, the second largest natural gas producer in the United States.
Based on the event readings obtained free beaconLeah Stokes, a co-host of the fundraiser and a consultant at climate firm Rewiring America, opened the call by noting that Harris established an environmental crimes unit as San Francisco district attorney and, As vice president, he oversaw capital investments in electric school buses and spearheaded a program to clean lead pipes.
She expressed regret that environmental activist and actress Jane Fonda, former State Department climate czar John Kerry and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were unable to make calls.
“The climate movement is backing Kamala Harris, as are environmental justice leaders and those working in the clean energy industry. “It’s wonderful to see our movement unite behind Harris,” Stokes said in a statement after the call. “The stakes in this election could not be higher, as far as the planet is concerned. Kamala Harris is the climate leader we need in the White House.“
United Nations environment adviser and co-moderator Saad Amer said on the call Harris will be able to push for “real, aggressive goals” to cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by 2030.
He emphasized Harris supports providing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars specifically for climate programs.
“Vice President Kamala Harris took Big Oil to court and won,” added Roishetta Ozane, founder of The Container Project and an environmental justice activist. “She advocates for a Green New Deal and says she wants to make polluters pay.”
In addition to Ozan, activists Ayanna Elizabeth Johnson and Stephen Nicolo similarly noted Harris' past support for the Green New Deal during the call.
Green New Deal co-author and Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey, Participating in the fundraiser also noted Harris' support for the legislation, calling her a “climate warrior” for tax breaks for wind, solar, electric vehicles and green energy.
Meanwhile, Johnson and Donnel Baird, founder of green energy company BlocPower Harris’s opposition to fracking was highlighted.
In addition to vowing to end fracking during the 2020 presidential campaign, Harris sued the Obama administration in 2016, saying it opened the door to offshore fracking off the California coast.
CNN: “Would you support change?” [government’s] Dietary Guidelines… Specifically Reduce Red Meat?
Harris: “Yes, I do!” https://t.co/5AbzEsoEYn
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 24, 2024
Other speakers included Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), whose failed 2020 presidential campaign focused on climate issues; prominent environmental activist Bill McKibben; Abigail Dillen , president of climate law firm Earthjustice; and Ning Mosberger-Tang, a board member of the League of Conservation Voters, an eco-focused nonprofit.
The fundraiser was organized by Give Green, a platform dedicated to raising money for Democrats with strong records on climate policy. Give Green was founded by leaders of the League of Conservation Voters and the Natural Resources Defense Council 501(c)(4) affiliate. Neither group responded to requests for comment.
A few days after the incident, Many fundraiser participants circulated a letter formally recognizing Harris as a “climate, environmental and energy leader, community member, and concerned and engaged citizen.”
Hundreds of signatories include Kerry, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, former White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abella Ms. …shear…
The Biden-Harris administration has been a boon to the climate movement, which has scored a series of victories, primarily in the form of billions of dollars in government spending that indirectly and, in many cases, directly benefits environmental NGOs. Organizations and climate companies.
The $739 billion inflation-cutting bill alone includes Significant amounts of money are spent on green energy development and environmental justice programs.
The outpouring of support from groups participating in a fundraising call last week may be partly attributable to self-interest.
Read Free Beacon’s full post
