What is new Vice President Harris’ position on climate issues?

Climate and environmental groups call the Democratic Harris-Walz ticket a powerhouse duo on climate policy, citing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s history of promoting climate mitigation policies in his state.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced Tuesday morning that Walz will be her running mate.

“This is a winning ticket on climate,” Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Counsil (NRDC) Action Fund, said in a statement, adding that “Tim Walz has made Minnesota a national leader on climate.”

The NRDC Action Fund and groups like the League of Conservation Voters said they are supporting Walz because of his experience advocating for policies including taking steps to reduce emissions from electricity, increasing access to electric vehicles, replacing lead pipes and prioritizing pollution reductions for environmental justice communities.

As governor, Walz has pushed for climate action and increased renewable energy. In 2019, he signed an executive order calling climate change an “existential threat.” The order created a climate change subcabinet and an advisory council to develop strategies to mitigate climate change and make Minnesota more resilient to its impacts. The groups developed a climate action framework that set goals to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The bill also includes more funding for increasing access to public transit and electric vehicle charging, as well as other initiatives such as forest and wetland restoration, job creation in clean energy infrastructure and public health programs.

Governor Walz has also championed numerous major climate bills, including last year’s budget bill that requires Minnesota to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and provides hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives like installing solar panels and providing rebates for electric vehicles.

Walz, however, has faced criticism from some state environmental groups for decisions made by state agencies during his tenure — such as releasing environmental impact reports that allowed construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline to continue in the state — that critics say should have gone further to prevent potential pollution from major industries.

Walz called on politicians to change the way they talk to voters about climate change, saying the conversations need to be more personal and focus on immediate economic benefits rather than emphasizing more abstract goals like reducing carbon emissions.

“If people think something, their perceived reality is reality, and we’re not doing a good enough job of that right now, I don’t think,” he said at the Aspen Ideas Summit last year.