Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a few shots at each other on the topic of climate change during the eighth Democratic debate Wednesday evening. Thus far, the two had generally been cordial with each other on the topic, seemingly trying to set themselves apart from the Republican candidates more-so than each other. Clinton took a turn, however, during the debate taking a few shots at her contender.
“The best way to [combat climate change] is not only enforcing the laws we have, but also the Clean Power Plan that President Obama has put forth that I support, and the Paris agreement that I think was a huge step forward in the world, that Senator Sanders said was too weak. I helped to lay the groundwork for that,” Clinton said.
It is true that Sanders has criticized the Paris agreement. In a statement released Dec. 12, the day the agreement was adopted, Sanders said that “while this is a step forward it goes nowhere near far enough. The planet is in crisis. We need bold action in the very near future and this does not provide that.”
One blow by Clinton missed the mark, however. The former secretary of state mistakenly claimed that Sanders said “he would delay implementing” the Clean Power Plan, according to PolitiFact. The CPP is the centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s climate agenda, setting carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants.
Sanders, in a Feb. 21 interview with online magazine Grist, said that he would extend the Clean Energy Incentive Program, a feature of the CPP under which the EPA will provide emissions credits to states for renewable energy investment. Currently, the Clean Energy Incentive Program only runs for the first two years of the program. Sanders suggested it be extended to last the lifetime of the regulation, until 2030. Sander also proposed extending the CPP to cover methane as well as carbon. The Senator prefers a path to decarbonization which jumps directly from coal to renewables without using methane-heavy natural gas a “bridge fuel.”
While Sanders did not say he would delay implementation of the CPP, Richard Revesz, dean emeritus and Lawrence King Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, did write in a blog post for The Hill that trying to implement Sander’s changes would cause a delay. “This process would take years and give rise to great uncertainty in the interim. It would certainly delay the compliance dates,” Revesz wrote.
Sanders got in a few hits himself, alluding to the fact the Clinton’s SuperPAC is reported to have taken funds from those in the fossil fuel industry. “I don’t take money from the fossil fuel industry because they are destroying this planet through their emissions of carbon and creating the terrible climate change that we are seeing,” he said.
When pointedly asked about climate change, the candidates responded with markedly different answers, Clinton pitching bipartisanship and Sanders calling for a revolution.
“We need to implement all of the president’s executive actions and quickly move to make a bridge from coal to natural gas to clean energy,” Clinton said. “That is the way we will keep the lights on while we are transitioning to a clean energy future. When I talk about resilience, I think that is an area we can get Republican support on.”
Implementing current climate actions is not enough, Sanders countered. “I hope that Secretary Clinton would join me if we are serious about climate change, [in] imposing a tax on carbon, on the fossil fuel industry and making massive investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” Sanders said. The Senator also called for a ban on fracking, a practice Clinton has expressed support for in the past.
