Presidential candidate Jay Inslee means to save the world. Nothing less will do.
Jay Inslee has gathered all he has learned in his decades-long stewardship of the Earth as our human home and distilled it into a voluminous integrated strategy with many working parts. He has revealed only two portions of The Plan and still has portions three and four to come.
This is no campaign slogan; The Plan is nothing less than a detailed battle plan to defeat the climate catastrophe on all fronts guided by environmental justice, social justice, economic justice, and racial justice. It takes the two-page aspirational Green New Deal and fleshes it out into what is basically an inspirational nuts and bolts how-to instruction manual.
One of the most engaging and understandable evaluations of The Plan, which I heartily recommend you read is from David Roberts of Vox, who examines the five investment headings and subheadings. Here is number 2:
2. “Building sustainable & climate-smart infrastructure”
The plan would direct roughly $3 trillion of investment over the next 10 years to a large-scale upgrade of America’s crumbling infrastructure.
The infrastructure investments would go to five areas:
- sustainable transportation, including more than doubling federal investment in public transit, electrifying passenger and freight rail, and giving out matching federal grants for local EV charging infrastructure;
- transmission and grid modernization, including new tax credits for transmission lines, matching federal grants for smart grid upgrades, and focusing FERC on expanding and upgrading transmission lines;
- clean water, including a Clean Water For All initiative to rebuild water infrastructure, improvements in coastal and inland water management, and more funding for “chronically under-resourced” federal agencies overseeing water issues;
- smart growth, affordable housing, public schools, and community development, which includes a whole laundry list of nerdy stuff that I love, mainly because it focuses on funding and expanding existing programs (e.g., the “HUD-EPA-USDOT Sustainable Communities Initiative”);
- public lands and green spaces, including forest and ecosystem restoration, wildlife and marine conservation, wetlands, and other lands-y stuff.
According to Emily Holden of The Guardian, The Plan has brought praise from important sources:
Daniel Kammen, a University of California professor and contributor to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, called Inslee’s plan “just what we need”.
Kammen, a former science envoy for the state department, said: “It is not only vital for our environment, but it is a recipe for more affordable housing and vibrant communities, good-paying jobs, corporate and municipal accountability, and global leadership for the United States.”
Further praise comes from leading climate and economic justice leaders. Do look at the following linked bios of these leaders who are quite diverse and often unusual as many combine capital investment with progressive ideals. My thought upon researching who they are gave me the strong impression that these are 21st century persons:
“This bold plan to rebuild the middle-class builds off of Governor Inslee’s strong pro-worker record in Washington State. From working to lift caregivers out of poverty, to supporting an increase in the minimum wage and paid sick leave and paid family leave, Jay Inslee has been a reliable and effective champion for working families.”
- Sterling Harders, SEIU 775 President
“Governor Inslee’s Evergreen Economy Plan to create millions of jobs in a 21st-century clean energy economy sets the standard among 2020 presidential candidates. That’s because it’s based on what we know best here in Washington state: when you invest in workers with high wages and strong benefits, you grow the economy and create prosperity for everyone. Washington state has had the fastest-growing economy in America and been named the best state in America precisely because we’ve raised the minimum wage, passed paid sick lead and Paid Family and Medical Leave, and insisted on strong protections for workers – not despite those things. The Washington state model is the model for an American economy that is inclusive, equitable, and powered by a strong middle class. This is how Democrats will defeat Donald Trump and Republican trickle-down economics in 2020.”
– Nick Hanauer, Founder, Civic Ventures
"This innovative, bold new idea for providing emissions-reducing financing is another sign that Jay Inslee knows not only that we must win the war against climate change, but also knows how to do it."
– Reed Hundt, Co-Founder and CEO of the Coalition for Green Capital, former FCC Chairman
“The breadth and scale of Governor Inslee’s Evergreen Economy Plan is impressive. It would leverage American investments, workers and ingenuity to address what economists and scientists have outlined as necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.”
– Ivan Frishberg, sustainable finance professional and former Climate Campaign Manager, Organizing For Action
“Governor Inslee’s Evergreen Economy Plan and his 100% Clean Energy for America Plan are a roadmap to a clean, resilient, and prosperous America. These plans are visionary, at scale to meet the climate challenge head-on, and detail the good-paying jobs Americans could undertake to realize the promise of clean energy. The Evergreen Economy Plan is simultaneously a swing-for-the-fences vision for America’s stronger tomorrow, and a practical set of tangible steps we can take today.”
– Sonia Aggarwal, Vice President, Energy Innovation
“Young people, activists and science are all challenging our leaders to rise to meet the defining issue of our time: climate change. Governor Inslee is doing us all a service by showing how we can meet that challenge--and transform it into an opportunity. We can act on climate, create millions of good green jobs and fulfill the promise of a free and just democracy--and Inslee has the plans to get us there.”
– Julian Brave NoiseCat, Director of Green New Deal Strategy, Data for Progress
"Governor Inslee has a roadmap of tried and true solutions at the local, state and national level to get serious in addressing climate change. His aggressive proposals will get us where we need to be while growing our economy, creating good jobs in hometowns nationwide. It does all of this while challenging the trend of increasing corporate power and expanding the rights of everyday workers."
– Katie Rock, Policy Associate, Polk County Iowa Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner
"New Columbia Solar is proud to stand with other environmental groups and sustainable energy companies in supporting the ideas in Governor Jay Inslee’s innovative initiative to transition economic empowerment through sustainable energy resources and improve the nation's infrastructure. As one of the largest solar companies in the District of Columbia, we have been involved in shaping policies on a local level to help ensure that the city builds reliance on clean power resources and provides greater access to energy resources for the underserved. Most recently, we became partners in the city’s Solar for All Program and members of the coalition that helped drive the DC Council's passage of the Clean Energy DC Act, one of the most progressive energy policies in the country.
"Further, as a company with a diverse group of employees, we stand in support of the mission to pass policy measures that protect the environment and ensure the expansion of renewable business opportunities for all Americans."
– Michael Healy, CEO, New Columbia Solar, Washington, D.C.
"The Inslee plan marshals the best of our public sector and leverages the innovation and drive of private business to do something that is both deeply ambitious and eminently achievable--swiftly transitioning our economy to clean energy over the course of the next decade. This is exactly the kind of comprehensive plan that we need. Best of all, it is grounded in successes here in Washington that prove that not only can we do this, but we'll be better off for taking on the challenge."
– Vlad Gutman-Britten, Washington Director, Climate Solutions
It appears unlikely to me that any other of the two dozen candidates could put together a similar opus since the work represents the best thinking of Governor Inslee and his team of climate and energy experts gathered over decades. As David Roberts suggests in his article Jay Inslee is writing the climate plan the next president should adopt, candidates would be wise to endorse Jay Inslee’s Climate Mission Plan.
.
.
.
Donate to get Governor Inslee to the debates:
jayinslee.com
We're just shy of our donor goal!
Make a first-time donation OR encourage a friend to make one now -- we're running out of time!