Energy

Al Gore Inadvertently Exposes One Major Problem With Ocasio-Cortez’s Enviro Agenda

Tree alley. (By Mlane78212 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17644669)

Former Vice President Al Gore’s recent praise for Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal comes with a significant caveat: He apparently thinks the idea is great despite being too vague.

“I don’t know what the details are either,” he told Axios Thursday in response to questions about the deal’s vagueness. The plan’s lack of details didn’t seem to worry the Democrat. “[T]he broad outline is pretty clear: create lots of jobs in pursuing this transition to a sustainable economy.”

The politician turned environmentalist also suggested that such a plan “could create millions of jobs spread around every community in the U.S., and more than that around the world.” Neither Gore nor anyone else for that matter are aware of what the plan entails.

Gore’s comments came during a confab at a United Nations climate summit in Katowice, an area of Poland known for its coal production. He tossed his support for the Green New Deal on Dec. 4 as Democratic lawmakers struggle to understand the nuts and bolts of another project addressing climate change.

“About to bring our 8th annual #24HoursofReality to a close with my strong support for a #GreenNewDeal, which will create jobs, invest in the right sustainable solutions & protect the health of those most vulnerable,” Gore said in a tweet referencing the incoming New York Democrat’s plan.

Some lawmakers believe the plan is not yet ready for the limelight. It’s unclear exactly how the proposed select committee involved with implementing the idea would function. Some veterans are criticizing the idea, calling it unnecessary given the existence of other committees designed to take on global warming.

“We’re saying this select committee can come up with ideas, but it will go through the committees of jurisdiction. There’s nothing wrong with that, this is how this process works,” incoming Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone of New Jersey told demonstrators on Capitol Hill Monday.

California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, for her part, wants to elevate climate change issues once Democrats officially take over in 2019, but Ocasio-Cortez and a handful of other left-leaning Democrats believe lawmakers are not moving quick enough to nix fossil fuels.