PRESS RELEASE: Gifford Releases Policy Plan on Climate Change and the Environment
Will champion bold actions to promote renewable energy, sustainability, conservation
May 16, 2018
LOWELL—Rufus Gifford, candidate for Congress in Massachusetts’ 3rd District, today released a plan outlining his policy positions on climate change and environmental issues.
“I’ve been a green guy my entire life,” said Gifford. “I will always be a champion for aspirational and aggressive policies to reduce our carbon emissions and preserve our natural resources for generations to come.”
He continued: “Bold action on climate change is not just values-based, it’s an economic driver. That’s why I’m obsessed with accelerating our transition to a renewable energy economy and creating jobs as a result.”
“Our changing planet is one of the most pressing challenges of our times and the Trump administration’s willful ignorance—from pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement to threatening our clean air and water—is absolutely tragic and a complete abdication of responsibility,” said Gifford. “This is why we all have to step up—Congress, state, and local government, the private sector, and on an individual level—with solutions big and small.”
The release of the plan follows a number of meetings and events across the district with climate and environmental advocacy organizations, academics, businesses involved in renewable energy and sustainability, and conservationists.
The full plan can be found here.
On climate change, Gifford called for instituting a price on carbon, accelerating the growth of renewable energy, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, returning to the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan, and increasing the resiliency of public infrastructure.
Gifford also called for protecting our natural resources, ensuring residents of the 3rd District enjoy clean air, clean water, and protected open spaces. To that end, he supports empowering the Environmental Protection Agency, protecting local waterways with Wild and Scenic River designations, increasing federal resources for land conservation, and defending endangered species.
As U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Gifford helped marshal international support for the Paris Climate Agreement and spur investment in the renewable energy industry.
Gifford previously released a green jobs plan, outlining his views on how to bring advanced manufacturing jobs to the 3rd District.
###