Climate advocacy groups call Harris-Walz pairing a ‘winning ticket on climate’

Climate and environmental advocacy groups are calling the Harris-Walz Democratic ticket a strong pairing on climate policy, citing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's record of pushing for policies to mitigate climate change in his state.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced Walz as her pick for her vice presidential running mate Tuesday morning.

"This is the 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 climate leader."

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

As governor, Walz has pushed for climate action and growth in renewable energy. In 2019, he signed an executive order calling climate change an "existential threat." The order created a climate change sub-cabinet and advisory council to develop strategies to mitigate climate change and make Minnesota more resilient to its impacts. Those groups developed a Climate Action Framework that set goals to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The framework also calls for more funding to increase access to public transit and EV charging, among other initiatives, such as forest and wetland restoration, creating jobs in clean energy infrastructure, and public health programs.

Gov. Walz also championed multiple major climate bills, including a budget bill last year that requires Minnesota to reach 100% of electricity from carbon-free resources by 2040, and that provides hundreds of millions of dollars to cut greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives like installing solar panels and providing rebates for electric vehicles.

Walz has faced criticism, however, from some state environmental groups for decisions made by state agencies during his administration – for example, releasing environmental impact statements that allowed construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline to go forward in the state – that critics claim should have gone further to prevent potential pollution from major industries.

Walz has advocated for politicians to adjust the way they talk to voters about climate change, saying that the conversations need to be more personal and focused on direct economic benefits, rather than emphasizing more abstract goals like reducing carbon emissions.

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