Harris and Inslee Agree that U.S. Should Stop Using Coal Within 10 Years

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) agreed that the U.S. should stop using coal within 10 years.

During the Democratic primary debate on Wednesday, Islee criticized former Vice President Joe Biden for saying the U.S. needs a realistic plan on climate change.

“No, I didn’t say that,” Biden shot back. “My plan calls for 500,000 charging stations around the country so by 2030 we’re all electric vehicles. My plan calls for making sure that we have $400 billion invested in technologies to learn how to contain what we’re doing, creating 10 million new jobs.”

Biden continued, “We will double offshore wind. We will end any subsidies for coal or any other fossil fuel but we have to also engage the world while we’re doing it. We have to walk and chew gum at the same time.”

One of the moderators jumped in, asking, “Just to clarify, would there be any place for fossil fuels, including coal and fracking, in a Biden administration?”

“No, we would — we would work it out. We would make sure it’s eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those, either — any fossil fuel,” he replied.

Inslee objected to Biden’s position.

“We cannot work it out. We cannot work this out. The time is up. Our house is on fire. We have to stop using coal in 10 years, and we need a president to do it or it won’t get done. Get off coal. Save this country and the planet. That’s what I’m for,” he said.

Harris was asked for her response to Biden and Inslee’s statements on climate change.

“I have to agree with Governor Inslee and I’m going to just paraphrase one of your great sayings, Governor, which is we currently have a president in the White House who obviously does not understand the science. He’s been pushing science fiction instead of science fact. The guy thinks that wind turbines cause cancer, but what in fact they cause is jobs,” she said.

“And the reality is that I would take any Democrat on this stage over the current president of the United States, who is rolling it back to our collective peril. We must have and adopt a Green New Deal,” she added.