Tennessee congressman backing 2 climate bills
Published 10:51 am Monday, November 25, 2019
NASHVILLE (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper has announced he is backing climate legislation, the Green New Deal and the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019.
Cooper cited former Vice President Al Gore, whose presentation at Vanderbilt University this week focused on the speed at which the climate is changing. Cooper, a Democrat representing a Nashville-area district, said in a news release Thursday that Gore’s presentation “is a sobering reality.”
Cooper’s office said the 100% Clean Economy Act incorporates key Green New Deal elements and would set a net-zero global emissions goal by 2050, directing federal agencies to use existing authorities to implement plans to accomplish the goal. The bill has more than 150 cosponsors.
The Green New Deal calls on the federal government to set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.