A Green New Deal

Climate change is real and it is destroying our planet. Scientists say we have 10 to 12 years to transform our society before we face disaster. We see this as an opportunity.

In the 1940s Americans transformed our economy to produce the materials we needed to win World War II. If we approach climate change in the same way, we can transform our society, prevent the worst of climate change and create a society that works for people and not for profit.

Telling the Truth

I endorse the Green New Deal Resolution from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Climate Emergency Resolution from Sen. Sanders and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. These mark a new movement to respond to climate emergency with transformative action.

Roger Williams, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, has blocked every attempt to address climate change while he’s been in office. The oil and gas industry is so sure that their profits are safe with him in office that they have given him nearly one million dollars in campaign contributions since he first ran in 2012. We must stand up to those making a fortune by betting on our future and take action on climate change now to ensure that our planet is healthy and habitable for our children and grandchildren.

Jobs for All

The Green New Deal will generate millions of good union jobs by updating our buildings to be much more energy efficient and transforming our energy system to be clean and sustainable. We will be able to guarantee a job for everyone willing and able to do the work. There’s going to be plenty of work to do and no one who needs a job will have to go unemployed.

Invest in Public Transit and Public Homes

We will improve and develop mass transit and high-speed passenger rail across the state to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles and free people from traffic. We can then use public money to build millions of new, energy-efficient homes on those transit lines. Sitting in I-35 traffic for hours is bad for the environment and bad for our lives. A better way is possible.

An End to Fossil Fuels

I will fight to phase out the fossil fuel industry in the U.S. and replace it with a publicly-owned renewable energy system by 2030. This means banning fracking and oil and gas production on federal lands, banning U.S. export of coal, gas and crude oil, ending U.S. fossil fuel subsidies and transferring them to renewable energy infrastructure. I will enact a moratorium on fossil fuel infrastructure and production, halting projects such as the Permian Highway Pipeline through the Texas Hill Country.

A Just Transition for Workers

Many Texans make their living in the fossil fuel industry and we cannot and will not leave them behind. First, we must make sure that unions from these industries are involved in any legislation around the Green New Deal. It will be impossible to win a better future without their support. We will invest in training and eco-friendly construction projects with union jobs for those affected by the end of fossil fuels.