Trump-team email backs fossil fuels

Democratic presidential candidates have been warning about the dangers of global warming. On Friday, millions of protesters urged world leaders to make climate change a priority.

Leaders of President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, on the other hand, called for the continued use of traditional fuel sources.

In an email with the subject line “Democrats Aim to Destroy Arkansas’ Economy,” they stressed the importance of oil, coal and natural gas.

In a written statement, Trump campaign national press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said there would be consequences if the U.S. weaned itself off carbon-emitting fuel sources.

“This would devastate workers in Arkansas where the fossil fuel industry supports more than 77,000 jobs,” she said.

Democratic presidential candidates, on their websites, argue the shift to cleaner energy would bolster the economy while also preserving the planet.

Former Vice President Joe Biden says the shift would “create high-quality, middle-class jobs in cities and towns across the United States.”

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also foresees new jobs while promising to aid Americans hurt by the transition, “including those currently employed in the fossil fuel industry.”

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the Green New Deal would “avert climate catastrophe and create 20 million jobs.”

Other Democratic candidates have made similar predictions.

Planning to visit the nation’s capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Washington bureau? It’s available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.