Eco-chambers Prominent Dems back AOC’s clean-energy plan

Bronx-born Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unveiled her long-awaited “Green New Deal” on Thursday and quickly courted high-profile support for the ambitious legislative framework seek- ing to combat climate change and income inequality.

Speaking to reporters on the steps of the Capitol, the freshman New York con- gresswoman proclaimed the introduction of her bill as a “big day for people who have been left behind.”

“Today is a big day for workers in Appalachia. To- day is a big day for children who have been breathing dirty air in the Bronx,” said Ocasio-Cortez, standing alongside veteran environ- mentalist Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who's co-spon- soring the plan.

“Today is the day that we truly embark on a compre- hensive agenda of economic, social and racial justice in the United States of Ameri- ca.”

Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gilli- brand of New York and Ka- mala Harris of California — all of whom have launched 2020 campaigns for Presi- dent — announced via spokespeople that they sup- port the “Green New Deal,” which aims to completely eradicate the U.S. carbon footprint by 2030.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who's rumored to be considering a 2020 run, also announced he's backing the plan. The sweeping resolution has gained significant mo- mentum on the progressive flanks of the Democratic Party, but it may turn out to be a nonstarter, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif.) has given no clear indication she will bring it up for a vote.

Pelosi played coy after Ocasio-Cortez, 29, rolled out the plan, saying she wel- comes “the enthusiasm” but stopped short of formally endorsing it.

Republicans, meanwhile, vehemently oppose the plan and have ripped Ocasio- Cortez as a naive socialist.

The plan proposes a series of called zealous “10-year goals national through mo- so- bilizations.”

Most prominent among them is the call to meet 100% of the “power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emis- sion energy sources.”

To get to that point, the legislation lays out a variety of lofty goals, such as “up- grading all existing build- ings” in the U.S. to become energy efficient; work with farmers “to eliminate pollu- tion and greenhouse gas emissions;” “overhauling transportation systems” and expanding electric car man- ufacturing.

Hand-in-hand with such environmental proposals are progressive blueprints for how to lift low-income Americans out of poverty, including providing “high- quality health care” for all, guaranteed jobs for all “with a family-sustaining wage” and “adequate” medical leave, vacation and retire- ment security.

The “Green New Deal” is a non-binding resolution, so even if it does pass through Congress, it wouldn't auto matically implement any new programs or kick-start any particular initiative.

Instead, it seeks to instill a sense of urgency among lawmakers, as scientists continue to warn that industrialized nations need to aggressively combat climate change or face potentially devastating consequences in the next few decades.

The congresswoman did not offer a price tag with the “Green New Deal” rollout. The social programs alone would invariably cost trillions of dollars.

Ocasio-Cortez did not provide a concrete plan Thursday on how to bankroll the all-encompassing package, but she has previously proposed increasing the marginal tax rate on the country's ultra wealthy.

She hinted at such tax hikes as she gave a nod to President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal from the 1930s.

“The same way we paid for the original New Deal,” she said when asked how she'll pay for the proposal. “With public money appropriated by Congress.”