Inslee: Biden’s climate change proposals ‘lack teeth’

White House hopeful and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) slammed former Vice President Joe Biden’s new climate change proposal, saying its plans to produce net-zero emissions and a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050 “lack teeth.” 

“I was pleased that Vice President Biden issued a plan today. I think it’s great to see anybody’s ideas. But I have to express disappointment that the vice president’s proposals really lack teeth,” Inslee, who has based his campaign around climate policy, told reporters Tuesday.

.@JayInslee reacts to @JoeBiden‘s climate plan in front of MI oil refinery: “This is our last chance. We don’t have 30 years to get this job done… I believe we have to have a President who will look at the CEOs of the oil and gas and coal industry and tell them to stand down.” pic.twitter.com/yB6zsBz26k

— Jamal Raad (@jamalraad) June 4, 2019

Biden called for a “clean energy revolution” in his plan released Tuesday, laying out a proposal that invests $5 trillion over 10 years to achieve its goals.

{mosads}Under the plan, a Biden White House would reenter the Paris climate accord and place “carbon adjustment fees” on carbon-intensive goods from countries fall short of their “climate and environmental obligations.” It does not, however, call for a carbon tax and also defers to Congress for an enforcement mechanism.

Progressives have also clamored for a climate plan that would produce net-zero emissions by 2030 instead of 2050.

“This is our last chance. We don’t have 30 years to get this job done. We have to start acting now. So my plan puts up stop signs and I’m afraid that the vice president’s plan does not. He has some initiatives for 30 years from now, but we can’t wait 30 years,” Inslee said.

Inslee has unveiled a slew of environmental proposals, including closing all coal-fired power plants to help build an energy grid that would be zero emissions and zero carbon use by 2030. He also aims for all new vehicles and buildings to be emissions free by 2030. 

The Washington governor has panned Biden’s approach to climate change in the past, saying last month the former vice president would have to “up his game.” 

Despite Inslee’s criticism, several environmental groups hailed Biden’s new climate plan. 

The Sunrise Movement praised Biden’s proposal as “a comprehensive climate plan that cites the Green New Deal and names climate change as the greatest challenge facing America and the world.”

The Biden campaign released a revised version of its climate plan Tuesday afternoon after observers pointed out it lifted several passages and ideas from think tanks without attribution.