Warren unveils $2T green manufacturing plan

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) edged closer to releasing a climate plan on Tuesday, rolling out proposals for a green manufacturing sector that the 2020 presidential candidate said would be a first step in implementing the Green New Deal.

Warren released an “economic patriotism” platform that she said would include a $2 trillion investment over the next 10 years in green research, manufacturing and exporting green energy technology.

{mosads}The senator, who supports the Green New Deal, called for a global response for slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Even if we reduce America’s emissions so that they are net-zero by 2030, we will still fall far short of the reduction in global emissions needed to avert a climate crisis,” Warren wrote in a blog post. “To satisfy this global need, we need rapid innovation on par with the space race along with widespread domestic and international adoption of clean, renewable, and emission-free energy technology.”

Continuing the comparison to the space race, Warren would spend $400 billion over a decade on what she dubbed the “Green Apollo” program, which would focus on clean energy research and development. That would be paired with plans to promote the use of those technologies in the U.S. and abroad.

Warren would help create domestic demand for new American products through $1.5 trillion in federal procurement over a decade.

“The federal government’s World War II-era commitment to purchasing military items led to an enormous surge in American manufacturing capacity and set the stage for decades of sustained economic growth,” Warren wrote, arguing the government should stock its fleet with electric and energy-efficient vehicles and other products. “This will create immediate demand, spurring innovation and investment in the American clean energy sector.”

Companies supplying those goods under a federal contract would need to offer a $15 an hour wage, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, and guarantee collective bargaining rights.

To help reduce greenhouse gas emissions overseas, Warren calls for $100 billion for a Green Marshall Plan that would create an office dedicated to selling American-made green energy technology abroad.

“We need other countries to slash their emissions, and that means we need to supply the world with clean energy products (at low enough prices to displace dirty alternatives) to put us on the right path,” she wrote.

Warren’s plan, which she said would help create 1 million new jobs, follows her rollout of a public lands package that would stop oil drilling on federal lands and plans to reduce the military’s carbon footprint.

A number of 2020 candidates have unveiled plans for addressing climate change, most recently former Vice President Joe Biden, who announced a $5 trillion climate plan earlier Tuesday.

Warren broke double digits in the latest Morning Consult poll, with 10 percent of Democratic respondents saying they would support her. That uptick in support suggests that months of steady policy rollouts are paying off.

Greenpeace, which recently ranked the 2020 candidates’ climate policies, complimented Warren’s plan but cautioned the candidate on fossil fuels.

“With this plan, Elizabeth Warren is seizing the enormous opportunity that transitioning to 100 percent clean energy represents for people across the country. The renewable energy economy is a win-win for our climate and communities, and should be at the core of any plan to create jobs and spur innovation,” said Jack Shapiro with Greenpeace.

“But we know that investing in renewables alone will not be enough to stave off the climate crisis — our next president has to confront the fossil fuel industry, as well. To truly take the lead on climate, Warren needs to lay the groundwork for a world without fossil fuels by issuing a detailed plan to responsibly phase out all oil, gas, and coal production.”

— This report was updated at 12:15 p.m.