Sen. Kamala Harris of California partnered with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on legislation that would ensure communities who are on the "frontline" of the climate crisis are protected in future legislation.

Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal has been touted by prominent Democrats and 2020 candidates as a way to address climate change at a national level.

A draft of the proposal, called the Climate Equity Act, calls for the US government to be held accountable to "interests of communities who have faced historic, systemic environmental injustice."

Climate change has become a central issue to Democrats in the lead-up to the election, and Harris' 2020 challengers have already voiced strong support for environmental policy action.

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Sen. Kamala Harris of California is partnering with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on legislation that would ensure communities who are on the "frontline" of the climate crisis are protected in future legislation.


The Green New Deal is a resolution introduced by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey that has since been touted by several prominent Democrats as a way to address climate change at a national level. The resolution aims to introduce a stimulus package that would help the country transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, creating new American jobs in the process. Ocasio-Cortez has been the leading voice of the movement Harris on Monday said in a statement that she was teaming up with the freshman lawmaker on a draft proposal called the Climate Equity Act, which calls for the US government to be held accountable to "interests of communities who have faced historic, systemic environmental injustice" in any future environmental policy negotiations.

"At its core, a Green New Deal must be based on three principles: First, fighting climate change by ending the use of fossil fuels; second, building a clean economy with good jobs of the 21st century, and third, ensuring that no community gets left behind," Harris, who is a 2020 Democratic candidate for president, said in the statement.


According to the statement, the Climate Equity Act would ensure "frontline communities" most impacted by climate change would protected under law and able to provide feedback on climate-related legislation. The proposal also calls for the establishment of an independent Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability, which would score new environmental legislation based on their impact on vulnerable communities.

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"We must ensure that communities already contending with unsafe drinking water, toxic air, and lack of economic opportunity are not left behind," Harris said in the statement. "We need a Green New Deal based in climate and environmental justice, which means building a clean economy that protects communities that have been neglected by policymakers for far too long." "A Green New Deal is more than switching to renewables," Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter . "It's about paying attention to frontline communities: everyday people whose water is poisoned, pensions are robbed, & communities still vulnerable."

Climate change has become a central issue to Democrats in the lead-up to the election, and Harris' 2020 challengers have already voiced strong support for environmental policy action.

Most candidates, including frontrunners former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, have pledged to take concrete action to tackle climate change, and many have voiced support for the passage of a Green New Deal. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has centered his campaign on tackling the issue of climate change.

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Overall, 21 candidates have No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge , which promises not to take campaign contributions from oil, gas, and coal industries.