Tom in the News — October 9, 2020

Clean energy jobs are not just good for the planet — they’re good for the economy and health of Americans too.

Tom discussed Vice President Biden’s Build Back Better plan as an all-around win: essential for urgent climate action, fantastic for rebuilding the economy, and crucial for the health of everyone in our country. Tom knows that climate action and environmental justice is not a niche issue — it’s the key to addressing all the crises we’re facing today. Take a look.

• Tom discusses the vice-presidential debate — Fox News
  “As [Vice President Biden] deals with clean energy, he’s also addressing the very high unemployment in America, and he absolutely respects the dignity and work and rights of every working person and family to take care of themselves…What we know is that clean energy is a way to create millions of American jobs, it’s a way to create new American industries and manufacturing, and it is a way for us to lead the world again, and have a trade policy that makes sense, and brings jobs home to us.” Watch here.
• President Trump ‘has been putting his political interests ahead of the safety and health of Americans’: Tom Steyer — Yahoo! Finance
  “[Trump] has basically failed in his basic function as president, which is to preserve the safety and health of Americans first and foremost. And he has absolutely failed to come up with any concerted plan to deal with this virus and to keep Americans safe. I think it’s emblematic of his presidency…He’s putting his own political interests ahead of the safety and health of American citizens, and that is just plain wrong. But let me say, this is by no means a unique performance by this president because he has been putting his political interests ahead of the safety and health of Americans in terms of our climate crisis from the time he was inaugurated. And so what we’re seeing is somebody who has chosen not to do his job for the American people, and it is absolutely dangerous in terms of health. It is absolutely dangerous in terms of prosperity and growth.” Watch here.
• Politicians Shining a Light on Climate Change — NBC Boston
  “My concern about climate has always been about the suffering of human beings…Talking to [Vice President Biden] backstage at the debates, I was very impressed both with his knowledge about climate, his understanding of the issue and the problem, but also with his commitment to solve it…We need the kind of clean energy infrastructure program that is in Joe Biden’s climate plan that will create millions of good-paying, middle-class, union jobs…We need to clean up the air and water in our country, particularly in Black, brown and poor communities.” Watch here.
• Tom Steyer calls for clean energy jobs to help California’s economic recovery — Palm Springs Desert Sun
  “This is about cleaning up the air so people don’t get sick, and providing good-paying jobs that a family can live on as a result of the move to clean energy…We don’t want to just get back to California February of 2020. We want to rebuild a state that is more equitable and just. We want to rebuild a state that is cleaner, greener, and more forward-looking in terms of energy.” Read more here.
• Tom Steyer discusses climate change and the climate crisis — SN1CLA: Inside the Issues
  “I think the number one thing that we can do for the climate crisis in America and around the world is to elect Joe Biden president on November 3. And the number two thing that we can do is flip the Senate to Democratic control. Because honestly, we need the kind of policy that the Biden campaign has put forward as their climate policy, as part of a big jobs policy and environmental justice policy. And that is the number one thing in America we can do is to get people into office who understand how urgent this is and have a realistic, aggressive plan to do the kinds of things we need to get this crisis under control.” Watch here.