Pelosi Downplays Green New Deal: ‘Some of the Elements’ Will Be ‘Part of the Discussion’

RUBENSTEIN: “Some of the people running for president and some in your caucus have supported something called the Green New Deal. Do you have any comments on that?”
PELOSI: “I’m very pleased that there’s an increased awareness about the threat to our planet that -- the crisis that we are facing. When I was speaker for the first time that was my flagship issue under President Bush. We established a Select Committee, Ed Markey was the chair, working with President Bush, passing the Energy Bill, the biggest energy bill in the history of our country the equivalent of taking millions and millions of cars off the road by raising emission standards, establishing authorities later used by President Obama to honor the Paris Accords. And that this is a challenge to the generation and its many age manifestation. When I said earlier we have the challenge of reducing income disparity in our country. that’s one challenge, over here is saving the planet. There is no plan B. But they are related because I do believe that as we save the planet we can do so with jobs, jobs, jobs, good paying jobs, keeping us preeminent in the world in the green technologies. It’s a public health issue, clean air, clean water, national security issue. This is one place I have a major disagreement with the current president of the United States, but the generals and admirals and other security experts tell us that this is is security issue and it’s a moral issue if you believe as I do that this is God’s creation. Many Evangelicals and people of faith believe this is God’s creation. We have a moral responsibility of good stewards. But if you don’t share that religious belief, you do understand that we have a moral responsibility to pass the plan onto future generations. Now, we have formed another select committee which will review many options to see based on evidence, data, facts, what the current situation is beyond what we were doing with Mr. Markey, and continue to study. Since then, the Green New Deal, some of the elements of that may be part of -- it certainly will be a part of the discussion. But already, this time different from before, this time I just didn’t have a select committee as I did before. I said to every chairman: saving the planet is an imperative for every committee in the House. We’ve already had 15 hearings on climate when we really haven’t for a number of years in the previous leadership. That will be -- some of the considerations will be some considerations as we go forward -- what does the best job that keeps us number one and protects children’s health and secures our nation and honors our values and does so in a way that gets results in a shorter period of time.”