John Hickenlooper defends Green Green Deal's disapproval by touting climate change record

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In fact, the 2020 candidate is so respectful of his record that he told CNN that he insisted that he repeat his most famous gesture as a governor fighting climate change: drinking Fracturing liquid in order to win the confidence of the leaders of the oil and gas sector – – S & D has arrived at the White House.

"Yes, if that's what it takes," said Hickenlooper, who was questioned about his oil and gas record, after asking him if he was going to drink fracking fluid again. . "We are talking about the future of the planet."

Hickenlooper has been confronted with questions, both in Iowa and elsewhere, about his oil and gas history. Many progressives accuse the Colorado politician of being too close to the oil and gas industry, a charge refuted by the governor saying he was working with the industry as a means of fighting climate change in his state.

And in a move that could turn out to be politically risky, Hickenlooper sought to improve his pragmatic image by announcing last week his opposition to the Green New Deal, the radical Democratic proposal that would radically alter the approach of the United States in the fight against climate change.

"We must have dreams", but the Green New Deal is unachievable, according to Hickenlooper

"The Green New Deal is preparing us for failure," reads the title of its editorial at the Washington Post. In the article, Hickenlooper says that he supports the "concept of a Green New Deal" but "given the magnitude of the threat of climate change", he can not support the proposal, because "the resolution defines unachievable objectives".

The proposal calls for "100% of the demand for electricity in the United States from clean, renewable, zero emission energy sources" and "modernizing all existing buildings in the United States and Canada. to build new buildings in order to achieve maximum energy efficiency ".

The decision to oppose the Green New Deal distinguishes Hickenlooper from most of the 2020 field of action, which is full of candidates claiming to support the measure. Former Maryland representative John Delaney, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, said he was not supporting the plan.

Hickenlooper said in an interview that "climate change is one of the defining issues of our time and that it needs to be focused like a laser", implying that he thinks the Green New Deal is not .

"I think we have to have dreams and visions and debate the legislation, I have an extreme urgency to get things done, I'm a dreamer, I can dream," he said. "But I am also a maker and I think, especially with climate change, that to start with these things, we can do it right now."

The Republicans have pilloried the plan and President Donald Trump told Fox Business that he "did not want to spoil it for the moment because I really hope that they will continue. to "move forward" and that this becomes a problem for 2020.

With the Democrats, the plan is popular. According to a survey by the Des Moines Register, 91% of the faithful members of the Democratic Caucus of Iowa declare themselves in favor of a presidential candidate who supports the project.

Maybe that's why Hickenlooper is trying to both boast about the Green New Deal – he's "invigorated by," he told CNN, while raising questions about it.

"I guess I'll be happy to accept 90% or 95%, 99% of the content of the Green New Deal," he recently told a New Hampshire audience.

& # 39; You can drink it & # 39;

While he was Colorado's governor, Hickenlooper encouraged the use of wind and solar power. he often explains how, under his guidance, two coal-fired power plants were decommissioned in exchange for wind and solar power. It has also allowed consumers to store their own energy from renewable sources.

But what ended up defining Hickenlooper's climate record is his vocal support for fracturing, the process by which a salty, aqueous substance is injected into shale formations in order to release natural gas. The fluid is extracted and the natural gas is extracted through the well.

This practice has been widely criticized and blamed for earthquakes and poor water quality in some parts of the country.

When Hickenlooper testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources about this practice in 2013, he was enthusiastic.

"You can drink it, we drank it around the table, almost like a ritual, in a fun way," Hickenlooper told the committee when he talked about his efforts to regulate the industry. . "It was a demonstration – they invested millions of dollars in what is a benign fluid in every way."

The comment, even then, got people up. Senator Al Franken asked Hickenlooper jokingly if this practice was part of an occult practice.

"No," said Hickenlooper. "There was no religious opening."

For Hickenlooper, the whole episode was about gaining trust, something he thought he had done and would do again.

"I do not think I made a mistake while drinking fracking fluid because it was a time when the leaders of the oil and gas industry would trust me or not." he told CNN. "They thought I was an environmentalist, they did not trust me."

"What I regret," he says with a laugh, "is that I should have kept my mouth shut."

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