Walz: ‘No’ We Shouldn’t Scrap Green New Deal

During an interview with Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE on Wednesday, 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) stated that the Green New Deal shouldn’t be scrapped and “the issue is, is making sure we have an all-of-the-above policy. And Pennsylvania has a proud history of producing energy.”

WTAE co-host Shannon Perrine asked, “The Green New Deal does call for fossil fuels to be replaced at a certain deadline. We produce a lot of natural gas in Western Pennsylvania and all over the state. Does that mean that the Green New Deal should be scrapped?”

Walz answered, “No. Look, Shannon, I think all of us, this idea of energy, we want to make sure that we’re producing the energy we need. We are. We’re producing more natural gas, more oil, and more renewables [than] at any time in American history. I think the issue is, is making sure we have an all-of-the-above policy. And Pennsylvania has a proud history of producing energy. We, in Minnesota, [have] a lot more renewables, but we all benefit from that. So, I think the Vice President has made it very clear, we’re going to continue to be a world leader, we’re going to continue to lean into the future of energy. And we’re seeing some new technologies. As they come on, we should embrace those. But, as [for] the existing energy needs, continue to produce them, continue to produce good jobs, but also tackling this issue. We know climate change is real, but we’re getting better and better at adjusting on some of the energy needs that we have to reduce carbon emissions. And I think that’s where most Americans end up landing.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett