3 sleeper climate policies in Harris’ economic blueprint

By Adam Aton | 10/07/2024 06:14 AM EDT

The vice president has offered few details on her climate agenda. But her economic plan hints at emissions-cutting programs.

Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two as she departs Augusta Regional Airport in Georgia after touring damage by Hurricane Helene last week.

Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two as she departs Augusta Regional Airport in Georgia after touring damage by Hurricane Helene last week. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Energy policy takes up one of the thinnest sections in Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic manifesto.

Four paragraphs, sandwiched in the middle of her 82-page “A New Way Forward” plan, highlight the Biden administration’s clean energy investment boom. Harris calls for more of the same, without being too specific: faster permitting, more low-income energy bill assistance and more U.S. production of both renewables and fossil fuels.

But hints of Harris’ climate agenda are woven throughout the plan.

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Framed around lowering costs for middle-class families, Harris’ plan pitches federal programs that would also cut emissions across sectors, especially manufacturing and housing. And while a proposed federal ban on price gouging focuses on keeping down the price of food and groceries — it would also extend to gasoline prices, impacting oil companies.

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