This post is part one of a weekly series on the environmental stakes of the 2024 Presidential Election by DFLEC Vice Chair Matt Doll. If you have a friend or relative who supports environmental protection but is on the fence about their presidential vote, you might find this series useful for info or inspiration!

On August 7, 2022, Kamala Harris took perhaps the most important action any Vice President has ever taken in history, a procedural vote that made history for our nation and our planet. On that day, after nearly 16 hours of debate, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in an evenly-divided Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the greatest climate action law in U.S. history. The $891 billion Act has unleashed massive investments in affordable clean energy, sustainable buildings, and resiliency across the nation.

Few laws in our history have been as positive as the IRA for our public health, our economy, and our national security. Clean electricity isn’t a pipe dream – wind, solar, geothermal, and energy storage are cheap, reliable, widely available, and advancing all the time, helping to liberate states and communities from the need to burn poisonous, costly fossil fuels.

The IRA is helping to unleash clean sources on a tremendous scale, and future generations will thank us for it. But it’s only the beginning, not the end, of our efforts to fight climate change and build a sustainable economy.

There is no better team than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to carry the work forward.

Kamala Harris didn’t merely vote for a good policy. She led the pack on clean energy advocacy in the Senate, sponsoring the Climate Risk Disclosure Act, which focused on market-based solutions to climate change, and the Climate Equity Act, which promoted a fully effective clean energy transition for the U.S. economy. During her first Presidential campaign, Harris unveiled a plan to convert America’s electrical grid to carbon-free sources by 2030, a goal that is both achievable and highly beneficial for our climate.

As Vice President, Harris has traveled the country listening to ordinary Americans about their needs for clean energy and good jobs. She’s shaped the policy of the Biden Administration for the better, securing investments to help families access cheaper power and help workers get good union jobs in the rapidly growing clean energy industry.

Plenty of politicians say they care about about cleaner energy, but very few have shown as much intelligence, courage, and foresight on this issue as Kamala Harris. She doesn’t just talk the talk – she walks the walk. She’ll not only continue the Biden Administration’s sensible energy work, but expand them.  

Tim Walz has likewise built a strong record as a clean energy hawk. Under his tenure, Minnesota set a standard of 100% clean electricity by 2040, created a state green bank for clean energy projects, and has made tremendous investments in wind, solar, and geothermal power. Minnesota Democrats achieved these wins with only a one-seat majority in the State Senate, because they and Governor Walz understood that climate action can’t wait – and because they listened to the voices of ordinary Minnesotans who called for action.

Not for no reason is the Harris-Walz ticket endorsed by leading climate organizations including 350 Action and the Sierra Club. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz understand that our country and our planet need us to act urgently now, and that it will benefit our economy to do so. None of what they’re proposing on energy is radical – it’s simply necessary to protect our future.

I won’t waste many words on Harris’s opponent, who is either deceptive or stupid enough to claim that climate change is a hoax or that wind turbines cause cancer. But the contrast is clear: his return to the White House would spell dark days for our planet and catastrophe for our health and the competitiveness of our economy.

There is only one team on the ballot with the record, experience, and vision to advance an energy future that works for all Americans and protects our planet, and that’s Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Learn how to get involved with the Harris-Walz campaign at https://kamalaharris.com/

Matt Doll works in environmental advocacy and has served on the board of the DFL Environmental Caucus since 2019. He lives in Saint Paul.