Alabama’s newest senator isn’t afraid to take a strong stance on science and clean energy
Alabama environmental advocates see great hope in election outcome.
Alabama will be sending a new senator to Washington who believes in science, opposes President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and supports future investments in renewable energy over fossil fuels.
While environmental issues weren’t at the forefront of Doug Jones’ victorious Senate campaign, the former federal prosecutor ran on a decidedly progressive platform in a deep red state — including clear stances on climate action and clean energy. And after his surprise win on Tuesday, Jones will be in a position to deliver greater federal funding to protect Alabama’s environment. At the national level, Jones’ election to the Senate gives the Democrats another weapon to fight Trump’s anti-environment agenda.
“Jones ran a campaign that highlighted environmental issues. He wasn’t at all guarded about talking about the environment,” Matthew Gravatt, associate director of federal and administrative advocacy for the Sierra Club, told ThinkProgress. “He said he believes in science. He put that front and center. He talked about his support for the Paris agreement.”
The fact that Jones felt obligated to express his belief in science demonstrates the times we live in. The Trump administration is filled with officials who deny the science behind climate change and other environmental and public health hazards. Among congressional Republicans, climate science denial has increasingly become party doctrine over the past decade.
While Republicans will have a 51-49 majority, Jones’ election victory “makes the calculus in the Senate harder for the Republicans and for [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell [R-KY] to advance Trump’s agenda and the priorities that the Trump administration has, which have been bad environmentally speaking,” Gravatt said.
full article https://thinkprogress.org/doug-jones-environmental-record-ef0225e4a65c/