John Lewis joins Ocasio-Cortez on climate change push

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is among a new group of lawmakers pledging support for incoming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) proposed plan to address climate change.

Lewis is the most high-profile lawmaker to back Ocasio-Cortez’s call for a “Green New Deal,” which calls for Democrats to craft a climate action plan that pushes for a 100 percent renewable energy economy.

{mosads}In addition to Lewis, Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), José Serrano (N.Y.), as well as Reps.-elect Joe Neguse (Colo.), and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) also just signed onto the proposal, according to Sunrise Movement, an environmental activist group.

Varshini Prakash, the founder of Sunrise Movement, said in a statement that the group is “honored” to have Lewis’s support for the plan.

“Few can better understand the relentless work to push our nation to achieve it’s highest ideals than John Lewis,” Prakash said. “He knows that disrupting the status quo is how change happens. His activism and integrity inspire us to believe we can win.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and incoming Reps. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have also backed the plan, according to Politico.

Last week, Ocasio-Cortez joined members of the youth-led groups Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats for a sit-in outside of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office on Capitol Hill, where the protesters called for action on climate change.

Activists have called Pelosi’s plan to revive the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming a “toothless” proposal. They say restarting the committee doesn’t go far enough and are calling for the committee to push for an ambitious agenda to address climate change.

In addition to transitioning to a 100 percent renewable energy economy, the “Green New Deal” would also include building a national “smart” grid, making “green” technology a major export for the U.S. and decarbonizing the manufacturing and agricultural industries.