Taking an opportunity to say "Eat your heart out, Fox News," Governor Gavin Newsom was joined by the governors of Oregon and Washington and the premier of British Columbia in signing a joint climate pledge in the Presidio on Thursday.
In order to address the ongoing drought and accelerate efforts to address climate change, Newsom and three other governors — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia Premier John Horgan — came together Thursday to sign a "statement of cooperation" on environmental efforts. While largely symbolic and not legally binding, the agreement sets out noble goals to reduce carbon emissions and may push the needle at the federal level, eventually.
For Newsom, this was yet another opportunity to low-key campaign for president, and take a jab at his haters on Fox News.
"Petro dictators don’t have your interest at heart," Newsom said, per Bay Area News Group. "They seem more interested in Putin than they do Western democracies. We are as dumb as we want to be."
He added, gesturing back at the view over the Bay, "Eat your heart out, Fox News. This is San Francisco ‘crackup’? Really? Tucker Carlson? These guys every night are doubling down on stupid, trying to make the case for subsidizing the very problem we’re all trying to solve for."
As the governor's office tells us in a release, regarding this climate pledge, "The partnership promotes collaboration between the four regional governments on accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy, investing in climate infrastructure like EV charging stations and a clean electric grid, and protecting communities from climate impacts like drought, wildfire, heat waves and sea-level changes. The SOC includes a major focus on equity, ensuring no communities are left behind in the transition to a low-carbon future."
"The West Coast is united as we lead the way towards a clean energy future that helps our entire region and economies to thrive," says Oregon Governor Kate Brown, in a statement. "In Oregon, we have set ambitious goals to reach 100% clean energy sources, reduce carbon emissions, and comprehensively address climate change. We are committed to addressing the impacts of climate change while also meeting the needs of our most vulnerable communities."
Governor Inslee adds, "This new agreement reaffirms our commitments to decarbonize our economies at a time when the consequences of victory or defeat in this effort have never been more acute."
Among the goals laid out in the new agreement are:
- To support an equitable and just transition to a low carbon and climate resilient future, emphasizing investments in overburdened communities.
- To invest in climate infrastructure, such as EV charging stations, a cleaner electric grid, and greener ports — which include electric charging stations for ships as an alternative to using high-polluting bunker fuel
- To aid both public and private entities in converting their vehicle fleets to electric
- To accelerate efforts to manage forests and fire-prone lands, including prescribed burns
- To aid low-income communities in building energy-efficient buildings and dealing with increased numbers of heatwaves
As Bay Area News Group points out, earlier, similar accords have been signed by West Coast governors, under what was dubbed the Pacific Coast Collaborative back in 2008. The original 2008 agreement was also signed by then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, along with then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Updates were also signed in 2013 and 2016.
Top image: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
