Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden promised at the first presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday night that he will prohibit the creation of any new power plants that require fossil fuels if he is elected.
“Nobody’s going to build another coal-fired plant in America. No one is going to build another oil-fired plant in America,” Biden said. “They’re going to move to renewable energy.”
“During our administration and the Recovery Act, I was able, I was in charge, I was able to bring down the cost of renewable energy to cheaper than, or as cheap as coal and gas and oil,” Biden said.
Biden expressed his desire to ban the use of coal and fracking from the Democratic primary debate stage a few months earlier.
“We would work it out. We would make sure it’s eliminated,” Biden said.
SUPERCUT: Biden promises "no more" fracking if he's elected President. pic.twitter.com/iWcsU2Yam8
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) August 31, 2020
Biden also expressed mixed opinions about environmental policies such as the Green New Deal during the climate change segment of Tuesday’s debate.
“The Green New Deal is not my plan,” Biden emphasized, right before claiming that the same deal would “pay for itself” if ever passed.
“I don’t support the Green New Deal,” he reiterated.
Joe Biden claimed he didn't support the Green New Deal, then immediately claimed his Green New Deal would "pay for itself."
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 30, 2020
Now, stop me if you've heard this one: Chris Wallace interrupted to remind Biden that he's supposed to say he doesn't support the Green New Deal.
Despite his insistence that he is not associated with the Green New Deal, Biden’s campaign website demonstrates his full support of the radical environmental policy.
“Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face,” it reads. “It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.