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 Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, on Wednesday at a U.S.
Capitol rally, backed a proposal to halt new leases for fossil fuel
extraction on public lands alongside the bill's sponsor, fellow
Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
Sanders said he would soon unveil legislation that would protect
fossil fuel industry workers as the country transitions to renewable
fuel sources. Aides told Reuters that would be the senator's next
step in presenting a comprehensive climate plan.
"We are not going to let them fall by the wayside," Sanders said of
workers at the Wednesday event.
Leaders from nearly 190 countries are set to meet in Paris at the
end of November to reach an agreement on curbing human-caused
climate change.
Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist, is Clinton's main
rival for the party's presidential nomination for the November 2016
election. His stances on the environment, trade and more have
pressured Clinton to move to the left.
Still, polls have shown that Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of
state, has gained ground over Sanders recently.
But Clinton's pragmatic approach to climate change has frustrated
some environmental activists who seek to pressure her into taking
tougher stances.
Merkley acknowledged his Sanders-backed bill to halt leases to
extract fossil fuels on public lands, and in the Pacific and Gulf of
Mexico, will face fierce opposition in the Republican-controlled
U.S. Congress, where it is unlikely to become law.
But it should help Sanders appeal to environmental activists and
could pressure Clinton, who said in July that it would be
irresponsible to abruptly halt oil, natural gas and coal extraction
on federal lands. Clinton instead called for a gradual phase out on
public-land extraction and increased fees.
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"We still have to run our economy, we still have to turn on the
lights," Clinton said.
Sanders is likely to introduce bills related to carbon pricing and a
tax incentives package for renewable fuels, aides said. His campaign
is likewise poised to present its full climate-change platform ahead
of the Paris talks, which the senator may attend, his campaign
confirmed.
"This is a major, major, major, planetary crisis," Sanders said
Wednesday, referring to climate change.
For more on the 2016 U.S. presidential race and to learn about the
undecided voters who determine elections, visit the Reuters website.
(http://reut.rs/1kmN5Gw)
(Reporting by Amanda Becker; Editing by Emily Stephenson and
Clarence Fernandez)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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