DIVIDED: Major Green Groups Not Endorsing Green New Deal Because It Goes Too Far

January 17, 2019

The left is growing increasingly divided over whether to support Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s socialist-inspired “Green New Deal.” While Ocasio-Cortez pushes a reluctant Nancy Pelosi to embrace her far-left agenda, organizations on the left, including major environmentalist groups, aren’t so sure they like Ocasio-Cortez’s plan.

The New Republic reports that while 626 environmental groups have backed the “Green New Deal,” submitting a letter to Congress voicing their support, “six of the largest, most influential environmental advocacy groups didn’t sign it.”

The groups not enthralled with Ocasio-Cortez’s plan are the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, Mom’s Clean Air Force, Environment America, and the Audubon Society.

Even environmental groups backed by Al Gore and Tom Steyer have so far refused to support the “Green New Deal.”

Notably, The New Republic notes that these major environmental groups were asked to sign the letter and chose to decline, so it isn’t as if they just didn’t see it. Representatives from some of these groups also refused to go on-the-record to explain their hesitation, perhaps because “they’re afraid that Ocasio-Cortez might scold them on Twitter.”

These groups indicated that the “Green New Deal” goes too far for them. It likely doesn’t help that the deal goes beyond environmental issues, advocating for a basic universal income, universal healthcare and guaranteed jobs.

That, in and of itself, says all you need to know about how radical and dangerous the “Green New Deal” would be. Unfortunately, these environmentalist groups may change their mind in the future, and Ocasio-Cortez will likely bring an intense pressure campaign to get them on board.

That’s why it’s so important we have a fact-based discussion about the “Green New Deal” and expose how ridiculous, costly and technologically impossible it is.