Thread by @TiffanyBond

By popular demand, I bring you as much of #HR109 aka #GreenNewDeal as I can get through before tucking in kiddos.

I have to tell you though, this is really more of a mission statement than a bill.

It starts out with a ton of sponsors.

#Readthebill

Page 2 is a bunch of report findings.

I'm presuming they are accurate and I'm not going to verify tonight...that's something I would have an aide cross reference.

#Readthebill

Page 3 is more findings, that we are disproportionately damaging to the planet, and a laundry list of related problems.

I now have a Taylor Swift song stuck in my head. Thanks, Obama.

#Readthebill

Page 4 more problems, some environmental justice which takes me back to my community college days visiting a super fund site, a shout out for national security, and the beginning of plug for the last "New Deal".

#Readthebill

P5 we finish up the portion of this that needs a mid-90s corporate anthem.

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions, millions of jobs, sustainable infrastructure? Sure...but how? Tax incentives? Cap and trade? Private or public sector?

Vague goals are vague.

#Readthebill

P6 goals under D are nice, vulnerable groups in E, 10 year timeframe.

It looks like we might actually get to some meat soon.

#Readthebill

This is starting to feel like Trump's infrastructure week(s).

There are lots of words, but they don't really do/mean anything. It's good to eliminate pollution/reduce greenhouse gases - we're already working on that. Reduce risks? Sure. Univeral water access? How.

#Readthebill

P8 this brings us to smart power grids - we're already headed there.

"Upgrade all existing buildings"...well that's not an in our lifetime goal. We still have places where outhouses rule in Maine.

Maine is probably ahead of the curve with sustainable farming goals.
#Readthebill

P9 we are supposed to have universal access to healthy foods - what does that mean? This is a prevailing theme. These goals are clearly meant to be inspirational and aspirational, but they are largely undefined.

#Readthebill

The zero emissions goals for transportation are already underway in urban areas and pretty impractical in rural areas unless we magically make all vehicles solar, water-powered, etc.

Plant trees and other carbon trapping tools? That's been a thing for a long time.

#Readthebill

P10 clean up waste sites? We've been working on superfund sites for a long time, and it's a good thing.

Let's all work together and be transparent? Sure, we do and should more.

#Readthebill

P11...this whole page is a bunch of word salad garnished with ownership stakes, social costs, and training.

#Readthebill

P12 talks about public investment with no budget at all, direct investments (tax incentives? Prohibitions? Immigration benefits?)...it tells us to use processes that are democratic/participatory and embrace unions.

#Readthebill

P13 here is where we get to the jobs guarantee...I just don't know how you would accomplish an actual guarantee. How would you handle someone who is bad at the job? Would all the jobs be federal? Funding source? How does that knit together with private sector?

#Readthebill

There is a surprising amount of redundancy for the document length. It also seems to presume all jobs will be union jobs, but that simply isn't the reality for small business, self-employed.

Lots of these things interact with each other in ways that won't reconcile.
#Readthebill

For example, the way trade deals work...as Trump figured out, they aren't all one-sided. It's hard to have things be "accessible" and "affordable" while still being "fair" and "sustainable"

The eminent domain abuse callout will conflict with other goals, often.

#Readthebill

P14 recognition of treaties/indigenous people (which I do support) is going to conflict with other named goals in this document. You won't be able to honor sovereignty while simultaneously imposing energy and conservation goals on large swaths of tribal land for... #Readthebill

The adjacent rural and urban areas that depend on the same resource pool.

This document reminds me of the economic development plans that small towns do, paying a consultant around $30k for, that don't do much other than give a document to match to grant funding.

#Readthebill

Think of it like your high school fight song. You all sing it to bring you together and give you shared goals.

🎵we will win
We're set out to succeed
We're headed out for #1
We know that we will lead
Our pride and honor will be strong
Our fame will reach the sky...

#Readthebill

There is a value, but it's not super concrete.

This is broad, vague and feel good enough that a lot of people can sign on and yell "yeah! Go green".

However, there are legitimate concerns and implementation problems.

#Readthebill

It's *fine* to have these kind of goals, but we shouldn't spin our wheels too much on them, nor should we make these out to be more than what they are.

This is not a revolutionary blue print; it's saying we have shared goals.

#Readthebill

There are genuine concerns, that should be addressed and listened to. This plan has almost nothing tangible about it...and the few places that are tangible aren't really realistic.

For example in reality, we *won't* get 100% of buildings retrofitted.

#Readthebill

Instead of being all "OMG WE HAVE THIS KICK ASS GREEN PLAN THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD!!!!", try "let's work together on forward-thinking strategies that are more sustainable and profitable, making sure to share that profit equitably".

#Readthebill

Instead of "THIS IS SO EFFING STUPID AND IMPRACTICAL!!!", try "it's great to have goals, but let's start where we are and come up with a plan that gets us there without going bankrupt, the planet collapsing, and gives us milestones where we can gauge efficacy."

#Readthebill

Remember, there is value in the vision of others, and criticism can be used to find flaws and make plans better.

Fin.#

#Readthebill