Appleton, Wis. – At a recent event on climate change at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, outgoing Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes was asked by a student newspaper reporter to name specific actions and accomplishments taken on the recommendations from Barnes’s climate change task force report. Barnes was unable to name a single accomplishment, despite this being the main achievement Barnes touts on the campaign trail. The following is the response of Outagamie County Executive and pro-labor populist U.S. Senate and climate candidate Tom Nelson:
“Not only is Lieutenant Governor Barnes inconsistent on the issues of this campaign, he has no tangible policy accomplishments when it comes to the climate crisis outside of a task force and a laundry list of suggestions.
“As county executive, I am proud to work with a dedicated team of professionals who are on the cutting edge of concrete action on climate.
“We constructed one of the first net-zero general aviation facilities in the country (2012); operate an award-winning recycling facility that processes about 100,000 tons of material each year; we partner with area farmers on a cover-cropping program that keeps dangerous methane gas in the ground; and we will be unveiling a $25 million methane recovery facility at our landfill later this year.
“This is in addition to our work ten years ago in the state Assembly when we wrote and (almost) passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a precursor to today’s Green New Deal.
“This is exactly the kind of experience and leadership a serious climate candidate for Senate should have. This is why I am proud to tout the endorsement of the Sunrise Movement Wisconsin Chapter and the Youth Climate Action Network. Combating climate change will continue to be a cornerstone of this campaign.”
