MSNBC "All In With Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Ed Markey
Interview
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SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): Well, it sounds like to me that they have a package which is climate denial masquerading as bipartisanship. We can`t have an infrastructure bill in 2021 that doesn`t have climate at its center. And any other bill that we are going to consider that does not have aggressive solutions to the climate crisis will just have that response which I`ve been giving which is no climate, no deal. That`s the only way in which we can respond.
This bill has to meet the magnitude of the challenges which the climate crisis is presenting to our country and to the planet.
HAYES: So, let`s talk about the politics here before we get to the substance. So, you got Martin Heinrich saying an infrastructure package that goes light on climate and clean energy should not count on every Democratic vote. Sheldon Whitehouse has said he`s getting nervous the other day. He said, I tweeted earlier this week about climate failure. I`m still nervous. We must get senate Dems unified on climate on a real reconciliation bill, lest we get sucked into bipartisanship mud where we fail on climate.
How big do you think that gang is of Democratic senators for whom this is just a red line nonstarter?
MARKEY: My view is that the Democratic Party won in 2020 on this issue --
HAYES: Yes. It`s good for you.
MARKEY: -- the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. And it was driven by millions of young people all across our country who rose up, went out to the polls, they worked hard, and they have a big IOU that they should be able to call in. And I think the Democrats across America are going to stand up and demand that we pass a climate package and infrastructure bill that is worthy of the name.
The planet is running a fever. There are no emergency rooms for planets. We have to pass legislation that unleashes the wind and solar, all-electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid, a battery storage technology, transmission technology revolution that we know is out there. We can save all of creation by engaging in massive job creation, union job creation by the millions. But we need to have an infrastructure bill that embodies all of those ambitions. And I`m afraid that this bill, as it`s being advertised, just does not meet that test.
HAYES: Well, you tick through some of the things that are in the sort of initial Biden American Rescue Plan proposal. You know, there`s money for battery storage and research on that. There`s money for electric vehicle charging stations. There`s some talk about that moving to the surface transportation bill, although that`s in the weeds. There`s a lot of stuff for the electric grid. There`s some stuff on clean energy in terms of, you know, renewable portfolio standards, if I understand.
Do you have a sense of what is or isn`t out? It`s just a weird thing where these 10 senators in a room trading this stuff away. Like, do you -- are you read in on what is in the package or not?
MARKEY: Well, I don`t know what`s in the package except what you just read about Senator Romney`s commentary on it which is that this package will not be dealing with the climate crisis in any significant way. And, you know, bottom line is, the GOP used to stand for Grand Old Party, now it`s -- GOP stands for the gas and oil party.
We know that the fossil fuel industry is the largest single contributor to this party. And so yes, we do need new highways, we do need new bridges, but we also have to have an infrastructure revolution for the energy sector so that we are the global leader, so that the rest of the world says the United States is back and we believe in science, and we know that we can solve this problem by unleashing this revolution.
So that President of Biden can go to Glasgow later on this year and say, we`re back. We are no longer the laggard, we are the leader again, and we must solve this problem for future generations. That is what this bill must have so that President Biden will have the credibility he needs meeting with the rest of the world later on this year.
HAYES: Yes. No climate, no yes vote. Ed Markey is in that caucus. I suspect there`s a lot more in that caucus as well. We`re going to keep following this. Thank you so much, Senator.
MARKEY: No climate, no deal. Thank you, Chris.
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