Julian Castro on Energy & Oil Democratic Presidential Challenger (withdrawn); former HUD Secretary

The ice caps are melting; the Amazon is on fire

Hurricane Dorian that's about to hit landfall. These hurricanes are happening more frequently and they're happening with greater intensity. It seems like these floods, that they call 500-year floods, are happening every other year now.

We see the arctic ice caps that are melting, the Amazon on fire. So we don't need climate scientists to tell us what we see with our own eyes.

When I see these things, when I hear about them, what I think of are my own two children, who are 10 and 4. And there's a resolve to make sure that our children inherit a planet that is healthy, where they're going to breathe clean air and drink clean water.

People First, Planet First: net-zero by 2045

CASTRO: My first executive order will be to rejoin the Paris climate accord so that we lead again on sustainability. But it's actually what comes next after that that is the most important, a series of other executive actions and legislation. Just yesterday I put out a plan called, People First, Planet First. We would make investments to get the United States to net zero by 2045. We would incentivize wind energy production, solar energy production, invest in renewables. We would challenge the rest of the world at latest to get to net zero by 2050. We would institute a carbon pollution fee to help make the investments that we need to make. We would also take executive orders, for instance, prohibiting fossil fuel exploration, permitting of it and extraction on federal lands.

Carbon-free America by 2045, clean electricity by 2035

CASTRO: I am in favor of a carbon-free America. I believe that we can get to net zero by 2045 and that we can achieve, in our electricity sector, for instance, relying on clean, renewable and zero emissions energy by 2035.

Q: Would you end oil and gas drilling on public lands?

CASTRO: Yes, I would prohibit the permitting of oil and gas leasing on public lands. I don't believe that that should happen on our public lands. I think that that goes contrary to the purpose of preserving public lands, and this is consistent with moving to sources of clean renewable energy instead of dirty fossil fuel energy.

Federally mandated price on carbon to spur renewables

Castro: The United States needs a federally mandated price on carbon to spur private-sector investments in renewables and carbon-free energy sources. The revenue created should go towards investments in renewable energy and related technologies, including in battery technology, which would lower the carbon profile of our economy. The revenue should also be directed towards addressing the burdens many communities will bear on the impacts of climate change and from the policies that need to address climate change.

Pricing carbon is necessary but not sufficient. We need bold policies that incentivize sustainable and renewable energy and change the behavior of certain industries. Pricing carbon is an important first step in that effort.

Cut carbon emissions; invest in renewable energy

I'm proud that when I was secretary of housing and urban development, we worked with housing authorities across the United States to improve their embrace of renewable energy, solar energy, other types of renewable energy.

Green Jobs Leadership Council: more solar; less coal

Supported both fossil fuel and green energy

Rejoin the Paris Climate Treaty

Castro has criticized President Donald Trump for withdrawing from the Paris climate change accord.
• Castro's overall approach in public office was to try to convince businesses to increase their reliance on renewable energy voluntarily.
• While he was mayor of San Antonio, the local utility committed to close a coal plant and embrace a 20 percent renewables goal.
• It is not clear if Castro supports a carbon tax or "cap and trade" policy to reduce carbon emissions.

Federal funding to jumpstart green jobs

What businesses and sectors seem poised to rebound?
• Financial Services and Insurance
• Residential homebuilding
• Green Industries and Technologies
• Green jobs: Jobs in weatherization and retrofitting, energy conservation, and renewable energy technologies.

Federal Policy Implications:
• Federal policies need to provide increased funding for targeted training programs (e.g. for green jobs).
• Increased federal investment in transportation infrastructure projects.