In an attempt to respond to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has now introduced the Green Real Deal.
At a press conference on Capitol Hill, Rep. Matt Gaetz stood behind a podium that read the Green New Deal, but the word "new" was crossed out and replaced with the world "real."
He introduced the Republican response to climate change that would harness the power of free markets, embracing technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and it would also cut excessive government red tape.
With Gaetz’s proposal, a call is made for increased investment in clean energy technology and sources, like solar and nuclear power, while improving transparency and accountability for the benefit of customers, investors, and shareholders alike.
The Florida Congressman argued that it comes down to the question of “either we want a bunch of bureaucrats in Washington telling us what we can’t do, or, we empower American innovators to unlock things that we can do.” He further questioned, “do we really believe that if we outlaw cars, cows, planes, and buildings, that the rest of the world will follow?”
Gaetz further explained that “our rise in global leadership on climate, must be fueled by American innovators,” and he then explains that the deal provides a foundation “for four platforms, for American innovators to utilize, exploit and deploy for their success.”
The first platform “is an international marketplace, that is fair to American innovators.” The second platform “is a modernized electric grid for our country.” The third platform is “to unlock federal lands,” and the final platform “is an inclusive technology doctrine, that would underlie an American innovation strategy.”
With this, Rep. Gaetz asserts that “the Green Real Deal is a love letter to the American innovator and it isi a real serious plan to address climate change.”
