This week’s Democratic National Convention offers Kamala Harris a prime opportunity to test out her climate change messaging — as the pressure rises for her to define her agenda. As vice president, Harris is part of an administration that has poured record cash into clean energy. But she has not spent much time discussing the issue in her campaign rallies, and GOP nominee Donald Trump is escalating his accusations that she would wage a “war on American energy.” Harris is scheduled to formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday evening. It’s unclear how much of her address will focus on climate — but delegates will vote to adopt a Democratic platform this week that includes a seven-page section on climate change, environment and energy issues, writes Timothy Cama. (Awkwardly, the published platform repeatedly refers to “President Biden's second term.”) Democratic lawmakers have been urging Harris to pitch her climate accomplishments and goals as a contrast to Trump’s staunch support for fossil fuels, writes Josh Siegel. The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed the Senate on Harris’ tie-breaking vote, has driven a surge of manufacturing and jobs-creating projects for many Republican-led states. But Harris’ climate record also offers fodder for political attacks from Republicans. Harris was an original co-sponsor of the Green New Deal resolution — a frequent target of Republicans (including in a new attack ad that portrays Harris as “radical”). She has tried to distance herself from her past support for some progressive proposals, such as a ban on fracking. That didn’t stop Trump from calling Harris a “non-fracker” during a campaign stop today in Pennsylvania, where he and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, took the opportunity to hammer Harris on the Biden administration’s efforts to cut planet-warming emissions from power plants, write Robin Bravender and Tim. Trump accused Harris of being on “a regulatory jihad to shut down power plants all across America,” while Vance charged she cares more about climate change than inflation. Democrats likewise plan to make climate change a focal point of this week’s convention. People familiar with convention planning also told my colleague Emma Dumain that a portion of one of the four evenings will be dedicated to climate messaging. Besides Biden, who gets a chance tonight to tout his accomplishments, today’s first roster of prime-time speakers is slated to include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the main sponsor of the Green New Deal. The DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis was also holding sessions Monday and Wednesday afternoon, where attendees were set to hear from lawmakers and environmental leaders, Emma reports.
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