Before his cable tidings commentary went viral and Harris usher him into the national spotlight , the former soldier , football game double-decker , and in high spirits school teacher was in the thick of an unexpectedly challenging and rich second term as the primary administrator of the North Star State . A liberalist with a rural background and a preference for fusion edifice , Walz was able-bodied to wield a precarious Democratic trifecta to achieve a slew of reform-minded precedence . The biggest of these took billet just a few calendar month after the 2022 midterm elections , when Walzsigned a lawthat requires the state ’s utilities to get 100 percent of their electricity from clean sources by 2040 . The statute law quickly catapulted Minnesota , ablue state with purple inclinations , to the top of the state - story climate natural process leaderboard .
“ It ’s not about swear political capital for the next election , ” Walzsaid last year . “ It ’s about burning political Washington to improve biography . ” Yet Walz appears to have political capital to spare — as of February , he has a55 percent favourable reception ratingin his home state .
As governor , Walz alsosigned bipartisan legislationto reform Minnesota ’s tolerate process for clean vigour projects , funded aclean energy Job training programfor minority and low - income Minnesotans , approvednew clean transportation standards , and enacted a legal philosophy directing $ 240 million towardreplacing the state ’s lead water pipes . In other states , Republicans ( and even some middle-of-the-road Democrats ) have sought to chuck politicians overseeing ambitious climate agendas as hellbent on raise energy monetary value and asgenerally being out of touch with the cosmopolitan public . But Walz ’s reputation as an everyman and hisskill as a communicatormay have shielded him from thetypical anti - climate attack .
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaking at a rally in Liacouras Center at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, on 8 January 2025.Image: Shutterstock
“ I think he has a really well - round clime record , ” said Paul Austin , the headway of the Conservation Minnesota , a state environmental nonprofit . “ He ’s a person who essay to lend the great unwashed together across communities and geographies to receive solutions that work for everybody . That ’s been part of his hallmark . ”
Walz ’s experience in Minnesota could be a blessing to Harris as she craft an on - the - fly sheet legislative agenda that progress on progress made by the Biden administration . Biden ’s crowning policy achievement , the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 , issending one thousand million of dollar to province and tribesfor clean energy project and deployment . It ’s unlikely that Congress will slip away another law like it in the short full term . That ’s particularly true if Trump is reelect , but it ’s a safe wager even with Harris in the White House — poll suggestthat whichever political party controls the Senate , House , or both , will likely have a razor - fragile majority . Much of the climate legal action we ’ll see in the next few long time will likely make out from state .
Many statesalready led the way on climate changewhen Trump was in office , before the Inflation Reduction Act was passed . But many more states are brace to spend money on renewables and mood task now that federal uncontaminating energy motivator are flowing across the country . “ It ’s great to have the assistance of someone who has dish as regulator and has seen how the federal regime make for and cede from the other side , ” Austin said . “ He ’s give out to take a lot of experience about how state and the Union politics work together and how that can be smoothed out and improved . ”
environmental policykamala harristim walzu.s . government
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