Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton chose a running mate this week that is sure to send Bernie Sanders’ environmentalist supporters into a frothing panic.
Clinton announced Friday that Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine will serve as the former secretary of state’s vice presidential running mate. The former governor of Virginia has served in the U.S Senate since 2012 ‚Äì and during that time, he etched out favorable positions on natural gas, while also managing to keep environmentalists happy.
Those good feelings are likely to turn sour, however.
“We are not naive and know we still have a ton of work and convincing for both Clinton and Kaine on natural gas,” Jane Kleeb, founder of anti-fracking group Bold Alliance, told reporters. “That it’s not the bridge fuel everyone thought, that using eminent domain to build export pipelines has to end, and that if we are going to live up to our climate goals we can not keep building pipelines and digging up fossil fuels.”
Jason Kowalski, policy director of environmentalist group 350.org, meanwhile urged Clinton to shift toward the Sanders wing of the Democratic Party by picking an anti-oil, anti-natural gas running mate. Clinton will need to do some soul-searching and develop a more concrete position on fracking if she chooses Kaine, Kowalski added.
