WASHINGTON POST • August 6, 2024
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is now the second name on Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket. A schoolteacher turned politician, Walz was first elected to public office in 2006, when he flipped Minnesota’s rural 1st Congressional District. He won reelection five times before becoming Minnesota governor in 2019. Minnesota must move to 100% clean energy by 2040, as required by a bill the governor signed in 2023. He campaigned on the issue twice. In July, the EPA awarded Minnesota a $200 million grant to reduce emissions by restoring peatland, supporting electric-powered vehicles and reducing food waste. Walz has long advocated for climate reform. Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous wrote Tuesday of Walz: “He has worked to protect clean air and water, grow our clean energy economy, and see to it that we do all we can to avoid the very worst of the climate crisis.”