Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised former Vice President Joe Biden’s plan to invest in infrastructure and clean energy during a virtual roundtable discussion Friday.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, introduced a $2 trillion climate proposal this week that would eliminate carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2035. He did not appear with Lujan Grisham and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., on the video chat.
Biden has said his Build Back Better plan largely centers on infrastructure improvements, such as road and bridge repairs and upgrades to public transportation.
“What we need, what we want, what we deserve is a president who recognizes that we all have the opportunity to work together to build back better,” said Lujan Grisham, who has been mentioned as a possible Biden running mate.
“It’s really a message about resiliency and strength and harnessing the potential we have always had but for the fact that we have a president who has no interest in allowing, supporting or engaging in solving our infrastructure crisis, in combating and addressing climate change,” she added.
In 2019, Lujan Grisham signed the Energy Transition Act into law. It requires the state to transition to zero-carbon electricity generation by 2045.
“We can get it done potentially even earlier if we have leadership on building the workforce and the infrastructure to get us there,” she said.
Biden would lead on climate issues in a way that President Donald Trump has not, Lujan Grisham said. His plan “takes a hold of and harnesses the incredible sun and clean energy power — and for New Mexico, wind — that is available to us to attack climate change,” she said.