The contrast between Governor Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance on climate change is evident. While Governor Walz has worked throughout his career to combat the climate crisis and support investments in climate solutions, Senator Vance has repeatedly denied established climate science and pushed to defund climate initiatives, all while sitting in the pocket of Big Oil. 

The Contrast: Tackling Climate Change

As governor, Walz prioritized climate action. He signed an executive order establishing a Subcabinet and Advisory Council to help Minnesota meet its emissions reduction targets and released a climate action framework to reduce emissions and accelerate clean energy. Meanwhile, in the Senate Vance repeatedly opposed commonplace climate protections, including the Clean Water Restoration Rule, and attacked the very agency tasked with protecting our environment.

Governor Walz Made Climate Action A Priority In His Administration

• Walz signed an executive order establishing the Climate Change Subcabinet and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change, which aimed to help Minnesota meet its emissions reduction targets. 
• In 2022, Walz released a climate action framework to fight climate change and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Walz’s plan sought to reduce pollution by 50 percent by 2030, and reach net zero by 2050, and sought to increase electric vehicle registration to 20 percent of all registered vehicles in the state by 2030.
  • Walz’s push was part of longstanding bipartisan progress. Minnesota’s previous clean energy standard, established under Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2007, sought to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050. 
• Under Walz, Minnesota was praised for its actions on climate change, with over 40 climate initiatives passing in just one legislative session as part of Walz’s climate plan. 

Vance Opposed Key Federal Environmental Agencies Under The Biden-Harris Administration

• Vance said he believed the Environmental Protection Agency rules hurt Americans and that the legislative branch could constitutionally strip power from the EPA. 
• In the Senate, Vance voted to repeal EPA regulations on clean air and water, including the Clean Water Restoration Rule, rules limiting pollution, blocking public health and worker protections, and cosponsored legislation that prevented the EPA from finalizing or implementing certain rules. 
• Vance said the “first” thing a Trump-Vance administration would do is fire the Agriculture Secretary. 

The Contrast: Climate Science

Walz has repeatedly acknowledged climate change as an “urgent” and “existential” threat, and pledged to make it a priority. As governor, Walz opposed the Trump administration’s actions on climate, and promised Minnesota would lead on climate “if Washington won’t.” On the other hand, JD Vance has questioned established climate science around human activity and carbon emissions and mocked “alarmism” and “hysteria” around climate change. 

Walz Supported Established Climate Science And Treated Climate Change As An Urgent Threat

• In response to President Trump’s rollback of the Clean Power Plan, Walz said, “the science on climate change is settled,” and that Trump’s order “denies the very existence of climate change.” 
• Walz repeatedly called climate change an “urgent” and “existential” threat that impacts all Minnesotans and “the things we love about living in Minnesota.” 
• Walz recognized the threat of climate change, and pledged to make it a priority in his administration, and said that “if Washington won’t lead on climate, Minnesota will.” 

JD Vance Repeatedly Questioned Established Climate Science And Mocked “Alarmism” Around Climate Change

• Vance said he was “skeptical of the idea that climate change is caused purely by man,” and mocked those who believed that carbon emissions caused climate change, asking, “Why is their solution to scream about it at the top of their lungs?”  
• Vance said some of the “alarmism” around climate change was “overstated,” and said we don’t want “more climate hysteria.” 
• Vance claimed the “low environmental crisis” was “created” to “justify Democratic donors.” 

The Contrast: Investing In Climate Action

Governor Walz secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state investments in climate projects in Minnesota to cut pollution and improve sustainability, and praised the clean energy plan as “helping Minnesota make great strides on climate change.” JD Vance, on the other hand, continues to mock the clean energy plan as the “green new scam” and opposed its investments, especially in the electric vehicle industry. Vance claimed the clean energy plan would “make us all poorer,” when in reality the clean energy plan has spurred over $361 billion in private sector investments and is creating good-paying jobs across America. 

Governor Walz Secured Federal Investments In Climate Projects

• In July 2024, Walz secured a $200 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to cut climate pollution from Minnesota food systems. 
• In June 2024, Walz announced a $15 million investment from the Minnesota Future Forward Fund as well as a $213 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a biomanufacturing facility focused on sustainable chemicals manufacturing. 
• Walz praised the clean energy plan for “helping Minnesota make great strides on climate change.” 

Vance Attacked The Clean Energy Plan’s Climate Investments, Mocking The Landmark Law As A “Green New Scam”

• Vance has repeatedly called the Clean Energy Plan a “Green New Scam,” and claimed Vice President Harris’ donors “got rich” when “America printed trillions of dollars to fund her green scam policies.” 
• Vance opposed federal investments in the electric vehicle industry, and introduced legislation to eliminate $100 billion in electric vehicle subsidies created by the clean energy plan, and replace them with subsidies for gas-powered vehicles.  
• Vance claimed the clean energy plan would “make us all poorer.” Meanwhile, the clean energy plan has spurred over $361 billion in private sector investments and is onshoring entire supply chains. 

Vance Opposed The Clean Energy Plan, Which Provided An Ohio Steel Plant With $500 Million In Grants

• A steel plant in Vance’s hometown of Middletown, Ohio is set to receive a $500 million grant through the clean energy plan. The investment will create some 1,400 new jobs, cut emissions by 90 percent, and save Cleveland-Cliffs $500 million in annual costs.
  • Vance has previously called the plant, where his grandfather worked, an “economic savior” for his grandparents. 
  • Trump and Vance’s plan to repeal the clean energy plan jeopardizes the future of the plant. 

The Contrast: Holding Big Oil Accountable 

In Congress, Walz opposed legislation that weakened regulations on the oil and gas industry and fought to protect our public lands and coastal communities from oil and gas drilling. Walz cosponsored legislation to hold Big Oil accountable and protect consumers, including twice cosponsoring the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act. JD Vance was one of the top 20 recipients of oil and gas donations during his 2022 Senate campaign, and now as Trump’s running mate, he continues to court Big Oil donors as part of Trump’s $1 billion “deal” with the industry. Vance, unsurprisingly, has supported expanding oil and gas drilling and opening up dangerous fossil fuel pipelines that threaten our air and water. 

In Congress, Walz Supporting Legislation To Hold The Oil And Gas Industry Accountable

• Walz voted against legislation that weakened regulations on oil and gas drilling, including voting against legislation that would direct federal land managers to prioritize drilling on public lands, a bill that would expand offshore drilling off of coastal communities, and an amendment that blocked the removal of three proposed Arctic Ocean offshore drilling lease sales. 
• Walz cosponsored legislation to protect consumers and hold the oil and gas industry accountable, including twice cosponsoring the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act, and the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act. 
• Walz cosponsored the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act that prohibited the Bureau of Land Management from administering oil and gas leasing, development, production, and transportation programs in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

JD Vance Is Backed By Big Oil, And He’s Continuing To Court Big Oil Donors As Trump’s Running Mate

• Vance was among the top 20 recipients of oil and gas donations during his 2022 Senate campaign, and one of his top contributors was the Blackstone Group, operator of “America’s deadliest coal plant.” 
• As Trump’s running mate, Vance has hosted fundraisers with major oil and gas donors including Harold Hamm, Scott Hayes, David and Jacqueline Sacks, Cody Campbell, and Heather and Ray Washburne, and more.
  • Trump asked Big Oil CEOs for $1 billion to help him stay out of jail and get back into office while promising he’d deliver their entire policy wish list. Trump framed his offer as a ‘deal’ for Big Oil, and he was right: analysis shows they’d get $110 billion in tax breaks alone – an 11,000% return on investment.

Vance Supported Expanding Oil And Gas Drilling

• Vance supported fracking in the Utica Shale Basin, and called for “less red tape and fewer restrictions” to “maximize output in the Utica Shale.” 
• Vance claimed expanding oil and gas drilling in Ohio would make the environment cleaner. 
• Campaigning as Trump’s running mate, Vance has repeatedly called to increase drilling and pledged a Trump-Vance administration would “drill, baby drill” 

Vance Supported Dangerous Fossil Fuel Pipelines

• Vance claimed that the Biden-Harris administration shutting down pipelines was increasing energy costs, and called to build more pipeline capacity to be “more energy independent.” 
• Vance supported the Line 5 pipeline, calling it an “important part” of the local economy.
  • Since 1968, the Line 5 pipeline has spilled over 1.1 million gallons of oil in 33 separate spills across the length of the pipeline, threatening the surrounding Great Lakes as well as wildlife, fishing, and indigenous communities nearby. 
• Vance supported mandating approval of permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a fracked gas pipeline that threatens the region’s land, water, and ecosystems; The company pushing the pipeline is responsible for nearly 400 water quality violations in Virginia alone, and has violated Virginia’s rules at least 1,500 times. . 

The Contrast: Global Climate Leadership

Governor Walz strongly opposed Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, citing the threat to “our air, water, food” and national security. As governor, Walz ensured Minnesota remained in the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition committed to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Vance downplayed the impact of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, and claimed that “voters just don’t care that much about climate policy.” 

Governor Walz Supported The Paris Climate Agreement And Kept Minnesota In The U.S. Climate Alliance

• Walz opposed President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, saying staying in the agreement was a “no-brainer,” and said the withdrawal threatened “our air, water, food” and national security. 
• As governor, Walz ensured Minnesota remained in the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan climate action coalition committed to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. 

JD Vance Downplayed The Impact Of Trump’s Withdrawal From The Paris Climate Accord

• Vance claimed the political costs of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord was “actually pretty minimal,” and claimed that “voters just don’t care that much about climate policy.” 
  • The Paris Climate Agreement sets ambitious goals for a transition to a clean energy economy that will generate 24 million jobs globally. Remaining in the Paris Climate Agreement and building our clean energy economy  could actually save the U.S. over half a trillion dollars a year.