Inslee climate change plan targets 'front lines', $1.2T funding

July 29 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Jay Inslee on Monday unveiled his vision for climate change reform, a plan that allocates clean energy spending to the most vulnerable communities.

The Washington governor's plan vows to make "community climate justice" a central part of his administration. His campaign called it the "most ambitious and detailed climate action agenda ever put forward by an American presidential candidate."

The plan uses an "equity screen" on major federal spending to make sure fair amounts are allocated to high-pollution spots and factors in "environmental health disparities." It also creates new federal policies and orders $1.2 trillion in investments for vulnerable "front line" communities in the first decade of his administration.

Inslee said he also wants to investigate historical reports of "environmental racism" in federal regulations and reshuffle the White House Council of Environmental Quality into the Council on Environmental Justice with a focus on "equity, justice and inclusion."

"We know that the communities who are being hurt first, and who will be hurt worst, by climate change are low-income communities and communities of color," Inslee told the Washington Times.