Democrats target climate action in 2016 platform

Democrats this year plan to campaign on a platform that commits the party to carrying out tough greenhouse gas regulations and clean energy goals set by President Barack Obama.

The Democratic Party platform, released in draft form on 1 July, calls climate change an "urgent threat" that will require the US to slash its greenhouse gas emissions and speed up a transition to clean energy. It also calls for eliminating tax deductions for oil and gas companies, reducing US oil consumption and blocking drilling in the US arctic.

But large parts of the platform are devoted to upholding the environmental programs that Obama has worked to put in place over his presidency. This includes the power sector greenhouse gas limits in the Clean Power Plan, fuel economy standards for automobiles, and nascent efforts to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The platform also offers support to Obama's decision last year to reject the 830,000 b/d Keystone XL crude pipeline.

Democrats declined in their platform to call for an end to fossil fuel development on public land or a ban hydraulic fracturing, two policies backed by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has offered support for more fracturing regulations, but has not called for banning the technology or phasing out all fossil fuel extraction on federal lands.

The platform does offer Democratic party support for an overhaul of fossil fuel leasing on public lands, a task the Obama administration launched this year focusing on coal. The platform says the US should "phase down" fossil fuel extraction on federal lands, starting with the most polluting sources.

Democrats in the platform have vowed to defend the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law from Republicans who plan to push for its repeal or replacement next year. The platform also supports building new energy infrastructure and implementing Obama's recent target for the US to generate 50pc of its electricity from "clean energy sources."

Democrats aim to finalize the platform document this week. Republicans have yet to publish a party platform for 2016.