Bernie Sanders promises 'massive' investment in Arizona solar

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said he would make a "massive federal investment" in Arizona solar to replace hundreds of jobs in the coal industry that would be lost under his environmental proposals.

His plan would provide $41 billion over a decade to help oil, gas and coal workers train for other jobs, while investing more than $500 billion in clean energy through 2030, his campaign said. The costs would be offset by repealing subsidies for fossil fuels and other corporate tax breaks, the plan says.

Sanders, the independent U.S. senator from Vermont, spoke with The Arizona Republic on Sunday, ahead of the state's presidential primary on Tuesday.

"I am not going to tell you a transition (away from fossil fuels) is not going to affect people. It will," he said by phone from Vancouver, Wash., where he planned to speak. "But I think with good job training, we can make sure those workers are protected and moved into other areas which are not damaging to our environment."

President Barack Obama's environmental regulations have put pressure on Arizona's coal-fired power plants, including the huge Navajo Generating Station, to make expensive upgrades or close. The policies threaten hundreds of jobs — at the plants and the coal mines.

Especially hard-hit would be Native Americans, who make up a majority of the workforce. Sanders is campaigning hard for tribal voters but failed to mention a job plan for coal workers at his rally on the Navajo Reservation last week. Critics say solar investment creates jobs in construction but few in long-term maintenance.

Sanders will return for a fifth Arizona rally on Monday in Flagstaff. The Republic interview has been edited for space and clarity.

Q: Many of our voters cast ballots early, and our independents, many of whom are young and minority, are not allowed to participate unless they go through an extra step of registering with a party. Are your efforts over the past week in Arizona too little, too late?

A: Let me be honest with you. We are taking on the most powerful political organization in the country. We are taking on a candidate that has virtually 100 percent name recognition. So we start off as the underdogs. We appreciate that.

But I believe we have a lot of momentum that we are gaining every day, and I think that we have a shot to win in Arizona. And the reason is that the message that we are bringing forth — which is that it is not acceptable that the middle class of this country continues to disappear while almost all new income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent. That is a message that the vast majority of the people of America and Arizona agree with.

Second of all, obviously, in Arizona there is a great concern among Latinos and others about a broken immigration system. And I believe that we have the strongest immigration-reform platform of any candidate, which calls for comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship.

Q: Why is your position on immigration reform stronger than Hillary Clinton’s?

A: I would recommend you to an editorial in the New York Times that did, in fact, describe it just as that — that we have the strongest immigration-reform platform. (The Times in November said Clinton "delivers a similar list of worthy proposals, but with fewer specifics and less breadth." Clinton has criticized Sanders for voting against comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, a sentiment echoed recently by former U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz.)

I don’t have Hillary Clinton’s platform in front of me. But our goal is to make sure that we unite families, not divide them; that we end the mass level of deportation that we are currently seeing; that we build on what President Obama has initiated in terms of (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the "dreamers," as well as (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) and the parents of "dreamers"; and that we as quickly as possible move toward a path toward legal protection and citizenship. Again, I don’t have the secretary’s proposals here, but (mine) is a very strong agenda.

Q: You talk about middle-class jobs. Hundreds of Arizonans will lose middle-class jobs if President Obama’s environmental regulations shut down coal mines and power plants. You say the country must get off of fossil fuels, but that promise is scary for our coal workers here.

A: I’m a member of the environmental committee in the Senate. I talk to scientists all the time. Climate change is real. Climate change is caused by human activity. And climate change is already causing devastating problems in the United States and around the world. If we don’t get our act together and transform our energy system, the serious problems we have today will only become worse in terms of more drought and crises with water supply, more floods and extreme weather disturbances.

Q: But where’s the place for coal workers in that plan?

A: Well, the place for the coal workers is to understand we are going to have to transition away from fossil fuel. But the good news is that when we do that, and move toward energy efficiency and sustainable energies — for example, in Arizona you have incredible solar exposure, right? There is no reason why Arizona should not be one of the leaders, not only in this country but also in the world.

Q: So you see federal investment to transition to solar?

A: Of course we do — massive federal investment. Arizona should be one of the leaders in this country, and one of the leaders in the world, in producing solar energy. And that means large numbers of new jobs being created.

I am not going to tell you a transition is not going to affect people. It will. But I think with good job training, we can make sure those workers are protected and moved into other areas which are not damaging to our environment.

Q: On income inequality and creating a fair and level playing field, your plan to offer free tuition at public universities would benefit the rich as much as it would benefit the poor. Why give free tuition to rich kids?

A: Because I believe in public education. And let me tell you something — under my proposals, the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations will begin paying their fair share of taxes. In fact, our proposal for free tuition at public colleges and universities is funded by a tax on Wall Street speculation. The Congress bailed out Wall Street. Now it is Wall Street’s time to help the middle class.

Q: So you’re saying rich kids and their families would still be paying more for the education they receive?

A: Well, they’re going to be paying more in taxes, and those taxes will, among other things, be used for education. But right now, you tell me, Rebekah. If some kid goes to high school in Phoenix, and that kid is the son or daughter of a very wealthy person, how much does that kid pay (in tuition) to go to (a public) Phoenix high school?

Zero.

That’s right. So what we are talking about is simply extending the concept of public education in the year 2016 to include public colleges and universities. And we believe that’s important because in this day and age, a college education is the equivalent of what a high-school degree was 50 years ago. People simply need more education. And they should not have to go deeply into debt in order to get that education.

Q: If Hillary Clinton promised to choose for her running mate Elizabeth Warren, who champions many of the same policies as you, would you leave the primary race and support that ticket?

A: Would I leave the primary race? No. (Laughs.) We have now won nine states. (Clinton has won 18.) We think on Tuesday we’re going to win a number more. We have a number of more states we’re going to win. We are in this race to win the nomination and become the Democratic candidate. And we are going all the way to the Democratic convention in July. And right now, we’re working as hard as we can to win Arizona. We think if there is a large turnout, we will do just that.