Joe Biden scrambles to defend his climate record at 7-hour CNN town hall

Screenshot/CNN

Former Vice President Joe Biden

• Former Vice President Joe Biden insisted that his plan to address climate change goes far enough and was forced to defend his relationship with the fossil fuel industry at Wednesday's CNN town hall. 
• Biden is scheduled to attend two high-dollar donor events on Thursday, one of which will be co-hosted by the co-founder of natural gas company Western LNG. 
• The Biden campaign said Goldman is not currently involved in Western LNG, but Biden told the audience that if that "turns out not to be true, then I will not, in any way, accept his help." 
• The former vice president argued that he has the experience and know-how to implement effective climate policy in conjunction with global leaders, and suggested some of his 2020 competitors' plans aren't realistic. 
• And Biden insisted that his $1.7 trillion plan to fight climate change is "aggressive enough," despite the fact that he would spend trillions less than other 2020 candidates and has a later deadline for carbon neutrality. 
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Former Vice President Joe Biden insisted that his plan to address climate change goes far enough and was forced to defend his relationship with the fossil fuel industry during CNN's seven-hour long climate change town hall on Wednesday night. 

The 2020 candidate was put on the defensive after an audience member asked him whether he can be trusted to stand up to the fossil fuel industry given that he's attending a fundraiser on Thursday hosted by a former gas industry executive. 

Biden is scheduled to attend two high-dollar donor events on Thursday in New York. One will be hosted at the home of David Solomon, a partner at the investment firm Hildred Capital Partners. The Intercept reported that Solomon's event will be co-hosted by Andrew Goldman, a co-founder of the natural gas company Western LNG and a former adviser to Biden in the Senate and on his 2008 presidential campaign. 

Biden insisted that Goldman "is not a fossil fuel executive" and the Biden campaign said Goldman is not currently involved in Western LNG. 

Read more: Joe Biden will solicit big money from Wall Street donors right after participating in CNN's climate town hall

"I was told by my staff he doesn't have any responsibility related to the company," Biden said. "If that turns out not to be true, then I will not, in any way, accept his help."

Biden added that his campaign "checks every contribution [to the campaign] ... to make sure that we are not accepting money from people we said we wouldn't or we shouldn't." 

Along with many other 2020 candidates, Biden has signed the "No Fossil Fuel Money" pledge, which requires candidates to reject donations of more than $200 from "S.E.C.-named executives of fossil fuel companies.'' 

David Turnbull, a spokesman for the group Oil Change U.S. told The New York Times that while Biden's fundraiser "may not technically violate the 'No Fossil Fuel Money' pledge as we have defined it, it pretty clearly goes against the spirit of the pledge."

The former vice president argued on Wednesday that he has the experience and know-how to implement effective climate policy in conjunction with global leaders, and suggested some of his 2020 competitors' plans aren't realistic. 

"Plans are great. Executing their plans is a very different thing," Biden said. "You still have to get the rest of the world to come along ... I know almost every one of those world leaders."

Biden faced criticism from fellow Democrats earlier this year when a campaign adviser was quoted as saying that Biden would pursue a "middle ground" approach to climate policy. His $1.7 trillion climate plan demands trillions fewer dollars and has a later deadline for carbon neutrality than the proposals of several other 2020 candidates.

CNN Anderson Cooper asked Biden if his approach is "aggressive enough." 

"Yes, I think it is aggressive enough. It's gotten good reviews from most of the environmental community," Biden said. 

In response to another audience question, Biden said he wouldn't support a national or state-level ban on current oil and gas fracking, but that he supports prohibiting any new fracking on federal lands. 

Biden attempted an optimistic tone, shooting down those who doubt the US can do much to solve the climate crisis. 

"We're walking around with our heads down like 'What are we going to do? We're in such great trouble,'" he said. "We're the United States of America and there's not a damn thing we can't do once we set our minds to it."