Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 6, 2023

Vice President Harris and the Second Gentleman landed at Denver International Airport at 12:47 p.m. local time. They were greeted by outgoing Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who is term limited, and newly elected Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, per the Vice President's office. The Vice President will be speaking in Pettersen's district, which covers the west Denver metro area and stretches to the southwest.

Skies over Arvada, about 20 miles west of the Denver International Airport, were bright blue but for some wisp of clouds near the western horizon. The event is being held at the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities.

The line at 12:45 p.m. local time wrapped around the community center where the event will be held.

Capacity of the auditorium is about 500. The discussion will have a backdrop of the U.S. and Colorado state flags and flags bearing the vice presidential seal.

VP travel pool report #2/Denver-area remarks

Speaker list for the Arvada event from Vice President's office:

On Background from a White House Official:

Participant speaking order:

• Shere Walker-Ravenell, Executive Director, Black Parents United Foundation
• Olga Gonzalez, Executive Director of Cultivando
• State Representative Lindsey Daugherty, Colorado House of Representatives (D-CO-24)
• Governor Jared Polis (D-CO)

Moderated conversation participants:

• The Vice President
• Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07)
• Sasha DiGiulian, professional rock climber, Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance

Copy/paste of background from White House:

On Background from a White House Official:

Today, Monday, March 6th at 3 PM MT, Vice President Harris is in Arvada, Colorado to participate in a moderated conversation focused on the Biden-Harris Administration's investments to combat the climate crisis and ongoing efforts to build a new clean energy economy that works for all. This conversation at the Arvada Center for Performing Arts will be livestreamed on Whitehouse.gov/live.

Within the first 2 months of 2023, the Vice President has participated in a moderated conversation on climate at the University of Michigan, traveled to Tonopah, AZ to deliver remarks at a groundbreaking for the Ten West Link transmission line, which will help deliver clean power from wind and solar farms to customers, visited a drought resilience facility in California as the West deals with climate change-fueled drought and deluge, led a moderated conversation on climate in Atlanta, GA, and visited a final assembly plant for electric buses in St. Cloud, MN. Additionally, the Vice President recently convened climate leaders from local, state, and national level organizations to discuss the Administration's climate investments, and she hosted the Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacement Summit at the White House.

Biden-Harris Administration legislative accomplishments to combat the climate crisis include:

• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) providing $370B in climate investments.
• Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) advancing climate resilience and environmental justice.
• CHIPS and Science Act boosting clean energy innovation.

The Vice President's past work on climate action includes:

• As San Francisco District Attorney, the Vice President established one of the first environmental justice units in the country.
• As California's Attorney General, the Vice President took action to hold polluters accountable and protect communities and the environment, including after the 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill.
• As a U.S. Senator from California, the Vice President led comprehensive legislation centered on climate and environmental justice, including the Climate Equity Act, the Water Justice Act, and the Environmental Justice for All Act. The Vice President also authored multiple bills that informed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Clean School Bus Act, the Wildfire Defense Act, and the Water for Tomorrow Act.

VP travel pool report #3/Denver-area remarks

At about 2:20 p.m. local time, the event starts with Shere Walker-Ravenell, Executive Director, Black Parents United Foundation. She speaks for about 3 minutes about the need for clean air.
Followed by Olga Gonzalez, Executive Director of Cultivando, who specifically targets the Suncor oil refinery that operates in the Denver metro. From Gonzalez:
"We work in the most polluted zip code in the country, 80216, and in a community that is primarily composed of people of color and people with lower incomes."
"We ask you to join us in pushing for regulations that actually protect human health so that our children do not continue to be sacrificed for the sake of cheaper gasoline."
Background on Suncor: https://www.denverpost.com/2023/03/03/suncor-energy-commerce-city-refinery-production-restart/

State Rep. Lindsey Daugherty follows at about 2:26 p.m. She speaks for about two minutes.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis begins speaking at about 2:28 p.m. He is wearing a tie patterned after the Colorado state flag. He went with more subdued sneakers -- a dark gray, it looks though pooler can't quite make out the design. He often wears bright-colored sneakers and has featured them in campaign ads.
Polis notes campaign promise during his first 2018 campaign to put the state on the path to 100% renewable by 2050. He was resoundingly re-elected in 2022.
"That was seen as pie-in-the-sky by many at the time, but I'm proud to say where we are now, we've locked in 80% renewable energy by the end of the decade."
He also notes historic wildfires that scorched the state in his first term and praises administration and federal government for Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act.

He finishes speaking at about 2:32 p.m. Chuckles and murmurs in crowd as gathered people realize it's another waiting period before Vice President Harris speaks. Cheers for an aide as they put water on the end table for the discussion participants.

VP travel pool report #4/Denver-area remarks

Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen begins speaking at about 2:50 p.m. She was elected to Congress in November after several terms in the Colorado legislature.

She introduces Sasha DiGiulian, (WH description: professional rock climber, Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance. Pettersen pronounces name De-Julian (can't confirm if proper pronunciation) as "one o the best female climbers in the world" and a Coloradan. Quick skim of DiGiulian's google results confirm.

Begins intro of VP Harris at about 2:54.

Standing ovation to welcome Harris at 2:55 p.m.

VP travel pool report #5/Denver-area remarks

Pettersen and DiGiulian sit on left side (pooler's left) of living-room style set up on the stage, with a white rug and coffee table in the center. Vice President sits on right side.

Q1 from Pettersen: How are you thinking about this moment of climate action?

Harris: "very optimistic" and names Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser for local action, as well as federal action.

Says "I love water policy" and gets a dusty Western joke from Pettersen that it can be "dry." (Colorado and the West are in a longstanding drought.)
Harris also notes all the participants are Westerners, where drought has been way of life.

VP travel pool report #6/Denver-area remarks

At 3:36 p.m, the conversation has ended. The conversation covered lead pipes, space, water capture, clean air, maternal health, electric school buses and more.

Attendees send off the Vice President with another standing ovation. In her closing remarks, Harris again turns to space. She said she frequently asks astronauts about how their perspective changes from orbit.

"They say how beautiful it is when they look at Earth from space. And how delicate it is. How fragile, in its beauty."

VP travel pool report #7 (Final)/Denver-area remarks

Per White House officials, Air Force 2 departed Denver International Airport at 5:01 p.m. local time. Full pool report below:

1:17 p.m. dispatch:
Vice President Harris and the Second Gentleman landed at Denver International Airport at 12:47 p.m. local time. They were greeted by outgoing Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who is term limited, and newly elected Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, per the Vice President's office. The Vice President will be speaking in Pettersen's district, which covers the west Denver metro area and stretches to the southwest.

Skies over Arvada, about 20 miles west of the Denver International Airport, were bright blue but for some wisp of clouds near the western horizon. The event is being held at the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities.

The line at 12:45 p.m. local time wrapped around the community center where the event will be held.

Capacity of the auditorium is about 500. The discussion will have a backdrop of the U.S. and Colorado state flags and flags bearing the vice presidential seal.

2:03 p.m. dispatch:

Speaker list for the Arvada event from Vice President's office:
On Background from a White House Official:

Participant speaking order:
Shere Walker-Ravenell, Executive Director, Black Parents United Foundation
Olga Gonzalez, Executive Director of Cultivando
State Representative Lindsey Daugherty, Colorado House of Representatives (D-CO-24)
Governor Jared Polis (D-CO)

Moderated conversation participants:
The Vice President
Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07)
Sasha DiGiulian, professional rock climber, Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance

Copy/paste of background from White House:
On Background from a White House Official:

Today, Monday, March 6th at 3 PM MT, Vice President Harris is in Arvada, Colorado to participate in a moderated conversation focused on the Biden-Harris Administration's investments to combat the climate crisis and ongoing efforts to build a new clean energy economy that works for all. This conversation at the Arvada Center for Performing Arts will be livestreamed on Whitehouse.gov/live.

Within the first 2 months of 2023, the Vice President has participated in a moderated conversation on climate at the University of Michigan, traveled to Tonopah, AZ to deliver remarks at a groundbreaking for the Ten West Link transmission line, which will help deliver clean power from wind and solar farms to customers, visited a drought resilience facility in California as the West deals with climate change-fueled drought and deluge, led a moderated conversation on climate in Atlanta, GA, and visited a final assembly plant for electric buses in St. Cloud, MN. Additionally, the Vice President recently convened climate leaders from local, state, and national level organizations to discuss the Administration's climate investments, and she hosted the Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacement Summit at the White House.

Biden-Harris Administration legislative accomplishments to combat the climate crisis include:
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) providing $370B in climate investments.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) advancing climate resilience and environmental justice.
CHIPS and Science Act boosting clean energy innovation.

The Vice President's past work on climate action includes:
As San Francisco District Attorney, the Vice President established one of the first environmental justice units in the country.
As California's Attorney General, the Vice President took action to hold polluters accountable and protect communities and the environment, including after the 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill.
As a U.S. Senator from California, the Vice President led comprehensive legislation centered on climate and environmental justice, including the Climate Equity Act, the Water Justice Act, and the Environmental Justice for All Act. The Vice President also authored multiple bills that informed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Clean School Bus Act, the Wildfire Defense Act, and the Water for Tomorrow Act.

2:47 p.m. dispatch:
At about 2:20 p.m. local time, the event starts with Shere Walker-Ravenell, Executive Director, Black Parents United Foundation. She speaks for about 3 minutes about the need for clean air.
Followed by Olga Gonzalez, Executive Director of Cultivando, who specifically targets the Suncor oil refinery that operates in the Denver metro. From Gonzalez:
"We work in the most polluted zip code in the country, 80216, and in a community that is primarily composed of people of color and people with lower incomes."
"We ask you to join us in pushing for regulations that actually protect human health so that our children do not continue to be sacrificed for the sake of cheaper gasoline."
Background on Suncor: https://www.denverpost.com/2023/03/03/suncor-energy-commerce-city-refinery-production-restart/
State Rep. Lindsey Daugherty follows at about 2:26 p.m. She speaks for about two minutes.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis begins speaking at about 2:28 p.m. He is wearing a tie patterned after the Colorado state flag. He went with more subdued sneakers -- a dark gray, it looks though pooler can't quite make out the design. He often wears bright-colored sneakers and has featured them in campaign ads.

Polis notes campaign promise during his first 2018 campaign to put the state on the path to 100% renewable by 2050. He was resoundingly re-elected in 2022.
"That was seen as pie-in-the-sky by many at the time, but I'm proud to say where we are now, we've locked in 80% renewable energy by the end of the decade."
He also notes historic wildfires that scorched the state in his first term and praises administration and federal government for Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act.
He finishes speaking at about 2:32 p.m. Chuckles and murmurs in crowd as gathered people realize it's another waiting period before Vice President Harris speaks. Cheers for an aide as they put water on the end table for the discussion participants.

2:56 p.m. dispatch:
Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen begins speaking at about 2:50 p.m. She was elected to Congress in November after several terms in the Colorado legislature.
She introduces Sasha DiGiulian, (WH description: professional rock climber, Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance. Pettersen pronounces name De-Julian (can't confirm if proper pronunciation) as "one o the best female climbers in the world" and a Coloradan. Quick skim of DiGiulian's google results confirm.
Begins intro of VP Harris at about 2:54.
Standing ovation to welcome Harris at 2:55 p.m.

3:06 p.m. dispatch:
Pettersen and DiGiulian sit on left side (pooler's left) of living-room style set up on the stage, with a white rug and coffee table in the center. Vice President sits on right side.
Q1 from Pettersen: How are you thinking about this moment of climate action?
Harris: "very optimistic" and names Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser for local action, as well as federal action.
Says "I love water policy" and gets a dusty Western joke from Pettersen that it can be "dry." (Colorado and the West are in a longstanding drought.)
Harris also notes all the participants are Westerners, where drought has been way of life.

3:44 p.m. dispatch:
At 3:36 p.m, the conversation has ended. The conversation covered lead pipes, space, water capture, clean air, maternal health, electric school buses and more.
Attendees send off the Vice President with another standing ovation. In her closing remarks, Harris again turns to space. She said she frequently asks astronauts about how their perspective changes from orbit.
"They say how beautiful it is when they look at Earth from space. And how delicate it is. How fragile, in its beauty."