Climate initiatives were put on hold last week, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) pulling the plug on Democratic leaders’ efforts to support an economic package that contains new spending on climate or tax increases.
White House Responds
Nine Democratic leaders, including Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), sent a letter to Biden on Wednesday, urging him to declare a climate emergency—along with use of executive orders—to limit fossil fuel emissions.
“We need to move boldly and immediately to transition America away from fossil fuels to renewable energy like wind and solar,” Merkley wrote. “Now that it’s clear legislation to address our climate crisis is dead, President Biden needs to put us on an emergency footing to address this disaster.”
President Biden followed up in Boston, Massachusetts on Wednesday to deliver his administration’s plans in lieu of Manchin’s decision.
“Since Congress is not acting as it should, this is an emergency and I will look at it that way,” said Biden. “In the coming days, my administration will announce the executive actions we have developed to combat this emergency.”
What’s Next?
Biden says a series of executive orders will address:
1. Program funding to help strengthen flood control, bolster utilities and organize heating and cooling assistance for low-income communities.
2. A switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy through domestic offshore wind built by Vineyard Wind.
3. Workplace heat inspections, including parameters for when employers can force employees to work—or not—amid extreme cold or heat.
While the President did not declare climate change a national emergency, he did point to signs of emissions that could have contributed to “the climate emergency we now face today.”
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