President Biden will declare a Climate Emergency, according to lawmakers who spoke to him and asked him to act now that Congress has stopped working on climate legislation.
Democratic legislators expect that Mr. Biden will announce a climate crisis as soon as next week. Officials at the White House were hesitant about Mr. Biden’s announcement Wednesday, when he visited Somerset’s Brayton Point, Massachusetts to discuss climate change.
” I don’t know what exact words Joe Biden will use, but I believe that Joe Biden has the ability to call for a national mobilization to combat the climate crisis,” stated Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts Democrat.
A White House official declined to confirm whether Mr. Biden would declare in Massachusetts. He told The Washington Times they weren’t going to be ahead of the president’s comments.
Senate Democrats have urged Mr. Biden not to wait for Congress. Sen. Joe Manchin III (West Virginia Democrat) has stopped supporting new tax cuts in clean energy. This bill was part of a party line spending bill. It effectively ended any possibility of legislation on a climate bill.
The Massachusetts power station, once one of New England’s largest producers, will undergo a switch from coal to wind power. This conversion will provide a background for President Biden’s demand for more renewable energy in the grid.
” The president will make remarks about tackling climate change and taking advantage of the chance for a clean energy future that creates jobs and lowers costs for families,” said the White House in a Tuesday statement.
A climate emergency declaration would allow Mr. Biden to take important steps to reduce emissions. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (a Democrat from Rhode Island) said that this is necessary to stop climate change damages “before they pile up in a manner that is out-of-control .”
Mr. Biden declared the climate crisis an “emergency”, but he hasn’t made an official declaration as required by the National Emergencies Act.
Republicans at Capitol Hill laughed at the plan, and asked if Mr. Biden had the legal authority for such a declaration.
” I don’t think he can declare a climate crisis,” stated Sen. Kevin Cramer (North Dakota Republican). “I do not believe there is a climate emergency. We know the meaning of weather emergencies. There is no climate emergency
Democrats believe that climate change is so serious that Congress must pass legislation.
“This bill is not something that you can fix. 2030,” Mr. Whitehouse stated.
Reporters were told this week by Mr. Whitehouse, along with fellow Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon that President Obama should use the Defense Production Act’s emergency authority to increase the production of large amounts of solar panels. To produce enough solar panels to reduce carbon emissions, at most 40 production plants will be required.
This plan would create thousands of jobs, Mr. Whitehouse stated. It is similar to World War II’s production of military planes and other equipment which helped America defeat Hitler.
“Rosie, the solar riveter,” Mr. Whitehouse jokingly said. He was referring to women who built World War II machinery.
Mr. Whitehouse wants to see the President announce new regulations on carbon for cars, trucks, and industrial plants, as well as a carbon tariff that would tax imported goods based upon the carbon emissions from the production of the products.
Democrats also wish for Mr. Biden’s legal action against oil companies. This is similar to the historic government lawsuit against Big Tobacco.
“This seems to me to have a fairly good model to investigate whether such a case can be brought against decades of misrepresentation of the fossil fuel industry and its armada of fake front groups,” Mr. Whitehouse stated.
