The president can suspend oil leases during national emergencies, and Biden could respond to industrial shortfalls by supporting the expansion of batteries for electric vehicles, Farber wrote. But social movements and allies across the country won’t let this just be rhetoric.” More muscle on climateĮnvironmental law experts and Democratic lawmakers note that declaring a climate emergency would give Biden a range of expanded policy options to choose from.ĭan Farber, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, laid out some of Biden’s options in a post from 2019. “It’s about time this president and his administration call this crisis what it is: an emergency,” said John Paul Mejia, the group’s spokesperson, adding, “Of course, there is worry that it’s all bark and no bite.
The move would be a victory for young progressives with the Sunrise Movement, who had pushed candidate Biden to add such a declaration to his platform. “Our ferocious Western wildfires, record drought and unprecedented European heat wave are more than enough signals that we don’t have the luxury of pollution procrastination.” “There should be an alarm in the White House that reads, ‘In case of congressional inertia, declare a climate emergency,’” said Daniel Weiss, a longtime environmental advocate. “That is consistent with a national emergency declaration.”Īdvocates want Biden to use national emergency and defense laws to funnel federal investments toward renewable energy, halt new fossil fuel leases and prod manufacturers to increase supplies of renewable energy technologies. “I think with that door closed, we may see something good on oil and gas leasing - like phasing out existing,” she said. Su said she suspects recent administration actions to advance oil and gas leasing were “breadcrumbs” for Manchin. But, she said, it could be coupled with more specific policy decisions, like reinstating the 2015 crude oil export ban. Su said Biden tomorrow could issue a fairly symbolic national emergency that would light a fire under the federal agencies. “A historic climate emergency declaration is exactly what we need from Biden to match the scale and urgency of this crisis,” said Jean Su, energy justice program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. We are considering all options, and no decision has been made.”Ī personal familiar with the administration’s thinking who is not authorized to talk to the press thought the White House would want to show a muscular response to the recent legislative meltdown, especially after its reaction to last month’s Supreme Court abortion ruling was lackluster. Asked about whether a climate emergency declaration is imminent, a White House official granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations told E&E News, “The president made clear that if the Senate doesn’t act to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our domestic clean energy industry, he will.
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