Biden to announce new environmental justice initiatives

US, President Joe Biden has always made tackling climate change, one of his administration's priorities. But the latest move from the White House has got environmentalists fuming. The Biden administration has just ok. *** massive oil drilling site in Alaska known as the Willow project and it could produce 1.5% of all oil production in the United States to talk *** bit more about the environmental impact of it though. Let's bring in our environment editor Vale Valerie Valerie. First of all, just tell us *** bit more about the environmental impact of this decision, Well, it will be massive. Former us, Vice President Al Gore has called it recklessly irresponsible and *** recipe for climate chaos. And that is because this site in particular will produce 600 million barrels of oil in the course of the next 30 years. And that will result in the emission of nearly 300 million tons of carbon dioxide again over the course of the life of this project. As you see there, 160 million tons of greenhouse gasses. And that is the equivalent of nearly 70 coal fired power plants operating for just *** single year. It's been described as *** carbon bomb and what has many people concerned and outrage as well is the location where this site will actually be built and it will sit on the country's largest area of undeveloped land about 200 miles north of the Arctic circle. The Arctic Circle which happens to be the fastest warming region on the planet. And the irony of *** will of this Willow project is that it will the project itself will be vulnerable to climate change. The company behind it. Conoco Phillips even plans to install chillers to protect the permafrost and keep the permafrost frozen under the heavy equipment that they will be using there. Now, many people have been quick to point out that. This is very inconsistent with Joe Biden's climate pledges. Why would the Biden administration approve something that could become so controversial? I mean, one of Biden's quotes from the presidential campaign has been widely cited since that decision was made public and when he famously said no more drilling on federal lands period. And so certainly this decision comes as *** stab in the back for environmentalists and the easy answer to why this has happened happened is politics and so commentators have been providing several explanations, but this obviously could be part of *** strategy to show that Biden is moving to the center as it prepares as he's preparing for next year's presidential campaign. So you could see this as *** political balancing act. We know that Biden signed into law last August, *** massive climate plan. *** historic deal, the inflation reduction act more than 300 billion. billion dollars in climate investment. So in *** way it's saying, ok, he's got the green credentials. Now he needs to reach out to the working class who are concerned about oil prices. And that is the second explanation. Gasoline prices. We know that the war in Ukraine has largely come in the way of climate action with countries really trying to secure sources of energy, fossil fuel based energy. And so those in favor of Willow are saying this will The country is dependent on foreign oil imports. But then what does this mean for America's climate pledges? And what kind of message is this sending to the world? Well, the science is very clear about fossil fuels, Jeanie. According to the International Energy Agency, there can be no new investments in oil gas and coal starting from 2021 in order for countries to become carbon neutral by the middle of the century. And in order to limit warming to 1.5, Degrees. And so let's take *** look *** little bit at what the US has promised in terms of climate action, they have pledged to limit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52% by 2030. So in the next seven years and then become carbon zero. So net zero emissions by 2050. And so what's interesting is that just right after the US signed the Inflation Inflation Reduction Act, one body called Climate Action tracker They looked at how this will help the us stay on track to you know, reach their climate promises. And what they found is that even with massive investment, more action would be required in order to reach their promises. And and if this additional additional measures were not put in place. Well, the us would actually only limit its emissions by 26-40%. So well below their promises and so overall. What they said, what they found is that US climate action was insufficient. And so now if you, if we talk about willow, it can only mean that the US will go even more off track its emissions as we know that they will be putting more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere very quickly. What message does this send to the world and to other countries when the US again signed that? historic climate deal. It showed that the US was willing to take its responsibilities and being the historical, largest historical emitter and the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world. This decision calls it into action especially as we know that last year during cop 27 the UN Climate Summit countries just stopped short of agreeing to phase out all fossil fuels, not just coal but also oil And so there's *** big push now heading into COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates for countries to really move in that direction and phase out all fossil fuels. But what if the US again, the largest emitter historical emitter in the world says, well, actually we will continue to drill more oil. It certainly doesn't send *** good message to the rest of the world. All right, Valerie, thanks so much for sharing your expertise with us. That's our environment editor Valerie de Camp

Biden to announce new environmental justice initiatives

Updated: 7:56 AM EDT Apr 21, 2023

President Joe Biden will announce new environmental justice actions at the White House on Friday morning, surrounded by climate and environmental justice advocates, according to a White House official.Biden will sign a new executive order that will make environmental justice a central mission of "every single executive agency," per the the official. The executive order, which will still be up to agencies to implement, will also create a new Office of Environmental Justice inside the White House Council on Environmental Quality.Biden's announcements come as many climate and environmental justice groups have been frustrated at the administration's recent approval of a major Alaska oil project. His speech is ahead of an expected reelection announcement — with plans underway for as soon as next week, CNN reported Thursday. Biden worked hard to court environmental justice activist groups during his last campaign.The new order will direct agencies to work more closely with impacted communities and improve "gaps" in scientific data to try to better tackle the impacts of pollution on people's health, the official added. And if toxic substances were released from a federal facility in the future, the order requires federal agencies to notify nearby communities.The order comes a few years after Biden announced his signature "Justice40" initiative, vowing to direct 40% of federal climate and clean funding from new legislation to disadvantaged communities. On Friday, three additional agencies — the Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation and NASA — will also join the initiative.Biden will also take a swipe at Republicans in his speech, contrasting his action on environmental justice with the GOP's policies, the White House official said, highlighting Biden's initiatives to remove lead pipes from America's drinking water and plug orphaned oil and gas wells.Biden's speech comes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy included proposals in his debt limit proposal that would overturn clean energy tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act last year, as well as after HR 1 — Republicans' version of an energy permitting bill."Speaker McCarthy and his extreme caucus' proposals, including HR 1, would be a climate and health disaster that President Biden won't allow on his watch," the White House official said.

WASHINGTON —

President Joe Biden will announce new environmental justice actions at the White House on Friday morning, surrounded by climate and environmental justice advocates, according to a White House official.

Biden will sign a new executive order that will make environmental justice a central mission of "every single executive agency," per the the official. The executive order, which will still be up to agencies to implement, will also create a new Office of Environmental Justice inside the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Biden's announcements come as many climate and environmental justice groups have been frustrated at the administration's recent approval of a major Alaska oil project. His speech is ahead of an expected reelection announcement — with plans underway for as soon as next week, CNN reported Thursday. Biden worked hard to court environmental justice activist groups during his last campaign.

The new order will direct agencies to work more closely with impacted communities and improve "gaps" in scientific data to try to better tackle the impacts of pollution on people's health, the official added. And if toxic substances were released from a federal facility in the future, the order requires federal agencies to notify nearby communities.

The order comes a few years after Biden announced his signature "Justice40" initiative, vowing to direct 40% of federal climate and clean funding from new legislation to disadvantaged communities. On Friday, three additional agencies — the Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation and NASA — will also join the initiative.

Biden will also take a swipe at Republicans in his speech, contrasting his action on environmental justice with the GOP's policies, the White House official said, highlighting Biden's initiatives to remove lead pipes from America's drinking water and plug orphaned oil and gas wells.

Biden's speech comes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy included proposals in his debt limit proposal that would overturn clean energy tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act last year, as well as after HR 1 — Republicans' version of an energy permitting bill.

"Speaker McCarthy and his extreme caucus' proposals, including HR 1, would be a climate and health disaster that President Biden won't allow on his watch," the White House official said.