It’s Wednesday.
Day 7 of Biden’s administrations first 100 Days, starts with three more Executive Orders, this time focused on climate change, job creation, and restoring scientific integrity.
From the fact sheet posted by the White House:
Today, President Biden will take executive action to tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad while creating good-paying union jobs and equitable clean energy future, building modern and sustainable infrastructure, restoring scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking across the federal government, and re-establishing the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
White House.gov. 01/27/2021.
Some Bullet points:
Center the Climate Crisis in U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security Considerations
- The order clearly establishes climate considerations as an essential element of U.S. foreign policy and national security.
- The order affirms that, in implementing – and building on – the Paris Agreement’s objectives, the United States will exercise its leadership to promote a significant increase in global ambition. It makes clear that both significant short-term global emission reductions and net zero global emissions by mid-century – or before – are required to avoid setting the world on a dangerous, potentially catastrophic, climate trajectory.
Announces that President Biden will host “a Leaders’ Climate Summit on April 22, 2021”, which is Earth Day.
Take a Whole-of-Government Approach to the Climate Crisis
- The order formally establishes the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy – led by the first-ever National Climate Advisor and Deputy National Climate Advisor – creating a central office in the White House that is charged with coordinating and implementing the President’s domestic climate agenda.
- The order establishes the National Climate Task Force, assembling leaders from across 21 federal agencies and departments to enable a whole-of-government approach to combatting the climate crisis.
It’s Infrastructure week!
Rebuild Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Economy
- The order catalyzes the creation of jobs in construction, manufacturing, engineering and the skilled-trades by directing steps to ensure that every federal infrastructure investment reduces climate pollution and that steps are taken to accelerate clean energy and transmission projects under federal siting and permitting processes in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The fact sheet also explains that President Biden’s order will direct the Secretary of Interior to “pause on entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters to the extent possible”. It also directs the agency to “launch a rigorous review of all existing leasing and permitting practices related to fossil fuel development on public lands and waters, and identify steps that can be taken to double renewable energy production from offshore wind by 2030”.
CNN reports that President Biden’s moratorium only applies to oil and gas leases on federal land, which only accounts for “less than a quarter of total U.S. oil production”. It’s even less for natural gas. The freeze will not impact existing leases.
For What It’s Worth:
Full disclosure, I am out of free articles at Bloomberg, but found this posted at Financial Post.com sharing the above Bloomberg article:
Offshore, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has issued 22 drilling permits to eight companies since Jan. 20, when President Joe Biden was inaugurated. Recipients have included BP Exploration and Production Inc., Arena Offshore, Shell Offshore Inc. and a BHP Billiton Petroleum subsidiary, according to a Bloomberg News review of an Interior Department database.
The offshore approvals, for wells in the Gulf of Mexico, have been issued on a steady basis since Biden’s inauguration, including this week.Onshore, the Bureau of Land Management issued nine permits for wells in Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21, according to a review of a separate database by the watchdog group Accountable.US. The companies that received the authorizations were Jonah Energy LLC, Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co. LP and Legacy Reserves Operating LP.
The Interior Department said in a statement that permits for valid, existing leases “are continuing to be reviewed and approved.”
Financial Post. 01/27/2021.
The agency has maintained that the order, which is set to expire March 20, does not equate to a drilling permit freeze and does not apply to tribal lands.
Live feeds to President Biden remarks prior to the Executive Order signing will be provided at the end of the article.
In Senate News…
On Tuesday, shortly after the Senators were formally sworn-in as jurors in the upcoming Senate Trial of the Former Impeached Loser, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) out of an abundance of caution was taken to the hospital after he was examined by Congress’ attending physician.
News Nation Now, reported that the 80 year-old Vermont Senator was taken to the hospital after he said he felt unwell but was later sent home after tests.
Wednesday morning…
CNN Congressional Reporter Manu Raju is reporting that Leahy was experiencing muscle spasms.
In a lot of public statements news….
Secretary of State Tony Blinken arrived for his first day on the job and offered brief remarks.
The White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials held their first public health briefing.
These health briefings are expected to come three times a week for the foreseeable future.
The daily press briefing is scheduled to start at 12:15 p.m. D.C., time with Press Secretary Jen Psaki welcoming Envoy for Climate John Kerry, and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy.
Live Feeds.
The White House.
Yahoo Finance.
CBS News.
President Biden is addressing the public prior to signing his three climate change EO’s at 1:30 p.m. D.C., time.
Live Feeds.
NBC News.
Yahoo Finance.
The White House.
This is an Open Thread.
For thoughts regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day @ the News Blender.
