What Ted Cruz gets wrong about climate, jobs and Pittsburgh Christopher Wilson
Hours after taking the oath of office, President Biden signed a slew of executive orders making good on his campaign promises to environmental activists (among other members of his coalition) by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and rejoining the Paris climate agreement. Opponents of the treaty reacted with predictable outrage. The Wall Street Journal editorial board and the petroleum industry decried the effects on workers and the economy as a whole. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was especially scathing, issuing a statement that condensed a season’s worth of Fox News talking points into just 28 words.
Biden Signs Sweeping Orders to Tackle Climate Change and Rollback Trump’s Anti-Environment Legacy
The new president moved immediately to review more than 100 Trump administration actions and restore the protection of federal lands and the regulation of greenhouse gases.
January 21, 2021
President Joe Biden takes the oath of office during the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Credit: Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
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In the early hours on Wednesday, as the sun was setting on one presidency and rising on another but long before it would actually peek over the horizon two men did two very different things.
Dive Brief:
President Joe Biden on Wednesday marked his first day in office by taking steps to rejoin the Paris climate accord, along with signing a flurry of executive orders.
One executive order Biden signed is intended to restor[e] science and tackle the climate crisis by reviewing several agency actions taken under former President Donald Trump, including on energy efficiency, coal ash, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), fuel efficiency standards, and more. He also signed an order intended to review industry influence on the regulatory process.
Biden has long pledged to make climate and clean energy a priority under his administration, and stakeholders say these day one actions signify that will be the case.
President Joe Biden s plans to re-enter the United States into the Paris Agreement have been welcomed by American clean energy trade associations and others in expectation of an upsurge in clean energy investment and jobs.
The news has been welcomed by the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and the Business Network for Offshore Wind, among others.
SEIA backed the agreement when it was signed in 2016 and continues to support this agreement and other global efforts to combat climate change.
“This is an exciting day for the United States, and we welcome and congratulate President Biden and Vice President Harris” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA. “Today is also marked with feelings of resolve and a sense of gravity for the work ahead. The climate crisis is a threat to everyone on this planet, and the solar industry stands ready to help America meet its commitments in the Paris Agreement. Many state
Governors Wind Energy Coalition
Biden’s first 100 days: What’s coming on energy Source: By E&E News staff • Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2021
President Biden delivered remarks yesterday after taking the oath of office on the Capitol steps. Francis Chung/E&E News
President Biden took swift action to deliver on his promise to embrace green energy hours after he was sworn into office yesterday, mandating a review of regulatory rollbacks that were part of the Trump administration’s efforts to boost the fossil fuel industry.
Among the pledges outlined in executive orders: a plan to overturn Trump-era loosening of energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances and place a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic.