A last ditch-digging attempt at Arctic drilling
In the first week of January, the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management intends to auction off drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a proposal which has been hotly contested for generations. The administration is moving forward in its final weeks despite the opposition of most Americans to drilling in the Arctic.
Opposition to Arctic drilling has expanded well beyond environmentalists, First Nations or everyday Alaskans. Every major US and Canadian bank has now come out against Arctic drilling; even insurance companies are stepping back from extreme oil extraction. These institutions’ withdrawal of support represents a new stage of responses to the climate crisis, and potentially, a step towards a just transition away from fossil fuels. Extreme oil extraction, whether in the Arctic or in Canadian tar sands, is increasingly being recognized as a dangerous bad investment.
Biden Selects Energy Secretary and New National Climate Advisor
Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a U.C. Berkeley professor, is Biden s choice to lead the Energy Department. A new position, national climate advisor, will be filled by former Obama EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, current head of the NRDC. December 18, 2020, 8am PST | Irvin Dawid Share
Focus Associated Press – December 17
President-elect Joe Biden this Thursday selected Michael S. Regan to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan is a North Carolina regulator who made his name pursuing cleanups of industrial toxins and helping low-income and minority communities hit hardest by pollution. Regan led the negotiations in North Carolina that resulted in the cleanup of the Cape Fear River, which has been contaminated by PFAS industrial compounds from a chemical plant, and negotiated what North Carolina says was the largest cleanup agreement for toxic coal ash, with Duke Energy. Regan previously spent almost a decade at the EPA, including managing a national program for air pollution issues.
Rep. G.K. Butterfield, North Carolina Democrat, swiftly endorsed Mr. Regan for the post on Thursday.
“As North Carolina’s chief environmental official, Secretary Regan has demonstrated he understands that climate change is a threat to human existence,” said Mr. Butterfield, a past chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Ms. Haaland, a supporter of the “Green New Deal” economic makeover to combat climate change, would be the first Native American to serve as interior secretary.
Mr. Biden “put a true movement progressive in his Cabinet” with the Haaland pick, said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
During the campaign, Mr. Biden released a $2 trillion plan to combat climate change with a goal of moving the U.S. toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.