Interestingly, none of the suggestions in this piece or others recommend going after India and Joe’s buddies in China. Anyhow, this piece is by Marc Yaggi, “the executive director of Waterkeeper Alliance, a worldwide network of more than 350 environmental advocacy groups that protect over 2.75 million square miles of rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on six continents.” These groups would probably be best off spending their time actually trying to protect waterways rather than the mythical ‘climate change’
What needs to be done on climate in Biden’s first 100 days
The end of 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the EPA, a momentous milestone for the agency and a reminder of the crucial role it serves in keeping our water cleaner, air safer, and climate healthier.
The climate is healthy. It’s utterly normal. It’s cooler now than during several Holocene warm periods.
We at Waterkeeper Alliance propose beginning with a five-point action plan, at the very minimum, to cling to any hope that our environmental failings are not irreparable.
Fossil fuels
Biden must fulfill his campaign pledge to ban new fossil fuel leasing on publicly owned federal lands by issuing a new executive order directing all relevant agencies to pursue such a ban. Fossil fuels extracted from federal lands are responsible for about one quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and it’s estimated that such a federal ban would reduce carbon emissions by 280 million tons per year.
And guess what happens? The US become a net importer, and prices go up, harming the poor and middle class.
Environmental racism
The new administration must fully recognize and address the human and ecological toll of environmental racism. Our nation’s environmental justice policy has never been nearly robust enough to make a meaningful difference in the lives and health of underserved people and communities. Upon taking office, it’s imperative that Biden either revise and strengthen the 1994 executive order that addresses environmental justice in minority and low-income populations or issue a new executive order that immediately prioritizes reversing the grave systemic damage done to environmental justice policy and enforcement over the past four years.
This isn’t really about science, is it. Interestingly, Trump did more in 4 years to raise wages in the Black community and increase Black employment that Obama ever did. Or any other Dems. But, don’t expect Marc to explain what “damage” Trump did, because he can’t.
Biden must issue an executive order to restore the Clean Water Act to its full regulatory force. The landmark legislation has been under attack by an administration intent on undermining the very principles that make it effective. Protecting drinkable, fishable and swimmable water starts with repairing the Clean Water Act’s broken definition of “waters of the United States†and restoring state and tribal authority, and public participation rights, under the law.
What Marc really means is giving the Waters of the US rule another shot, one of most egregious Big Government rules issued in decades. That stream behind your house? It would be controlled by Los Federales, and, by extension, your property.
An executive order directing the Council on Environmental Quality to promptly repeal the Trump administration’s National Environmental Policy Act rollback rule and replace it with new regulations that rebuild NEPA would be inextricably tied to two key Biden priorities — climate change and environmental justice.
No real explanation as to the meaning, so, moving on
Shifting course on climate also requires rescinding harmful and damaging executive orders from the last four years. These include executive orders that arbitrarily direct all federal agencies to repeal two existing regulations for each new regulation issued; direct agencies to review, rescind and/or revise rules that impede U.S. energy production; and undermine the sanctity and safety of our national monuments and marine sanctuaries.
Not getting rid of federal regulations, many of them are regs for the sake of being regs? Again, this isn’t about “science.”
Read: Climate Cult Has Ideas For China Joe’s First 100 Days »