With climate chaos
\nflooding states, burning communities across the West, and driving crippling
\ndroughts, Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley along with Senators Sheldon
\nWhitehouse (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie
\nSanders (I-VT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cory Booker
\n(D-NJ) sent a letter to President Biden requesting his Administration build on
\nthe?Inflation Reduction Act?<\/i>(IRA) investments for climate-friendly
\ntechnology and policies by declaring a climate emergency to expedite the
\ntransition to clean energy. <\/p>\n
\u201cEnacting the
\nhistoric Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the most important step that the
\nUnited States has taken to combat climate chaos since the passage of the Clean
\nAir Act,\u201d?wrote the lawmakers.?\u201cThe IRA has over $300 billion in investments
\nfor climate-friendly technology and policies that will help expedite the
\ntransition to clean energy. Many of the investments will ensure that America is
\na leader in the clean energy economy and help build high quality jobs here at
\nhome.\u201d <\/p>\n
In their letter, the
\nSenators urge the President to make the passage of the IRA the start of the
\nBiden Administration\u2019s ambitious climate agenda, not the end of it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge you to take
\nthe important next step of declaring a climate emergency and unlocking the full
\ntools at your disposal to address this crisis,\u201d?they continued.?\u201cDeclaring a
\nclimate emergency could unlock the broad powers of the International Emergency
\nEconomic Powers Act and the Stafford Act, allowing you to immediately pursue an
\narray of regulatory and administrative actions to slash emissions, protect
\npublic health, support national and energy security, and improve our air and
\nwater quality.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Senators
\nacknowledge the importance and responsibility of what it means to enact
\nemergency powers, citing their disapproval of the previous Administration\u2019s
\nefforts to misuse executive powers, but note: <\/p>\n
\u201cA president\u2019s emergency
\npowers should not be used wantonly. What we cannot afford, however, is to shy
\naway from tackling the climate crisis just because President Trump misused the
\nNational Emergencies Act. If ever there is an emergency that demands ambitious
\naction, climate chaos is it.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Senators\u2019 letter
\ncalls upon various departments of the Administration to act swiftly and boldly
\nto: <\/p>\n
\u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u201cThe climate crisis With climate chaos flooding states, burning communities across the West, and driving crippling droughts, Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter to President Biden requesting his Administration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Establish
\nrules and policies to reduce carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants from
\ncoal-and gas-fired power plants, cars and light trucks, heavy-duty vehicles,
\nand oil and gas facilities; <\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Promote
\nupdated social cost of carbon and require its use throughout government
\ndecision-making, including in areas where it can be particularly effective,
\nsuch as in establishing procurement standards and royalty rates; <\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Limit
\ncarbon pollution from fossil fuels produced on public lands and waters, and
\nupdate various energy efficiency rules and promote the deployment of
\nenergy-efficient technologies that will reduce carbon pollution and save
\nconsumers money; <\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Maximize
\nthe adoption of electric vehicles, push states to reduce their
\ntransportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, and support the
\nelectrification of our mass transit; <\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Transition
\nthe Department of Defense non-tactical vehicle fleet to electric and
\nzero-emission vehicles, install solar panels on military housing, and take
\nother aggressive steps to decrease its environmental impact; and <\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/span>Investigate
\nthe fossil fuel industry for its decades of lying about its products and
\nconsider bringing a civil suit against the industry the way it successfully sued
\nthe tobacco industry. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nis one of the biggest emergencies that our country has ever faced and time is
\nrunning out. We need to build off the momentum from the IRA and make sure that
\nwe achieve the ambition this crisis requires, and what we have promised the
\nworld. We urge you to act boldly, declare this crisis the national emergency
\nthat it is, and embark upon significant regulatory and administrative
\naction,\u201d?their letter concludes. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"