Merkley Calls For Climate Emergency Declaration

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden announced Wednesday
plans to use executive power to address climate change because he says Congress
is not taking action. He stopped short of a formal emergency
declaration, something Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and a handful of other
Democrats are asking for. 

“And if folks want to understand what that does, think
about President Trump declaring an emergency on the southern border to allow
him to move around billions of dollars to build a wall,” Merkley tells
KBND News, “Well, in this case, let’s move money around to build out the
American-made manufacturing of solar panels and wind turbines.”

KBND’s Heather Roberts asked Merkley, “How do you
respond to people who say this is really just a distraction from the concerns
over the economy and 9.1% inflation?” Sen. Merkley responded, “We’re
paying painful prices at the pump because we’re addicted to oil and we’re
enriching the dictators in Russia and Iran. Why should we be enriching those
dictators when, right now it costs 3 cents a mile to drive on electricity and
30 cents to drive on gas?”

He believes emergency funding could be used to bring down
the cost of electric cars, solar panel production and wind turbines.

en_USEnglish