"The array of directives — touching on international relations, drilling policy, employment and national security, among other things — elevate climate change across every level of the federal government."
"WASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday signed a sweeping series of executive actions — ranging from pausing new federal oil leases to electrifying the government’s vast fleet of vehicles — while casting the moves as much about job creation as the climate crisis.
Mr. Biden said his directives would reserve 30 percent of federal land and water for conservation purposes, make climate policy central to national security decisions and build out a network of electric-car charging stations nationwide.
But much of the sales pitch on employment looked intended to counteract longstanding Republican attacks that Mr. Biden’s climate policies would inevitably hurt an economy already weakened by the pandemic.
Mr. Biden argued instead that technological gains and demands for wind and solar infrastructure would create work that would more than make up for job losses even in parts of the country reliant on the fracking boom. Using the government’s purchasing power to buy zero-emissions vehicles, Mr. Biden said, would help speed the transition away from gasoline-powered cars and ultimately lead to “one million new jobs in the American automobile industry.”"
SEE ALSO:
"Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad" (White House)
"Biden Launches Historic, Governmentwide Climate Action" (E&E News)
"Biden Takes Sweeping Measures To Curb Climate Change, Vows Job Creation" (Reuters)
"Factbox: Biden Mobilizes The Federal Government To Tackle Climate Change" (Reuters)
"Biden: ‘We Can’t Wait Any Longer’ To Address Climate Crisis" (AP)
"Unpacking Biden’s New Environmental Executive Orders" (HuffPost)
"Biden Pitching A Much Vaster Climate Plan Than Obama Ever Attempted" (Politico)
