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President Biden is considering declaring a national climate emergency as soon as this week seeks to save its environmental agenda following stalled talks on Capitol Hill, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the subject. private deliberations.
The possible move comes days after Sen. Joe Manchin III (DW.Va.) told Democratic leaders he does not support his party’s efforts to advance an expansive economic package this month that includes billions of dollars to deal with the ‘global warming. If an emergency is called for, it could empower the Biden administration in its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote cleaner energy.
Two of the people who are aware of the discussions also said they expect the president to announce a series of additional actions aimed at curbing emissions from global warming. The exact scope and timing of any ad continues to change.
“The president made it clear that if the Senate does not act to address the climate crisis and strengthen our national clean energy industry, it will,” a White House official said Monday afternoon. anonymity to describe deliberations. “We are considering all options and no decision has been made.”
Jared Bernstein, one of the White House’s top economic advisers, stressed to reporters at a news conference earlier in the day that Biden would work “to fight aggressively to tackle climate change.”
“I think realistically he can do a lot of things and there are a lot of things he will do,” Bernstein said.
Biden’s top contributors are debating the best course of action, as another punishing heat wave has fallen in the central U.S. this week and a similar weather pattern is breaking temperature records across Europe. Many Democrats have called on the White House in recent days to use its powers to address global warming, as hopes of congressional action have faded.
“It simply came to our notice then. There is probably nothing more important to our nation and our world than the United States to drive a bold and energetic transition in its energy economy from fossil fuels to renewable energy, ”said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D- Ore.) To reporters Monday.
Citing the impasse, Merkley added, “This also triggers the president from waiting for Congress to act.”
It is unclear how exactly Biden plans to proceed if he chooses to declare a climate emergency, which Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) urged him to do a few days after the president took over. possession last year.
Biden’s plan to curb catastrophic warming is running out of time
Some climate activists have urged the White House in recent months to roll out an emergency declaration to the fullest, arguing it would allow the president to stop crude exports, limit oil and gas drilling in federal waters and run agencies, including Federal Emergency Management. Agency to promote renewable energy.
But the president is facing a tough balance as he tries to gauge his response to global warming with the recent economic reality of high gas prices. Policies could help Biden’s quest to halve U.S. emissions by the end of the decade compared to 2005 levels, although they still do not achieve what Biden intended to enact through its previous economic plan, known as Build Back Better.
Any new enforcement action on the climate could also face a formidable judicial challenge, which could affect the future of environmental regulation. Last month, the Supreme Court cut the federal government’s powers to regulate carbon emissions from power plants.
The president himself raised the possibility of executive action on climate change last week, as talks between Democratic leaders and Manchin collapsed over what could have been the largest infusion of climate-related spending. in the history of the United States.
Initially, Democrats expected to invest more than $ 500 billion in new programs to reduce emissions and support new technologies, including electric vehicles, before Manchin raised objections to the Build Back Better Act. West Virginia’s opposition proved politically fatal, as party lawmakers require their vote to advance any bill through the process known as reconciliation, a tactic that allows Democrats to avoid Republican obstructionism in the narrowly divided chamber.
Democrats soon began rethinking their plans, looking at what could have been $ 300 billion in climate-focused investments to try to satisfy Manchin. But the moderate senator, who represents a state with a lot of coal, said last week that he could not support his party’s attempts to advance that spending this month amid record inflation.
Manchin later expressed his openness to tackling climate change, but said he would do so only after seeing another round of indicators next month. But many Democrats said they did not want to take the risk, leaving them with no choice but to abandon their plans altogether, and focus their attention on the health care proposals Manchin supports.
Others called for another round of engagement with the senator, citing the fact that executive action alone may not be enough.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), The leader of the tax-focused Senate Finance Committee, said Monday in a statement that lawmakers should at least explore the renewal of tax credits that drive cleaner technology.
“While I strongly support President Biden’s additional executive action, we know it will follow a lot of Republican demands,” Wyden said. “Legislation is still the best option here. The climate crisis is the issue of our time and we need to keep our options open. “
Dino Grandoni contributed to this report.