Quarterly Check-In With Washington D.C.
What’s happening with climate policy under Joe Biden?
Written by Erin Bell - Communitopia Vice President
Since day one on the campaign trail, President Joe Biden has made it clear that addressing climate change is a top priority. And so far, it seems his administration is upholding that commitment. The first quarter of 2021 has been marked by a few notable environmental victories, including rejoining the Paris Agreement and revoking the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline on his very first day in office. These day-one moves signified a strong stance on climate action and catalyzed a productive start to the year.
Another key Biden climate victory recently came to pass: Congress reinstituted a law requiring oil and gas companies to monitor and repair methane leaks occurring within their operations. Methane is a greenhouse gas nearly 80 times worse than carbon dioxide in terms of its ability to trap heat, making it a very potent driver of global warming. The Trump Administration had previously slashed existing methane regulations.
There are also a number of other pending legislative efforts aimed at environmental recovery and protection. Of course, change doesn’t happen overnight; new policy will take effect slowly throughout Biden’s Whitehouse tenure.
These efforts are all in keeping with Biden’s ultimate pledge, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Biden’s April 2021 Climate Summit was a bit of a momentous occasion, where countries across the world came together to reaffirm climate goals on a global stage.
Moving forward, Biden is prepared to do what is necessary to restore climate safety and to put our country on a path towards prosperity. He’s proposed the American Rescue Plan, the American Jobs Plan, and the American Families Plan, all of which build a sustainable, climate-friendly future. These plans include massive investments in building out green infrastructure, transitioning to clean energy, upgrading the electric grid, and producing electric vehicles--all while generating American jobs. President Biden even referenced Pittsburgh specifically as he discussed his vision for the future, saying, “There’s simply no reason why blades for wind turbines can’t be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing.”
Trillions of dollars in government spending is ahead, but private capital will also be necessary to carry out a scheme of this magnitude. Finding and incentivizing private investment is a hurdle that the Biden Administration is working to overcome.
Of course, there is still much work that needs to be done in order to meaningfully and effectively mitigate climate change. For example, Biden and other world leaders have yet to solidify a strong carbon-tax program, which will be necessary in order to reduce emissions enough to reach global climate goals.
This is a critical and transformative time for our nation, for our world. The seeds for a fundamental and necessary shift are being planted, and we’re hopeful that we’ll see the fruits of these efforts over the coming years.
As always, Communitopia encourages you to stay informed and to take action on climate change within your community! Be sure to let your local legislators know that you support Biden’s climate agenda and be sure you vote with the climate in mind on the May 18th primary. Follow Communitopia on Facebook or Instagram for quarterly updates on how our representatives in D.C. are prioritizing the climate crisis. Finally, join one of our upcoming events to meet other climate-conscious Yinzers and find even more opportunities to take action at a local level!
