Biden Issues Stack of Orders to Tackle Climate Crisis After Four Years of Trump

By Staff, Agencies

US President Joe Biden announced a pause on new oil and gas leasing on US public lands and waters, one of a long list of directives in the executive orders he signed on Wednesday to tackle the climate crisis both at home and abroad.

Biden spoke ahead of signing the orders at the White House as vice president Kamala Harris and international climate envoy John Kerry looked on.

“In my view, we’ve already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis,” Biden said, highlighting the increasing threats from more extreme storms, wildfires and droughts linked to climate change.

"We can do this, we must do this and we will do this," Biden said before signing the mandates.

The actions swiftly reversed energy and environment policies put in place by former president Trump, who rebuffed science and ridiculed the crisis.

The Biden administration has elevated the climate crisis to a national security priority, and laid out a conservation plan that would set aside millions of acres for recreation, wildlife and climate efforts by 2030.  Biden has pledged $2 trillion to tackle the crisis.

The moratorium on oil and gas sales directs the secretary of the interior to put a hold on entering into new fossil fuel leases on public lands or offshore.

The Biden administration will also launch a “rigorous” review of all existing leasing and permitting related to fossil fuel development but does not restrict energy activities on tribal land.  It also calls for identifying steps to double renewable energy production from offshore wind by 2030.

Biden also directed federal agencies to “eliminate fossil fuel subsidies as consistent with applicable law”. It was not clear which subsidies could be stripped away under this order, given many of the industry’s tax breaks are congressionally approved. Biden also said he would ask Congress to end subsidies through legislation.

“Unlike previous administrations, I don’t think the federal government should give handouts to big oil to the tune of $40bn in fossil fuel subsidies," he told reporters.