Republicans rip Biden orders however have restricted choices — Thursday, January 28, 2021 — www.eenews.web

Republicans in Congress have condemned President Biden’s sweeping action on climate change, but their plans to combat it are rare.

Biden’s orders – including measures to end oil and natural gas leasing on state, convert the federal government’s fleet of vehicles to electricity, and preserve 30% of the land and the state’s waters by 2030 – met fierce opposition from the GOP, the Biden argued gifts to foreign nations that divide excessively and kill jobs.

But while encouraging Biden to reconsider his actions, Republicans, who are in the minority in both houses of Congress, had few strategies for using legislative means to fight back.

“On inauguration day, we heard President Biden rightly encourage the American people to strive for unity. A week later, he signed a divisive and illegal executive order, the Wyoming economy and the economies of other states such as New Mexico, North Dakota and New York would damage Louisiana, “said Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, the Republican chief on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, whose state is home to extensive state oil and gas production.

“If President Biden is serious about bringing our country together, he must understand that actions speak louder than words,” said Barrasso.

Steve Scalise (R-La.), Head of the GOP’s House Energy Action Team, said the orders would “put thousands of Americans out of work, increase energy bills for hard-working families, and make our country less safe”.

“Threatening the existence of millions of hardworking families during a global pandemic is more than destructive. Instead of yielding to his radical base, President Biden should consider the devastating consequences that the elimination of American energy will have on hardworking families and our national security “Scalise said.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said, “Government mandates and policies that restrict our mining, oil and gas industries adversely affect our energy security and independence.”

She said: “At a time when millions are struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing Americans need is great government that is destroying jobs while costing billions of dollars to the economy. Unilateral action that will not affect our global competitiveness. ” address the risks of climate change and only encourage China. “

Legislative answer

Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) Does not let her place in the minority deter her from opposing Biden’s actions.

She told reporters she plans today with 15 oil-friendly co-sponsors to introduce a bill that would prevent the president from imposing a federal moratorium on oil and gas leasing without the approval of Congress. The moratorium ban would also cover coal, hard rock and critical minerals.

The “Law for the Protection of Our Wealth of Energy Resources” would also prevent the heads of the authorities in the ministries of the interior, energy or agriculture from acting in such a way that permits or leases in national forests as well as on the state and on the outer continent are prohibited or is significantly delayed shelf.

Lummis said it was “incredible” that the Biden government would shut down leasing amid the pandemic and the associated economic downturn. During a call with reporters, the senator said she would ask the president to withdraw his executive actions.

According to Lummis’ office, GOP MP Yvette Herrell from New Mexico, Minority Chairman Kevin McCarthy from California, and Scalise and House Natural Resources Committee member Bruce Westerman from Arkansas are supported.

While Lummis Biden’s pledges to invest locally in energy communities like Wyoming Coal Country, Lummis Biden is also rejecting direct investment of public money to offset worker losses in the energy transition – a so-called just transition that worker advocates have been calling for.

“Then if they want to subsidize the people who have lost their jobs with public dollars, it will worsen the chaos into which we seem to be immersed in this country,” said Lummis.

Lummis blamed federal policy for the “destruction” of jobs in fossil fuel communities and reiterated the war on coal rhetoric common during the Obama administration.

Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) Enacted laws to stop Biden’s moratorium on the sale of offshore oil and gas leases. He was joined by eight colleagues, known as the Conservation Funding Protection Act, as part of the income from offshore production is used for nature conservation programs.

“President Biden’s war on jobs in Louisiana and America’s energy independence is surprisingly dangerous,” he said in a statement. “It is short-sighted. It has a negative impact on our environmental protection efforts, as domestic power generation finances coastal protection.”

The Lummis and Kennedy bills face great opportunities. However, with the GOP holding half of the seats in the Senate, lawmakers there may have a better chance of defending themselves against Biden’s agenda than their colleagues in the House of Representatives.

Republicans have also promised laws to reverse Biden’s moves on the Keystone XL pipeline and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Democrats cheer

When Republicans railed against executive orders yesterday, Democrats boasted that many of the legislative priorities they had fought for were now being adopted at the highest levels.

One of the greatest political achievements of the Executive Ordinances was the establishment of a Civil Climate Corps initiative that will “mobilize the next great generation of conservation and resilience workers” by training participants, among other things, to “protect and restore the public” on land and water increase reforestation [and] Carbon sequestration “and” improving access to recreation “.

This Climate Corps program mirrors various laws that House and Senate members have introduced at previous Congresses, modeled on the New Deal program that allowed millions of young people to get back to work.

The concept became known last year as an opportunity to create jobs amid a severe economic downturn sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the summer, there was serious talk of including legislation in a pandemic relief package designed to support a service corps program, including in the conservation area – a proposal supported by both Republicans and Democrats.

The Republicans, however, left the praise to the Democrats for taking up an initiative many of them had fought months ago.

“At the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood well that unemployed Americans were not without value, but that they could indelibly shape our country,” said Senator Martin Heinrich (DN.M.). “We will be a stronger nation when we can offer a new generation of Americans meaningful opportunities to serve their country and make their mark.”

Democrats praised Biden’s commitment to what is known as the 30×30 or 30×30 initiative, which seeks to preserve at least 30% of the country’s lands and waters by 2030, by directing Home Affairs and Agriculture Secretaries with related agency heads to work together to consult a wide range of constituencies to produce reports on how this can be achieved.

The Chairman of the House of Natural Resources, Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Saw it as encouragement to pass the “Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act” introduced last year, which would help achieve the 30×30 mission (see related story).

“We have no more time to waste,” he said.

Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.), chairman of the ENR committee and strong supporter of the coal industry, was more cautious, but welcomed them.

“It is wise to check that taxpayers are getting an adequate return on the use of their resources. This executive order has no impact on energy activities like drilling or approving existing leases,” he said of the oil and gas leasing ordinance.

He welcomed Biden’s moves to revitalize coal-dependent communities and urged the president to take the opportunities for energy innovation seriously.

“Instead of eliminating, we need to focus on using all of our resources as cleanly as possible,” said Manchin.

Who will win politics?

While the Republicans sharply criticized Biden, they also see the orders as a great electoral advantage.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which campaigns for the election of GOP candidates in the House of Representatives, issued statements criticizing key Democrats who are vulnerable in next year’s races for failing to speak out against Biden’s energy agenda.

The group pointed out Democratic representatives Matt Cartwright from Pennsylvania, Lizzie Fletcher from Texas, and Abigail Spanberger from Virginia.

“Cartwright has chosen to work with its Liberal party leaders to help hard-working Pennsylvanians who rely on the oil and gas industry, which is responsible for 117,000 PA jobs,” said NRCC spokeswoman Samantha Bullock in a statement that reflected similar comments aimed at other Democrats who were expected to have close races. “Don’t Cartwright voters deserve a representative to look out for them?”

According to the NRCC, voters are less likely to endorse a candidate who supports measures like the Paris Agreement, the Green New Deal, and the end of state leasing of new oil and gas if commissioned in key Congressional districts on the battlefield .

“The bottom line is that voters will not tolerate anti-energy job loss policies that will worsen economic recovery,” said Caitlin Reed, election officer for the NRCC, in a memo on the election. The group has not released any further details about the polls.

At least Fletcher seems to be aware of politics. Yesterday, she and three other Texas Democrats – MPs Marc Veasey, Henry Cueller, and Vicente Gonzalez – wrote a letter to Biden asking him to reconsider his plans to freeze oil and gas leases.

“A federal ban for any period will certainly endanger hundreds of thousands of jobs, entire communities, billions of dollars in federal royalties and cut funding for important conservation programs like the Land and Water Fund,” she wrote.

However, lawmakers found they were satisfied with Biden’s re-entry into the Paris deal.

At least Fletcher seems to be aware of politics. Yesterday, she and three other Texas Democrats – MPs Marc Veasey, Henry Cuellar, and Vicente Gonzalez – wrote a letter to Biden asking him to reconsider his plans to freeze oil and gas leases.

“A federal ban for any period will certainly endanger hundreds of thousands of jobs, entire communities, billions of dollars in federal royalties and cut funding for important conservation programs like the Land and Water Fund,” she wrote.

However, lawmakers found that they were satisfied with Biden’s re-entry into the Paris Climate Agreement.