Biden’s environmental agenda is facing challenges.

President Biden’s Green Agenda: Promises and Failures

President Joe Biden entered the presidency with ambitious climate and environmental goals, promising to deliver a clean energy economy. However, his green agenda has faced setbacks, causing leaders and the public to question its viability.

Early Campaign Pledges and Breaking Promises

When Biden entered the White House, climate change was among his top priorities. However, he has faltered on multiple vows, including his Build Back Better bill, which failed to pass in its original form due to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s refusal to support it.

• The climate portion of Build Back Better contained around $555 billion for environmental policies and $320 billion in tax incentives for solar, wind, and nuclear power affiliates.
• After months of negotiation, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was introduced, investing $369 billion in climate provisions and environmental justice reforms with Manchin’s support.

The significant climate legislation lacks what the Build Back Better bill detailed in terms of climate provisions, but it still provided funding to multiple green programs and incentives the adoption of a clean energy economy.

Successful Follow-Throughs

Biden signed the United States back into the Paris Agreement on his first day in office, after running on promises to reverse former President Donald Trump’s 2017 decision to pull the nation from the Paris climate deal. He also upheld his electric vehicle policies, with measures for revolutionary battery technology.

• Earlier in April, the Biden administration revealed strict rules to accelerate the country’s transition to electric vehicles.
• In a suitability plan, the President outlined his goals of having 100 percent of the country’s federal fleet using medium and heavy-duty ZEVs by 2035.

What is in the Works?

Most recently, the Biden administration announced new investments to conserve the Colorado River after the vital source of water and electricity for the West has been facing a historic drought.

• Eight agreements in the Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, areas are aimed at protecting Lake Mead’s 393,000-acre feet of water, the largest reservoir of the Colorado River.
• One of the agreements impacts areas across state lines, with California, Arizona, and Nevada promising to conserve 3 million acre-feet of water until 2026, which is around 13% of the state’s total allocation from the Colorado River.

Senate Republicans Repeal Biden’s Climate Policies

Senate Republicans have managed to repeal a handful of Biden’s climate policies, most recently overturning the newly implemented Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Heavy Duty Truck Rule.

• The House voted against the rule, which sought to update clean air standards for heavy-duty trucks.
• The regulation would tighten emission limits for nitrogen oxide emitted from commercial trucks beginning in the 2027 model year, hoping to have a majority of large trucks be low or zero emission by 2045.

The White House said Biden will veto the bill against the EPA to ensure the policy passes in a statement last month. It will be the fourth veto of Biden’s term.

Conclusion

President Biden’s green agenda has faced both successes and failures. While he has followed through on some of his campaign promises, he has faltered on others, causing leaders and the public to question the viability of his green agenda.