White House Holds Off on Declaring ‘Climate Emergency’

The White House this week responded to reports claiming President Joe Biden will soon declare a so-called “climate emergency” by saying that it won’t happen this week.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the administration has not ruled out issuing such a declaration in the future. That would allow the president to reroute funding to climate efforts without congressional approval.

“It’s not on the table for this week,” she said in response to a question about whether such an emergency could be declared. “We are still considering it. I don’t have the upsides or the downsides of it.”

Such a declaration also could be used to block oil and gas drilling or other related projects. However, such actions would likely be challenged in court and would open Biden up to more criticism that he’s not trying to deal with exceptionally high gas and energy prices amid rampant inflation.

On Wednesday, Biden said he will take executive steps to introduce new climate programs in the coming days but did not declare an emergency, which would provide him with sweeping powers.

“Since Congress is not acting as it should … this is an emergency and I will look at it that way,” the president said. “As president, I’ll use my executive powers.” In the coming days, he said, his office will announce new climate-related executive orders but stopped short of declaring an emergency.

Those initiatives include handing out $2.3 billion in funding for a program that helps communities prepare for disasters, including expanding the retrofitting of buildings and flood control measures, according to White House adviser Gina Raimondo.

The president, who delivered the speech in Somerset, Massachusetts, after traveling there via the jet fuel-powered Air Force One, said he asked the Department of the Interior to come up with new offshore wind

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases