By Ramona du Houx July 22, 2022 In the House of Representatives 60 lawmakers, led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in urging President Biden to declare a national climate emergency. In the letter, the members write that the scope and urgency of the climate crisis merits the full power of the executive branch in the form […]
By Ramona du Houx
July 22, 2022
In the House of Representatives 60 lawmakers, led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in urging President Biden to declare a national climate emergency. In the letter, the members write that the scope and urgency of the climate crisis merits the full power of the executive branch in the form of an emergency declaration.
“A national emergency declaration will allow the United States to mobilize domestic industry, ramp up domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies, and deploy resilient energy infrastructure,” the Members wrote. “The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine underscores the need to shift from reliance on oil and gas toward domestic renewable energy. We have the tools to build up a stronger renewable energy industry in America, generating millions of high-quality American jobs and rejuvenating our post-pandemic economy.”
Blumenauer, Ocasio-Cortez, and dozens more House Democrats sent a similar letter to Biden in April, but are amplifying their call to the President to urgently act on climate in the wake of reports that Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will not support a budget package that includes climate or tax provisions.
“For years I have advocated for the federal government to declare a national climate emergency and unleash every resource at our disposal to invest in resilient infrastructure, pollution reduction, and protection of our public health. In 2019, I introduced a resolution demanding massive-scale mobilization to address the climate emergency. In 2021 I introduced legislation, the National Climate Emergency Act, mandating the declaration of a climate emergency.,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer.“ 39 countries and thousands of cities have formally recognized the climate emergency. GOP opposition and inaction is unconscionable. They have made legislation impossible, so a declaration of a climate emergency is imperative.
“Every day we do not act is one that our children and grandchildren lose. Heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events are becoming a more frequent and severe part of our everyday reality. As climate change intensifies and our planet cooks, the federal government’s inaction becomes more glaring. The scope and urgency of this crisis demand that we unleash every resource at our disposal and the declaration of a national climate emergency is a critical step.”
Elected Officials to Protect America, an organization of thousands of elected officials dedicated to solving the climate crisis, have a letter to the President and Congress urging a National Emergency Climate Declaration. Over 620 elected officials have signed.
“I’m glad to hear President Biden call climate chaos an emergency — now it’s time for him to use his power to declare a national climate emergency under the National Emergency Act!,” tweeted Sen. Jeff Merkley, (D-Ore), who is heralding the effort in the Senate. “We can’t afford not to go big on climate action.”
Click here for full text of the letter
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Dear President Biden,
We share your belief that climate change is not only a crisis, but also an unprecedented opportunity to revitalize communities across the United States. Given the scope and urgency of the crisis, we request that you move to use the full power of the executive branch to combat climate change by declaring a national climate emergency.
Such a declaration would unlock the broad powers of the National Emergency Act (NEA), the Defense Production Act (DPA), and the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to revitalize the economy, create millions of new, well-paying American jobs, and invest in healthy and resilient communities.
A national emergency declaration will allow the United States to mobilize domestic industry, ramp up domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies, and deploy resilient energy infrastructure. The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine underscores the need to shift from reliance on oil and gas toward domestic renewable energy. We have the tools to build up a stronger renewable energy industry in America, generating millions of high-quality American jobs and rejuvenating our post-pandemic economy.
We urge you to support the National Climate Emergency Act of 2021 (H.R. 794/ S. 938), introduced by Representatives Blumenauer and Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders, which mandates a national climate emergency declaration and outlines the federal response, including principles of a just transition.
We urge you to act boldly, treating this like the emergency it is, by declaring a national climate emergency.
Sincerely,
