January 10, 2021
The president-elect said he has chosen a team that prioritizes making clean energy jobs and environmental protection a cornerstone of his economic plans.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. introduced key members of his climate change team on December 19th declaring that his administration will connect the effort to reduce planet-warming emissions with restoring the economy and creating jobs according to a December 19, 2020 New York Times report.
President-Elect Joseph R. Biden
Mr. Biden, speaking at an event in Wilmington, Del., said the climate team will be “ready on day one, which is essential because we literally have no time to waste.”
A top lieutenant will be Gina McCarthy, former President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator who Mr. Biden has tapped to head a new White House Office of Climate Policy. McCarthy, currently president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times, successfully overturning its attempts to delay energy efficiency rules and protections for threatened species according to a Dec. 15th Washington Post report.
The group includes progressives like Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico. If confirmed Haaland, will be the first Native American to hold a cabinet secretary position as Mr. Biden’s choice to lead the Department of the Interior. The team also includes establishment figures like Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan who Mr. Biden selected to be Energy secretary.
Michael Regan, North Carolina’s top environmental regulator, was named to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and Brenda Mallory, a longtime environmental attorney, will chair the Council on Environmental Quality. Ms. McCarthy’s deputy will be Ali Zaidi, who currently serves as the deputy secretary for energy and environment for New York State. And last month Mr. Biden named former Secretary of State John Kerry as an international presidential envoy on climate change.
“Folks, we’re in a crisis,” Mr. Biden said in his announcement. “Just like we need to be a unified nation to respond to Covid-19, we need a unified national response to climate change.”
He said he will prioritize environmental justice and restore the regulations that President Trump rolled back. And he delivered a direct appeal to federal scientists and other career staff members saying his administration will “honor the integrity of the office” in which they work.
Biden faces a rebuilding effort after four years in which the Trump administration reversed more than 100 environmental regulations.
What this means to you
Introducing his climate change team, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. declared his administration will connect the effort to reduce planet-warming emissions with restoring the economy and creating jobs. Biden also said he would restore regulations that President Trump rolled back.
MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH for stationary engine emission control solutions.