Just as there’s no negotiating with arsonists on how much of a building they can burn, there’s no negotiating with a party of climate deniers on climate action. For decades, the overwhelming majority of Republicans in Washington, DC have made their views on climate change abundantly clear: It’s much ado about nothing, if it even exists.
Today, as calls continue to mount demanding bold climate action through legislation and administrative action, President Biden issued an executive order on climate forests and nature-based solutions. The order, which was detailed in a speech celebrating Earth Day, launches a process to define and inventory old and mature forests on federal lands, so that policies are enacted to conserve them, and initiates a nature-based solution assessment to understand nature capital and ecosystems to help in the preservation and conservation of natural places.
Today, President Joe Biden will issue an executive order that directs federal agencies to conduct an inventory of mature and old-growth forests on America’s federal lands so that policies can be adopted to protect them. The administration framed the move as a key strategy to store carbon and address climate change.
Conserving our remaining older forests and trees on federal public lands is one of the country’s most straightforward, impactful, and cost-effective climate solutions. If the Biden Administration is going to lead in solving the climate and biodiversity crises, it must protect these carbon critical climate forests and set an example for the world. Along with over 70 groups that support the Climate Forests Campaign, Sierra Club calls on the Administration to enact a strong, lasting rule that protects old and mature trees and forests across federal lands as a cornerstone of US climate policy.
Today, a coalition of more than 70 groups launched a new campaign called the Climate Forests Campaign, calling on the Biden administration to take executive action to protect mature trees and forests on federal lands, which are critical in the fight against climate change.
Richmond, Virginia– Governor-elect Youngkin announced today his nomination of Andrew Wheeler, former coal lobbyist and head of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration. As head of EPA, Wheeler oversaw unprecedented federal rollbacks of environmental protections related to air and water quality.
In response to the Wheeler nomination, Kate West, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, issued the following statement:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate reconvenes, the Sierra Club calls on Congressional leaders to fulfill the promise of the Democratic majority and urgently pass legislation to build back better and protect voting rights, in the face of unrelenting obstruction from Congressional Republicans. It’s also time to do the critically important work of funding the government with the Biden budget. Democrats can help safeguard our democracy, economy, and planet by crafting a path forward for immediate passage of the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Build Back Better Act, and Biden’s budget.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Joe Manchin’s comments on Sunday make it appear he is walking away from his commitments to President Biden and his Senate colleagues in a stunning rebuke to professional courtesy. His remarks completely forsake the moral imperative to tackle the interlocking crises of climate, environmental injustice, and insufficient support for families with children and eldercare responsibilities. The Child Tax Credit, a critical support to parents and working families especially during the pandemic, will expire on December 28 amid Manchin’s opposition to lending a helping hand to working families in West Virginia and across the nation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid ongoing technical consultations with the Senate parliamentarian and negotiations with key figures in Washington, D.C., progress on the transformational Build Back Better Act continues to move ahead despite total republican obstruction. Just as important, separate negotiations continue on the path forward to protect our democracy and voting rights for people nationwide by passing the Freedom To Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Meanwhile, the Child Tax Credit, a critical support to parents and working families especially during the pandemic, is set to expire on December 28.
Recently, Exxon Mobil gave a presentation where they admitted that they are yet again asking for huge taxpayer subsidies, as part of the Build Back Better Act, to continue extracting oil and gas for decades, despite the scientific consensus that we need to stop the expansion of fossil fuel development immediately to avert the worst of the climate crisis. During a presentation to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission in November, Exxon outlined their plans to lobby for greater taxpayer subsidies via tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in the Build Back Better Act.
This morning, local community and faith leaders joined together outside U.S. Representative Kurt Schrader’s Oregon City office to urge that he keep his commitment to vote “yes” on the Build Back Better Act. The U.S. House is expected to hold a vote within the next few days.
With a congressional vote expected in the coming days, local community and faith leaders will join together on Thursday, November 18 at 10:00am outside of the office of U.S. Representative Kurt Schrader to urge passage of the Build Back Better Act. Schrader and several colleagues issued a joint statement promising support for the legislation no later than this week. Yet the 5th District congressman has wavered in his commitment in recent days, leading constituents to formally call on Schrader to “keep your word to help Oregon build back better.”