He is looking to incorporate racial and economic goals in his efforts at climate change and creating a better environment for those not so wealthy of fortunate….
He IS thinking BIG and should make progressives happy with this politically….
He starts with an executive order and hopes Congress will follow his lead…
“The executive order will help to lay out a clear path to implementing President Biden’s climate and justice commitments,” Kelly said. “It will get the gears turning in each agency across the federal government. With Biden in the White House and the current leaders we have in Congress, this year represents an unprecedented opportunity to have executive and legislative action.”
In a fact sheet released Monday, the White House said the new policies will “ensure that we are tapping into the talent, grit, and innovation of American workers, revitalizing the U.S. energy sector, conserving our natural resources and leveraging them to help drive our nation toward a clean energy future, creating well-paying jobs with the opportunity to join a union, and delivering justice for communities who have been subjected to environmental harm.”
At the heart of Biden’s executive action Wednesday is an effort to improve conditions in Black, Latino and Native American communities targeted for hazards that others did not want: power plants, landfills, trash incinerators, shipping ports, uranium mines and factories.
Communities where air quality is poor suffer from higher levels of asthma and respiratory and heart diseases. As a result, African Americans and Latinos, along with Native Americans, have suffered disproportionately from the coronavirus, a respiratory illness, and are more likely to die.
Robert Bullard, a professor at Texas Southern University and longtime environmental justice advocate, praised the notion of linking the environment and health by establishing a dedicated office at HHS. And he said creating an environmental justice office at the Justice Department underscores that the problem is both important and pervasive….
Note…
In the end this effort is going to be about money and politics….
Cost of environment actions WILL be a BIG factor….
Republicans will NOT want to spend money on this event though the Red states COULD benefit vastly from Biden’s goals…..
In the US Senate?
West Kentucky Senator Manchin WILL right in the middle of this effort….