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Saturday 23 april 2022
Climate progress remains elusive for Biden on Earth Day

By J. BOAK, C. MEGERIAN not.” Biden spoke to some
and M. DALY of that generation at his
Associated Press second stop of the day,
SEATTLE (AP) — With a Green River College, just
backdrop of flowering south of Seattle.
trees, it was a setting fit for The auditorium included
the signing of major envi- scores of students, plus fac-
ronmental legislation. Even ulty and local elected of-
Seattle’s notorious clouds ficials, and Biden used the
parted as President Joe moment to promote an
Biden stepped up to speak agenda that goes far be-
Friday. yond the environment.
But when he sat down at The speech was a col-
a small desk with the presi- lage of laws he’s passed
dential seal that had been and what he still needs
set up for the occasion, congressional support to
there was no new law to achieve. He discussed col-
sign, just an executive or- lege funding, health care
der directing federal offi- prices, child care expens-
cials to keep better track of es, corporate taxes, high
trees in national forests. speed internet and the im-
The gap between the scale portance of nursing.
of the global warming Biden also warned that
crisis and the president’s This photo provided by California State Parks shows the Pioneer Tree one of the few remaining old- Republicans remain de-
initiatives seemed wider growth coastal redwoods at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Calif., on Thursday, March 24, 2022, after termined to repeal the Af-
than ever on Earth Day. it collapsed from a fire. Associated Press fordable Care Act more
Although last year’s infra- than a decade after it was
structure legislation had “My pen is ready,” Biden although he didn’t men- evenly divided Senate has signed into law by Presi-
some climate policies, such said in Seattle’s Seward tion them by name. Within blocked hundreds of bil- dent Barack Obama.
as building more charging Park. “Get some of these the Democratic caucus, lions of dollars in tax credits “We need to keep this fight
stations for electric cars, bills to my desk.” he said, “there’s only two for clean energy. up,” he said.
many of Biden’s most am- He criticized Republicans senators who occasionally Environmental advocates Biden singled out the high
bitious proposals remain for opposing climate ac- don’t vote with me.” question whether the cost of insulin for treating
stalled in Congress. tion and hinted at his frus- The lack of unanim- country can hit Biden’s diabetes, which he wants
Biden seemed eager to be tration with Sens. Joe Man- ity among Democrats and ambitious goals for reduc- to limit through new legisla-
signing something other chin of West Virginia and the steadfast resistance ing greenhouse gas emis- tion.
than his executive order. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, from Republicans in the sions without such policies, “There’s no excuse. None,”
and scientists warn that the he said. “We’re not asking
world faces extreme heat, drug companies to do any-
drought and weather un- thing they can’t afford.”
less fossil fuels are phased The executive order signed
out swiftly. by Biden on Friday directs
With so much of his agen- federal land managers to
da in doubt, Biden instead define and inventory ma-
drew a sharp contrast with ture and old-growth forests
his predecessor, former nationwide within a year.
President Donald Trump, The order requires the For-
who often mocked climate est Service and the Bureau
change as he unraveled of Land Management to
the country’s fight against identify threats to older
global warming during his trees, such as wildfire and
time in office. climate change, and de-
“We’ve reached the point velop policies to safeguard
where the crisis on the en- them.
vironment has become so The order does not ban
obvious, with the notable logging of mature or old-
exception of the former growth trees, the White
president, that we really House said.
have an opportunity to do Biden used his Earth Day
things we couldn’t have events to reassert his en-
done two, five, 10 years vironmentalist credentials
ago,” Biden said. when his administration has
Biden said he was staking been preoccupied by high
his hopes on an up-and- oil and gasoline prices fol-
coming generation. lowing Russia’s invasion of
“Every time I get a little Ukraine.
down ... I just turn on the Gas costs have been a
television or take a look at drag on Biden’s popular-
all the young people,” he ity and created short-term
said. “This younger genera- political pressures going
tion is not going to put up into this year’s midterm
with all this stuff. No, they’re elections.q