As Climate Crisis Intensifies, GOP Wants to Prohibit Biden From Declaring Emergency

[Brenda]

(Always interesting to see the (lack of) responses when I post a climate thread in GD.)

Jun 29, 2023

Senate Republicans introduced legislation earlier this week that would prohibit President Joe Biden from declaring a national climate emergency as millions across the U.S. shelter indoors to escape scorching heat and toxic pollution from Canadian wildfires, which have been fueled by runaway warming.

Led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.)—a fossil fuel industry ally and the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee—the GOP bill would "prohibit the president from using the three primary statutory authorities available (the National Emergencies Act, the Stafford Act, and section 319 of the Public Health Service Act) to declare a national emergency solely on the basis of climate change," according to a summary released by the Republican senator's office.

~snip~

While Biden reportedly considered declaring a climate emergency amid a devastating heatwave last year, he ultimately decided against it to the dismay of environmentalists.

But the impacts of Canada's record-shattering wildfires, which are likely to get worse in the coming weeks, have sparked another round of calls for Biden to follow in the footsteps of jurisdictions in more than 40 countries and declare climate change a national emergency.

~snip~

(Expect it from Manchin but very disappointed to see Mark Kelley do this)

Last May, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Mark Kelley (D-Ariz.) joined Republicans in approving a nonbinding motion stating that the president "cannot use climate change as a basis for declaring an 'emergency' or 'national disaster.'"

https://www.commondreams.org/news/gop-bill-climate-emergency

[Lovie777]

1. It will not matter if all hell falls apart..............

whomever the President is should go with logic in saving lives and planet earth.

[vlyons]

2. Call it the Make Exxon Happy Bill

nt

[yonder]

3. Don't Look Up. Ever, no matter what.

And be sure to legislate to keep anyone from doing so as well.

[Think. Again.]

4. "...based solely on clmate change"

The bill reads: "prohibit the president from using the three primary statutory authorities available (the National Emergencies Act, the Stafford Act, and section 319 of the Public Health Service Act) to declare a national emergency solely on the basis of climate change,"

Emergencies are declared based on the EFFECTS of the cause, a hurricane that causes no damage would not be considered worthy of an emergency declaration.

Biden would not be declaring an emergency solely on the basis of the fact the climate is changing, he would be declaring an emergency based solely on the basis of the direct effects that are causing the emergency, such as death and harm caused by smoky air from fires, deaths and harm caused by extreme temperatures, unlivable conditions caused by flooding (and everything else).

And so far, there is no legislation stopping Biden from declaring an emergency based on the broader cause of Climate Change, just a "nonbinding motion stating that the president "cannot use climate change as a basis for declaring an 'emergency' or 'national disaster.'"

Do it, Joe.