350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

We may finally see strong White House action on climate—if we push! Now is the time for President Biden to declare a climate emergency.

The President has held back on executive action for 18 months, seeking to avoid offending Joe Manchin. But now that the West Virginia Senator has made it clear he won’t vote to help head-off the climate crisis, there is no reason for the President to wait.

Yesterday, alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, President Biden pledged to increase offshore wind energy, provide funding to communities to help prepare for floods and disasters, and retrofit buildings for energy efficiency.

Those are good yet small starts, and there’s so much more the Biden-Harris Administration could do if they unlock the full powers of the federal government under the National Emergency Act. The Washington Post just said that the inner circles of the White House are considering declaring a climate emergency. That would signal his willingness to do important, difficult things, like ending new leases for offshore oil drilling and re-directing spending on military bases to build renewable energy projects, and more.