However, a separate source informed The Associated Press on Tuesday that the White House would hold off from a declaration as soon as Wednesday. Biden is set to travel to Massachusetts that day to discuss climate change and environmental policy.
Outlets that reached out to the White House about an official remark on the possibility of an emergency declaration received the following announcement from a senior official:
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“The President made clear that if the Senate doesn’t act to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our domestic clean energy industry, he will. We are considering all options and no decision has been made,” the statement read.
Progressives have been pushing Biden to employ executive orders to address climate change since the administration’s Build Back Better agenda failed to pass the Senate last year.
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Moderate Democrat Joe Manchin proved to be a stumbling block in legislative negotiations at the time and has proceeded to be. Last week, the West Virginia senator stepped away from climate talks with the White House after months of negotiations.
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“Political headlines are of no value to the millions of Americans struggling to afford groceries and gas as inflation soars to 9.1%,” announced Manchin spokeswoman Sam Runyon, per The Washington Post.
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“Senator Manchin believes it’s time for leaders to put political agendas aside, reevaluate and adjust to the economic realities the country faces to avoid taking steps that add fuel to the inflation fire.”
Declaration of a climate emergency would be similar to one issued by former President Donald Trump, boosting construction of a southern border wall. It would enable Biden to redirect spending to accelerate renewable energy like wind and solar power and speed the country's transition away from fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. The declaration further could be used as a legal basis to block oil and gas drilling or other projects, although such actions would probably be challenged in court by energy companies or Republican-led states.
The focus on climate action comes amid a heat wave that has seared swaths of Europe, with Britain reaching the highest temperature ever registered in a country ill-prepared for such weather extremes.
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The typically temperate country was only the latest to be walloped by unusually hot, dry weather that has triggered wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans and led to hundreds of heat-related deaths. Images of flames racing toward a French beach and Britons sweltering — even at the seaside — have driven home concerns regarding climate change.
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