Yesterday President Biden signed an Executive Order to, per a statement from the White House, "tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad while creating good-paying union jobs and equitable clean energy future…”
Some key parts of the order include the pausing and reviewing of oil and gas drilling on federal land, switching all government cars and trucks to electric vehicles, and asking federal agencies to get rid of their fossil fuel subsidies.
This afternoon, I’ll be taking action to meet the climate crisis with the urgency it demands. Tune in. https://t.co/TaCmltDZ6X
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 27, 2021
"Today it is Climate Day at the White House, which means that today is Jobs Day at the White House," said the President. "We're talking about American innovation, American products, American labor..."
"We can put millions of Americans to work modernizing our water systems, transportation, our energy infrastructure, to withstand the impacts of extreme climate [change]," said Biden.
President Biden
The government's shift to electric vehicles would create one million new jobs in the U.S. automobile industry. The President also brought up plans to create about a quarter million new jobs to do things like plug abandoned oil and gas wells.
On both sides of the aisle, opinions over the Biden Administration's plans differ. Some are concerned that the halting of drilling will lead to lost wages and jobs.
The #BidenBan on energy leasing on federal lands will have unprecedented economic consequences on WY and the US. Lost wages and jobs, declining economic activity and lost tax revenue is just the start. The ripple effects will be disastrous and effect families from coast to coast.
— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) January 26, 2021
Fighting climate change not only improves the health of our communities and our planet, it creates an innovative, 21st century economy with many new jobs. https://t.co/9ENzQO2pqo
— Senator Cortez Masto (@SenCortezMasto) January 27, 2021
As part of the order, a new commission would also be created in the coming days to focus on green jobs and environmental justice. The President’s focus on creating clean energy jobs is in line with a move of his from last week, when he announced that Jennifer Jean Kropke would be assuming the newly created position of Director of Energy Jobs at the Department of Energy.