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The White House is expected to release President Biden's fiscal year 2022 budget this morning, which will be a reflection of the administration's priorities across all facets of government, including for investments in conservation and clean energy development.
The administration is expected to specify where it intends to target $8 billion in clean energy research and development dollars, a 27% increase over current spending that has support from both parties. The budget will likely highlight new and expanded conservation efforts, including the requirement to spend $900 million annually on the Land and Water Conservation Fund as part of the Great American Outdoors Act that Congress passed last year. The president's budget outline indicated an initial investment of $200 million would go toward science-based conservation work to support the conservation of 30% of America's lands and waters by 2030, and the actual budget may include additional details related to the 30x30 goal.
The budget proposal may also eliminate tax breaks for fossil fuel companies, direct resources for building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the nation's highway system, and funnel new spending on climate initiatives, including for communities disproportionately impacted by the cumulative effects of climate change and environmental injustice.
Biden's EPA wants to give power back to states & tribes to block pipelines
The new leadership at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to rewrite Trump-era regulations that limited states' and tribes' ability to protest major energy projects that threaten rivers, lakes, and communities. The Trump administration crafted their Clean Water Act regulations to pave the way for industry to pursue fossil fuel development projects unencumbered by states and tribal nations wanting to halt gas pipelines and other projects they feared might contaminate drinking water or rivers and lakes within their borders. EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement, “We have serious water challenges to address as a nation and as EPA Administrator, I will not hesitate to correct decisions that weakened the authority of states and Tribes to protect their waters.”
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The fact that we are still fighting zombie oil and gas leases from almost two decades ago less than half a mile from a national park unit clearly demonstrates the system is broken. These leases in an area identified as sensitive wildlife habitat with wilderness character should never have been allowed in the first place. Despite lying idle for years past the lease expiration date, industry is trying to swoop in with minimal public participation, asking for waivers from protective stipulations, to drill two exploratory wells next to a national treasure.”
