- cross-posted to:
- politics@lemmy.world
- climate@slrpnk.net
- cross-posted to:
- politics@lemmy.world
- climate@slrpnk.net
So he’s gonna cut back on drilling or stop drilling in protected areas?
US court decisions are incredibly limiting when it comes to saying ‘no’ to drilling once a lease is issued. I’ll be really surprised if he can do say no to drilling, but he has cut lease issuance to the legal minimum. and taken numerous other measures, of which the biggest has been the Inflation Reduction Act, which has started accelerating the shift off fossil fuels.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/politics/biden-offshore-drilling-plan-climate/index.html
The five-year drilling plan “represents the smallest number of oil and gas lease sales in history,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. The administration had previously proposed more drilling areas – up to 11 possible sales.
And then there’s this approval in Alaska https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/09/alaska-willow-oil-drilling-environment
Yes, it’s not zero; the Alaska thing is part of the deal cut to get the Inflation Reduction Act passed. That kind of not-perfectly-pure thing happens when you’re forced to cut a deal with people paid off by the fossil fuels industry.
On net, Biden has sharply cut new leases:
Empty promises from a country whose administration shifts every 4 years…
His specific promise — to cut US emissions in half by 2030 — is reasonably matched with a term of office which will end in January 2029 if he is reelected.