What a difference an election makes. Since Barack Obama took office, a full 10 days ago, he has done something unusual in American politics; he has followed through on campaign promises. In particular, he has followed through on campaign promises to address the climate crisis and undo some of the damage of the Bush administration's scorched earth environmental policy. Let's look at some specifics, shall we?
On his first full day in office, the President ordered all federal agencies to halt pending regulations from his predecessor until his administration was able to review them. This move prevented a number of nefarious, last minute regulations of the Bush administration, including the January 14th delisting of grey wolves from the federal endangered species list.
According to Earthjustice, it is unclear whether the halt order will also cover 11th hour Bush regulations that "weaken the Endangered Species Act, allow for mining deposits to be dumped within 100 feet of flowing streams and exempts large-scale factory farms from notifying government officials when they release unsafe levels of toxic emissions into the community," as some of these may have been put in place prior to the deadline. Just in case, Earthjustice is fighting these moves in court.
Here's President Obama in his own words on his first green executive order issued to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 26th asking them to reconsider California's request for a waiver to set higher CAFE standards for vehicles:
"The days of Washington dragging its heels are over. My administration will not deny facts; we will be guided by them. We cannot afford to pass the buck or push the burden onto the states. And that's why I'm directing the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately review the denial of the California waiver request and determine the best way forward." - World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Concurrently, the new President ordered the Department of Transportation, now led by Republican Ray LaHood, to bring the nation's auto fleet fuel efficiency in line with a 2007 Congressional mandate of achieving 35 miles per gallon by 2020 or sooner. These new efficiency standards will start with cars released in 2011. The President explained it this way:
"Let me be clear: Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry," Obama said at the White House. "It is to help America's automakers prepare for the future." - MSNBC
And in a shot not just at his immediate predecessor, the President pointed out the inaction of several previous U.S. administrations:
"Year after year, decade after decade, we've chosen delay over decisive action," Obama said. "Rigid ideology has overruled sound science. Special interests have overshadowed common sense. Rhetoric has not led to the hard work needed to achieve results -- and our leaders raise their voices each time there's a spike on gas prices, only to grow quiet when the price falls at the pump." - MSNBC
(A full transcript of the President's remarks can be found here.)
California's Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who publicly quarreled with the Bush administration over the waiver denial, had written a letter to President Obama asking for reconsideration. He lauded the move by the new President:
"With this announcement from President Obama less than a week into his administration, it is clear that California and the environment now have a strong ally in the White House," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Allowing California and other states to aggressively reduce their own harmful vehicle tailpipe emissions would be a historic win for clean air and for millions of Americans who want more fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly cars." - World Business Council for Sustainable Development
On the campaign trail and while waiting to assume office, President Obama frequently pointed to California as the possible model for national standards on fuel and energy efficiency. And California will not be the only state affected by reconsideration of the fuel efficiency waivers. More than a dozen states have been trying to implement California's tougher efficiency standards in an effort to fight climate change, reduce dependence on foreign oil and save consumers money at the pump. The new President commented that the Federal government must work with states, not against them, on setting emissions standards.
The green initiatives in President Obama's $825 billion stimulus package are also seen as a sharp break from the Bush administration. Rather than focusing solely on the banking industry, tens of billions of dollars in the new stimulus package are targeted at greening the U.S. electricity grid and improving transmission of alternative energy through 3000 new miles of transmission lines. New energy projects, including doubling alternative energy output over the next 3 years, are expected to create 460,000 jobs. The package also includes funds to improve insulation and weatherize 2 million homes, as well as improve the energy efficiency in 75% of federal buildings.
Malcolm Woolf, the chief energy administrator for the state of Maryland, says the stimulus package could boost his budget at least tenfold and put thousands of people to work on weatherizing homes.
"The initial investment, by having folks get trained to put in insulation - that pays dividends today because it employs people," Woolf says. "And it pays dividends down the road because those homes therefore use less energy and are saving those families money." - NPR
Obama has not just promised domestic leadership on climate issues, but global leadership, telling the international community that "America is ready to lead." And further demonstrating their commitment to international cooperation on climate issues, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has tapped Todd Stern as her climate envoy in what Grist calls a "a sharp break from eight years of former president George W. Bush," under whom the State Department essentially ignored climate change as a global issue until late 2007. Stern served as counsel to President Bill Clinton and, most recently, as a lawyer and environmental expert at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. The EU is pleased with the change:
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, in an open letter to Obama, said "the commitment of your administration to this issue is a source of great encouragement."
Washington's engagement was important not just because the United States is the biggest polluter but "because many other countries, like China, cannot see why they should decarbonise their own economies if the world's richest economy does not also make firm commitments." - Yahoo News
It's amazing how quickly change can happen when the will to act comes from the top.
Related Reading:
What's the Clean Air Act Done For You Lately?
What Environmental Leaders Can Learn From Obama's Mastery of Social Media
Image Credits:
glaciermt.com
daylife.com
scienceblogs.com
