(FeaturedNews.com) – In a Reuters exclusive report, sources inside the Biden administration said White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy will leave her position in May. McCarthy reportedly intended to stay until 2023. The sources cite failures to get emissions-related legislation in effect as influencing the current decision.
Assistant Press Secretary Vedant Patel told Reuters on April 14 that there’s no truth to the rumor. He said McCarthy continues to focus her efforts on the clean energy agenda.
Democratic Clean Energy Legislation
The clean energy plan was part of Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget. He promised “$15 billion in funding for clean energy innovation and infrastructure.” The president’s goal was to increase the production of clean energy technology and speed up the deployment of zero-emission vehicles and solutions for the industrial segment.
The budget plan included funding for a US Department of Energy Clean Energy Manufacturing program, the US Department of Interior expansion of clean energy projects for public land and waterways, and the creation of a Grid Deployment office to improve electric infrastructure. The plan also focused on building charging infrastructure and changing over to government electric vehicles.
Democrats in the House of Representatives also reintroduced the Green New Deal Resolution (GND) on April 20, 2021. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) cited it as the “framework” by which the country can fight climate change. One of the main goals of the legislation is to reduce emissions within 10 years by 40% to 60% and reach net zero by 2050.
Climate Failures
The energy plan isn’t moving along smoothly. Biden’s major initiatives have stalled in Congress. Some members of Biden’s own party aren’t buying his climate goals.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, continues to oppose the Biden agenda. He was instrumental in ending the Build Back Better Act, which included a range of climate policies. In a post on Twitter on April 12, the senator called for the embracing of an “all-the-above energy policy” to help bring down costs and fight inflation. He was rallying against Biden’s clean energy-only push towards energy independence.
My statement on consumer inflation rising to 8.5%, the largest 12 month increase in four decades: pic.twitter.com/qlKlDVU2Vu
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) April 12, 2022
The Future
E&E News reports that while McCarthy has done a lot, her downfall appears to be the failure to move forward. The adviser did help with the climate portions of the Build Back Better Act and supported the move to get the climate parts passed in the Senate after the bill stalled. She enacted regulations for government actions and oversaw the Paris Agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
But without any more forward movement, there isn’t much else she can do. With the midterms approaching and voters seemingly leaning right, her timeline is much shorter. If Republicans take control of either house of Congress, it will likely kill all of Biden’s climate plans.
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