The president, Joe Biden, plans to sign new measures on Wednesday within the framework of his declared plan to curb the impact of climate change,
with an approach in opposition to that of his predecessor Donald Trump
.
One of these actions consists of imposing
a wide-ranging suspension of federal land concessions for new drilling associated with the extraction of gas and oil
, a highly polluting activity, according to the news agency The Associated Press.
His report is based on two sources from the Administration who advanced the plan to him on the condition that anonymity be maintained.
Another of the measures scheduled for this Wednesday corresponds to a directive directed at government agencies to invest in
aid
plans
for communities heavily hit by pollution
, according to The Washington Post.
This newspaper also obtained the information from two anonymous sources familiar with Biden's intentions.
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In particular, this second measure aims to focus on
supporting Latino, Black and Native American minorities
affected by the proximity of environmental threats such as
polluting power plants, landfills, garbage incinerators, shipping ports, uranium mines and factories
, add the Post.
It is also expected to order officials to implement a conservation plan for 30% of the country's land and ocean waters over the next 10 years, initiate a series of regulatory actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and issue a memorandum that elevates climate change to a national security priority, says AP.
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A plan that raises fierce opposition
Biden's plan that provides for new public land concessions for oil and gas extraction has been applauded by environmental advocates
as an urgent measure
.
“Management's review, if done correctly, will show that dirty fracking [a technique used to enable or expand fuel extraction that has become big business in various parts of the country] and drilling must end forever. , everywhere, '' said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.
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However, it
has
also
drawn fierce criticism from members of the energy industry
, accusing it of hampering their plans and putting jobs at risk.
And it is not the first that the new Government has taken to try to limit the impact of this sector since taking office on the 20th of this month: last week, Biden canceled the permit for the construction of a large oil pipeline that would cross a good part of North America and ordered the suspension for 60 days of the concessions of new drilling permits in federal soil and waters.
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"This is just the beginning. [The situation] is going to get worse," said Brook Simmons, president of the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma.
"Meanwhile, the laws of physics, chemistry, and supply and demand remain in place. Oil and natural gas prices are rising, as are heating bills, consumer prices, and fuel costs. ' added.
Much work is still missing
As The New York Times points out, Biden's planned announcements are supposed to mark the return of the climate change issue on the government's agenda, but
they will not automatically allow a reduction in harmful emissions caused by the energy industry
, only that your generation does not grow out of control.
Experts consulted by that newspaper point out that the Administration alone does not have the scope to impose really effective measures in this regard, such as a carbon tax, since for this it would need the support of Congress, currently controlled by Democrats but
with a margin very tight in the Senate
.
The measures that Biden has already taken or is about to take, meanwhile, do not limit current extraction activity in the oil and gas sector, AP notes.
Likewise, it does not have force on private land, subject rather to state regulations.
In New Mexico, a state that is experiencing a boom in this industry, federal lands represent about a third of the total.
But in Texas, where the current situation is similar, the national government's land represents
only 2%
.
With information from AP, The Washington Post, The New York Times.