The Government of Joe Biden announces this Wednesday a series of executive actions to combat the climate crisis.
From Massachusetts, where he visited an old coal-fired power plant that is now being converted into a cable manufacturing center for the offshore wind industry, he called for action in this field given the few pronouncements of Congress on the matter.
"Congress is not acting as it should. This is an emergency, an emergency, and I will take it as such. I said it last week and I will say it again, loud and clear. As President, I will use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis." , in the absence of congressional action," the president declared.
[The heat puts millions in the US on alert and breaks records in Europe. Biden considers declaring a national climate emergency]
Among the measures he announced are $2.3 billion for FEMA to deal with climate disasters, including $1.3 billion in funds to help insulate thousands of homes around the country and thus reduce their energy consumption.
He also ordered the Department of the Interior to study the creation of a wind farm in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
"I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces immediate and clear danger, and that's what climate change is all about...the health of our communities is literally at stake," Biden added.
The president indicated this Wednesday that he will
announce more measures in the coming days.
President Joe Biden speaks about the climate emergency from Somerset, Massachusetts, on July 20, 2022. Evan Vucci / AP
The measures announced by the president have to do with the protection of communities facing extreme heat and the energy assistance program for low-income households, led by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Also new projects to promote the national offshore wind industry.
Biden's remarks also come as more than 140 million Americans brace for a blistering heat wave this week that is sweeping from central California to the Mississippi River Valley and the Northeast.
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At least 16 states issued a heat alert Monday, from central California to the Mississippi River Valley.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, registered 109 degrees in the shade on Monday, a figure not reached since 1936. Dallas, Texas, surpassed the 108 reached in 2018 by one degree. And Austin, San Antonio and Houston, also in Texas , are experiencing the hottest summer in their history and could experience record highs these days.
[Temperatures similar to those of Pakistan are forecast for the coming decades in New York due to the climate emergency]
At the beginning of the week, The Washington Post reported that the president could declare a climate emergency, however, the White House denied this, saying that Biden does not plan to do so on Wednesday or in the coming days.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Tuesday's briefing that Biden would announce climate action, but added that she "would not expect an announcement this week" about the president declaring a climate emergency. though many Democrats are frustrated by the stalled legislation and the president's response.
"It's not going to stop with just tomorrow's actions," said Jean-Pierre.
"Everything is on the table."