“We write to follow up on President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 addressing the climate crisis,” New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján wrote last week to White House climate czar Gina McCarthy.
That’s Mr. Biden’s order in January suspending new oil and gas leases on federal lands.
Although a short-term leasing “pause is fully appropriate in the new Biden administration, an extended and indefinite suspension would have significant impacts on our workforce and state funding for education,” the Senators explain, noting that oil and gas generate over $3 billon annually in revenue for their state and 40% of its budget.
The Democratic Senators urged the Biden Administration to resume leasing and, in a separate letter to Interior Acting Secretary Scott de la Vega, for career officials to be allowed to continue approving routine permits.
They also asked that “states like New Mexico receive robust federal assistance in the ongoing transition to a zero-carbon economy.”
Enter Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who inserted a provision into the new $1.9 trillion spending bill that creates a $2 billion fund for communities in which there has been “a negative revenue impact due to implementation” of federal policies.
First do active economic and social harm, then dole out taxpayer cash to soothe the pain."
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Sunday, March 14, 2021
Wall Street Journal Opinion | Here Come Climate Reparations
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