President Joe Biden signed an expansive “environmental justice” executive order Friday in a Rose Garden ceremony, saying, “We vowed to take action on the most ambitious climate environmental justice agenda in American history and that’s exactly what we did.
“This is about people’s health. It’s about the health of our communities,” he added. “It’s only about the future of our planet.”
BIDEN: "Under this order, environmental justice will become the responsibility of every single federal agency." pic.twitter.com/b5g7G65vbM
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 21, 2023
The order will create a new Office of Environmental Justice:
Joined by environmental advocates and community leaders, Biden went through the climate order, which, according to the White House, focuses on communities that are most affected by pollution. It will establish the Office of Environmental Justice at the White House to coordinate the administration’s efforts to implement the new directives.
Biden’s action will also require agencies to notify nearby communities about releases of toxic substances from federal facilities and will direct the agencies to engage with U.S. communities, including those on tribal lands.
Once again, the president insisted on making everything, even the environment, all about race:
“For far too long, communities across our country have faced persistent environmental injustice through toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and critical services, and other disproportionate environmental harms often due to a legacy of racial discrimination including redlining,” the White House said, detailing the executive order. “These communities with environmental justice concerns face even greater burdens due to climate change.”
The president tried to call out the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality but completely mangled her name:
BIDEN: "And the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda (unintelligible mumbling)…" pic.twitter.com/RO112nidWT
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 21, 2023
The “Uniter in Chief” and his White House staff also made sure to take a few shots at Republicans:
In his remarks Friday, Biden swiped at “MAGA Republicans” and GOP lawmakers, saying they would “rather threaten to default on the U.S. economy” than allow the climate provisions signed into law with the Inflation Reduction Act to be rolled out.
A White House official previewing the speech said Biden’s agenda “stands in stark contrast to the dangerous vision Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy and his extreme caucus have for our planet, our economy, and public health.”
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing that Biden was simply following through on his campaign promises:
One way that you can look at this today is that he’s continuing to deliver on that ambitious agenda. And he’s not done yet.
“And he’s not done yet.” Scarier words were never spoken.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "When the president walked into the administration, climate change was one of the crises he felt he needed to deal with" pic.twitter.com/HgKfMH2mWw
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 21, 2023
Biden’s extreme environmental and energy policies have become a hallmark of his regime, and doubtless, this new executive order will make energy more expensive for the consumer. Meanwhile, the expansive use of executive orders by presidents on both sides of the aisle has allowed them to go around the duly-elected legislature and impose major policy initiatives that never would have survived a congressional vote.
