I’m writing both in light of your announcement that you will run for re-election, and as someone who is deeply concerned about the climate crisis.
In your first term in office, you undertook efforts to address the three main pillars driving the climate crisis: vehicles, methane, and power plants, while protecting millions of acres of public lands and waters. In your “whole of government approach,” you upheld your commitment to center environmental justice and prioritized the communities that have shouldered the brunt of pollution for decades. Additionally, you helped usher transformative climate and clean energy legislation through Congress, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA), and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act. For all of this I thank you.
However, your first term in office saw the failure to clamp down on the leasing of public lands to the fossil fuel industry. You granted approval of the “carbon bomb” Willow project, and supported the expansion of the LNG industry. These were devastating blows to our climate goals and breaches of promises that you made.
Addressing the climate crisis does not allow for half measures or to take three steps forward, one step back. If you expect me to support you, I look forward to hearing about your plans and agenda to finish the job to transition the country to a 100% clean energy economy that protects our wild spaces and creates a livable future for us all. This should include reversing your decision on the Willow project. Thanks.
First sent on April 25, 2023 by Jess Craven
