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Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jeff Merkley, speaking days
after an effort to advance climate legislation failed in the
Senate, also called on Biden to use the White House "bully
pulpit" to draw attention to climate-related crises in the
United States.
"It is time for the Biden administration to pivot to a very
aggressive climate strategy," Merkley said.
Biden said last week that he would take unspecified steps to
reduce climate emissions after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin
withdrew support for climate legislation that Democrats had
hoped to pass before Congress leaves Washington for its August
recess. In the evenly divided Senate, Manchin's support was
critical for passage of the legislation, which lacked any
Republican backing.
Manchin and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer had been in
talks about $300 billion in tax credits for industries including
solar and wind power, carbon capture from power plants, and
nuclear power, which generates virtually emissions-free
electricity.
Whitehouse said he spoke to the White House about the need to
move forward with aggressive executive action, but shared no
details. "I've talked to the White House about going on offense
and being aggressive and doing all the things that it is within
the executive powers to do that have not so far been done," he
said.
Whitehouse said the conversation tracked his public call for
initiatives ranging from tighter carbon regulations for vehicles
and power plants to carbon border tariffs and potential federal
litigation against the fossil fuel industry.
It was not clear, however, how far the White House could go,
after the Supreme Court last month effectively restricted the
Environmental Protection Agency from issuing emissions rules
involving matters of major "economic and political
significance."
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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