Evergreen Statement on the Inauguration of the 46th President Joe Biden
Today Evergreen Action Campaign Director Jamal Raad released the following statement on the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden.
This is our moment. Joe Biden has the opportunity to make history as the president who mobilizes America to defeat the climate crisis.
Today, Joe Biden will take the oath of office to become the Climate President that America needs. Biden ran on the biggest climate plan of any presidential nominee in American history, and he now has a mandate to deliver decisive action on the climate crisis. It’s time to implement the Biden plan: a 100% clean energy standard by 2035, $2 trillion in investment in clean energy, and 40% of investment going to impacted communities as part of a commitment to environmental justice.
By prioritizing bold climate steps on Day 1, President Biden has set a clear tone for the next four years of climate progress. The Biden era will begin with reversing hundreds of ruinous regulatory rollbacks that put American’s public health and futures at risk. Today, President Biden will send a clear message about America’s commitment to climate action by rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and restoring science to America’s international relations.
While there is much damage to undo, Biden’s Day 1 commitments are also the first step to Building Back Better. Instead of approving more damaging pipelines like Keystone XL, Biden will consider the social cost of carbon in infrastructure projects. The administration has also made a major commitment to pass new standards for appliance energy efficiency, a first step to rebuild our homes and communities with cutting edge clean energy technology. Taken together, Biden’s Day 1 commitments are a down payment on his clean energy recovery plan that will modernize our nation’s infrastructure and jumpstart millions of good paying union jobs.
The inauguration of President Biden is a huge step forward for the future of our democracy and our climate. Now the real work begins. The incoming administration and Congressional Democrats must use every tool at their disposal to fully realize Biden’s standards-investment-justice climate agenda. Let’s get to work.
