President Biden Answers UN Call For Climate Action With Emergency Measures to Boost Solar Energy Production
The United Nations marked World Environment Day on Monday with a social media blitz using #OnlyOneEarth to announce a ban on issuing new licenses for the extraction of coal, oil, and natural gas beginning on July 1st to protect people and the planet.
President Joe Biden joined other global leaders in announcing new initiatives meant to combat the impending climate crisis by ordering emergency measures to boost crucial supplies to U.S. solar manufacturers. The President also declared a two-year tariff exemption on solar panels from Southeast Asia as he attempted to jumpstart progress toward his climate change-fighting goals.
The President invoked the Defense Production Act for the second time in as many months, also using his executive powers to establish Operation Fly Formula to ease parents impacted by the Abbott Nutrition shutdown. Word of the White House’s actions to increase production caused solar energy companies to gain ground on Wall Street.
🚨Breaking news: Today @POTUS @JoeBiden took bold executive action on the energy & climate crises by invoking the Defense Production Act to ramp up solar energy production, modernize our power grid, create good jobs & more!
Like + RT to amplify this win for #CleanEnergyFreedom! pic.twitter.com/iwPtdC2Rmq
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) June 6, 2022
White House officials said President Biden’s actions “aim to increase domestic production” of solar panel parts, building installation materials, high-efficiency heat pumps, and other components including cells used for clean-energy generated fuels. They called the tariff suspension affecting imports from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia “a bridge measure” while other efforts will increase domestic solar power production.
NEW: @POTUS and @SecDebHaaland are taking steps to cut costs of wind and solar energy projects. This will help get more reliable, affordable clean energy to Americans and lower costs for families. https://t.co/YmiOW6LcgJ
— Matt Hill (@MattHill46) June 2, 2022
Asked at the White House if President Biden’s pause in tariffs was not “a gift to China” (the Commerce Department announced in March that it was scrutinizing imports of solar panels from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, concerned that products from those countries are skirting U.S. anti-dumping rules that limit imports from China) Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the President was invoking the Defense Production Act, “to make sure that he’s delivering for the American people,” she explained. “He is putting the full force of the federal government behind supporting American clean energy producers.”
Big news: @POTUS has invoked the #DefenseProductionAct to boost solar energy, lower prices for Americans, & help us reach #NetZero by 2050.
More is needed, but this is what it looks like to have a president who recognizes the climate crisis instead of denying its existence.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 6, 2022
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