Energy & Environment

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden administration backs sweeping new offshore wind power program | Top Natural Resources Republican asks Haaland for details on national monuments | White House names members of environmental justice panel

by Zack Budryk 03/29/21 05:49 PM ET

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Today we’re looking at who scored an invite to the White House’s Earth Day climate summit, John Kerry’s belief that the private sector will be the one to solve climate change, and a reported Interior Department party that was allegedly called off by the White House.

FOR THE WIND: Biden administration backs sweeping new offshore wind power program

The Biden administration on Monday announced a new plan to dramatically scale up the use of offshore wind power that it said could create tens of thousands of new jobs while transitioning the country to clean energy.

The plan’s goal is to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by the end of the decade, which could power homes for 100 million people while reducing emissions by 78 million metric tons, an administration official said in a briefing to reporters.

Where will the farms be located?: As part of the target, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the department will set up the Wind Energy Areas for the New York Bight, an offshore area stretching from Long Island down the coast of New Jersey that includes nearly 800,000 acres for potential offshore wind farms.

“This area is home to more than 20 million people and is the largest metropolitan population area in the U.S., which translates to a significant demand for energy,” Haaland said.

The Interior Department, she said, is initiating the environmental review of what would be the country’s third commercial-scale offshore wind project off the New Jersey coast, spearheaded by Ocean Wind, LLC.

Read more about the announcement here

SOON MAY THE WESTERMAN COME: Top Natural Resources Republican asks Haaland for details on national monuments

Rep. Bruce Westerman (Ark.), the top Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, requested further information Monday from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on the department’s review of the boundaries and protections of national monuments.

The Trump administration reduced the boundaries of two Utah sites, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Biden in January ordered a review of the boundaries with a report of its findings issued within 60 days. However, the department has since announced it will publish the report after Haaland completes a visit to the monuments in April, after the 60-day window.

What does Westerman want to know? “While the planned visit to Utah, as well as reports of DOI [Department of the Interior] aides meeting with stakeholders, are encouraging steps, many matters remain unclear. For example, there is uncertainty whether DOI plans to initiate a formal, public comment period and how local support for the Trump administration’s decision will factor into future analysis,” Westerman wrote.

“Additionally, given the lack of direction provided by [the executive order], it is unknown how you will conduct your evaluation, whether you will follow the same analysis as then-Secretary [Ryan] Zinke, and whether you will comply with the Antiquities Act of 1906.”

Westerman’s letter praised the delay of what he calls the executive order’s “arbitrary deadline.” However, he called for further details, including the official date at which the recommendations will be submitted and documentation of the current progress.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE BIDEN CUT: White House names members of environmental justice panel

The White House on Monday named members of its new Environmental Justice Advisory Council, which will work with other panels in the administration on efforts to reduce environmental inequalities.

The council, created in January by one of a several climate-related executive orders signed by President Biden, includes sociologist Robert Bullard, known as the “father of the environmental justice movement” for his advocacy against environmental racism.

Who’s on the panel?: Other members include LaTricea Adams, founder of the organization Black Millennials for Flint; Maria Belen-Power of the Massachusetts-based environmental group GreenRoots; and Andrea L. Delgado, government affairs director for the charity arm of the United Farm Workers.

“We know that we cannot achieve health justice, economic justice, racial justice, or educational justice without environmental justice. That is why President Biden and I are committed to addressing environmental injustice,” Vice President Harris said in a statement. “This historic White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council will ensure that our administration’s work is informed by the insights, expertise, and lived experience of environmental justice leaders from across the nation.”