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Kamala Harris faces attacks over climate equity stance
Vice President Kamala Harris is facing attacks from Republicans for her climate policies aimed at disadvantaged communities, with some critics accusing her of racial favoritism.
Thomas Frank, Jean Chemnick and Avery Ellfeldt report for E&E News.
In short:
- Vice President Kamala Harris has promoted climate programs focusing on low-income and minority groups.
- Some Republicans, including Rep. Tim Burchett and Sen. Rick Scott, have criticized her efforts, alleging racial bias.
- Despite these claims, a significant portion of FEMA aid in Florida post-Hurricane Ian went to predominantly white areas.
Key quote:
"Kamala Harris should expect to be attacked for it. She was born a target for Republicans. Everything that she embodies is the antithesis of what the Rick Scotts of the world would like to see."
— Chauncia Willis, CEO of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management
Why this matters:
Climate policies addressing environmental justice aim to rectify long-standing inequities affecting vulnerable communities. The controversy highlights the political challenges of implementing equity-focused initiatives in the U.S.
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Biden faces choice between advancing offshore wind and honoring tribal heritage in California
The Biden administration's push for offshore wind farms off California's coast clashes with plans to establish a tribal heritage marine sanctuary.
In short:
- The proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary might block the development of crucial offshore wind projects necessary for California's decarbonization efforts.
- Offshore wind developers are seeking ways to ensure their power lines can reach the mainland without diminishing the sanctuary's size or its significance to the Chumash tribe.
- The situation illustrates a broader struggle to balance environmental protection, renewable energy goals, and the preservation of indigenous rights.
Key quote:
"The ocean should not be the sacrificial lamb for our unquenchable thirst for energy."
— Violet Sage Walker, chair of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council.
Why this matters:
The tension at Morro Bay underlines a critical junction in America's energy transition: how to harmoniously expand renewable energy infrastructure while respecting environmental sanctuaries and Indigenous heritage. This debate isn't just local; it's a snapshot of the larger challenge in aligning environmental preservation with the urgent push for green energy.
The century began with a great deal of optimism around marine protected areas as tools to protect the oceans. Two decades later, conservation goals and fishing interests remain at odds.
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Biden’s Arctic oil rules may leave ‘big gaps’ on climate
Proposed Interior Department rules for drilling in the Western Arctic are spurring two contradictory views: that President Joe Biden has thwarted an oil boom in northern Alaska or paved the way for one.
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Why EV battery makers are so hungry for clean energy
A hunt for carbon-free electricity is raising questions about where the electric vehicle battery supply chain will get its power.
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'Fragile compromises': Biden energy fights heat up in court
Federal courts will spend the last half of the year weighing the fate of some of the Biden administration’s biggest climate and energy goals.
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Needed: Car experts to fend off grid disaster
Automakers and electric utilities need to work together more closely than ever as new vehicles hit the road. But crucial links are lagging.
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Tensions, gas prices rise as Washington state auctions carbon
Washington state’s new cap-and-invest system is raising hundreds of millions of dollars for climate action while pricing emissions at a much steeper cost than California, the only other state with this kind of system.
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