Current:Home > InvestBiden has a $369 billion climate plan — and new advisers to get the program running-InfoLens
Biden has a $369 billion climate plan — and new advisers to get the program running
View Date:2024-12-23 16:09:17
President Biden is switching up his climate team at the White House.
On Friday, Biden announced his national climate adviser, Gina McCarthy, will step down. Her deputy, Ali Zaidi, will move into her role. And John Podesta, a chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton and a climate adviser to former President Barack Obama, will join the team to oversee the implementation of the recently passed $369 billion in climate-related incentives and funding in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Climate advocates cheered the move. "The good news is that the White House at the highest levels seems determined to ensure that this historic once-in-a-generation investment will not be squandered," said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group.
"Typically past administrations would simply count on the agencies to make these investments without a lot of White House scrutiny. This is different," Faber said.
Zaidi brings state experience to the table
Zaidi, who will be Biden's national climate adviser, worked on the issue in the Obama White House, and then moved to work on climate policy at the state level in New York. He helped the Biden team craft its climate plans during the campaign.
On the NPR Politics Podcast this week, Zaidi said the administration is counting on the investments and incentives in the new law to boost manufacturing and deployment of clean energy to the point where developments cannot be rolled back by the next administration to come into office.
"No one's going back and taking solar panels and wind turbines out of the ground and replacing it with dirty energy," Zaidi said.
Lisa Frank, executive director of the Washington legislative office of Environment America, said Zaidi's state experience will help the administration get its new programs up and running.
"What Ali brings to the table that is really great is his background working at the state level," Frank said. "Even with this big legislative victory, that's still going to be the case. States are still where kind of much of the rubber will hit the road on these policies."
Podesta helped craft executive actions in the Obama White House
The switch in leadership also comes as green and environmental groups continue to push Biden for aggressive executive action on climate and conservation.
"We've already got executive actions that are coming down the pike," Zaidi told NPR, highlighting another round of methane emission standards coming this fall.
Podesta advised Obama to make greater use of his executive powers when he joined that White House at a time when Congress was controlled by Republicans.
Earlier this summer, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA doesn't have the authority to regulate the carbon emissions of power plants, pausing Obama-era rules that never went into effect and setting back some of the Biden administration's plans.
Podesta is a Washington veteran who has worked in two White Houses. He chaired Hillary Clinton's campaign for president in 2016. Earlier, he served as chief counsel for the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Podesta will focus on implementing the climate actions in the Inflation Reduction Act. Energy and climate advocates are hoping that Podesta will have a strong hand.
"John Podesta, former White House chief of staff, is a deep expert and in this role, really sends a powerful signal that there will be lots and lots of scrutiny," Faber said. "And so everything we're hearing and including this announcement demonstrates that this is an administration that recognizes that there won't be a do-over. We have to make every dollar count if we want to avoid a climate catastrophe."
Biden also nominated a new regulatory czar, who could also play a big role on climate
The White House also announced on Friday that Biden would nominate Richard Revesz to a powerful regulatory job in its budget office: the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
Revesz, a law professor at New York University, specializes in environmental and regulatory law. If confirmed by the Senate to lead OIRA, he would have a key role in the oversight of executive climate action.
veryGood! (31)
Related
- Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
- Pennsylvania election officials weighing in on challenges to 4,300 mail ballot applications
- Grimes Trolls Ex Elon Musk With Comment About Dating Guys Interested in Outer Space
- Olivia Rodrigo Reveals Her Biggest Dating Red Flag
- Horoscopes Today, November 13, 2024
- Severe storms, tornadoes rock Oklahoma; thousands remain without power: Updates
- Kieran Culkin Shares Why Death of Sister Dakota Culkin Was Like “Losing A Big Piece” of Himself
- A look at the weather expected in battleground states on Election Day
- Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
- Outer Banks Ending After Season 5
Ranking
- Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson weighs in on report that he would 'pee in a bottle' on set
- Southern Taurid meteor shower hits peak activity this week: When and where to watch
- Will Smith, Gloria Estefan, more honor icon Quincy Jones: 'A genius has left us'
- Severe storms, tornadoes rock Oklahoma; thousands remain without power: Updates
- Solawave Black Friday Sale: Don't Miss Buy 1, Get 1 Free on Age-Defying Red Light Devices
- Lala Kent Details Taylor Swift Visiting Travis Kelce on Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? Set
- 3 charged in connection to alleged kidnapping, robbery near St. Louis
- Kim Kardashian wears Princess Diana pendant to LACMA Art+Film Gala
Recommendation
-
A pair of Trump officials have defended family separation and ramped-up deportations
-
North Carolina attorney general’s race features 2 members of Congress
-
MVP repeat? Ravens QB Lamar Jackson separating from NFL field yet again
-
Dogs on the vice-presidential run: Meet the pups of candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance
-
American arrested in death of another American at luxury hotel in Ireland
-
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Baby Rocky Gets Priceless Birthday Gift From Sylvester Stallone
-
Georgia authorities probe weekend shooting that left 2 dead, officer injured
-
Travis Kelce Shares Heartwarming Moment With Taylor Swift's Brother Austin at Eras Concert