Biden announces executive actions on 'climate crisis,' focuses on extreme heat and boosting offshore wind
President Biden announced Wednesday that he will be implementing a number of executive actions focused on combating climate change. Biden's executive actions come after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., reportedly said that he will not support a package before the midterm elections which includes any provisions on energy and climate, with his spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that Manchin wants to "avoid taking steps that add fuel to the inflation fire." Included in the executive actions is an effort to "protect communities from extreme heat and dangerous climate impacts," which includes $2.3 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program in 2022, which is intended to help communities "increase resilience to heat waves, drought, wildfires, flood, hurricanes and other hazards by preparing before disaster strikes," according to the White House. The executive actions by Biden also include an effort to lower cooling costs for communities who are suffering from extreme heat, as the White House is issuing guidance that will assist states, tribes and territories in their funding for community cooling centers as well as helping people within their communities get access to cooling equipment. BIDEN SAYS HE WILL TAKE EXECUTIVE ACTION TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE SHOULD CONGRESS FAIL TO ACT Additionally, the Biden administration will consider potential wind power projects in the Gulf of Mexico, which are being proposed off the coast of Galveston, Texas, and off the coast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The White House estimates that the projects have the potential to power over three million homes with "clean energy." Biden is also directing the Secretary of the Interior to "advance clean energy development" off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina to ensure that "these southeast states will be able to benefit from good-paying jobs in the burgeoning offshore wind industry." MANCHIN SAYS HE WON'T SUPPORT CLIMATE, TAX PROVISIONS IN SWEEPING DEMOCRATIC BILL Biden said while announcing the executive actions in Somerset, Massachusetts, that climate change is an "emergency." "This is an emergency an emergency and I will look at it that way," Biden said. "I said last week, I'll say it again, loud and clear. As president, I'll use my executive powers to combat climate change, the climate crisis in the absence of congressional action." A senior White House administration official said that the climate crisis is an "urgent" challenge, adding that "what has already been unleashed in terms of climate is devastating."