Ten U.S. states are suing President Biden over an executive order requiring all federal agencies to address what he calls the “climate crisis.
Biden signed the executive order on his first day in office. The order states that the federal government “must advance environmental justice” as well as efforts to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions” and “increase capacity to address the impacts of climate change,” among other things.
On Thursday (April 22), the Democratic president unveiled a new phase of his climate agenda, vowing that the United States will cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
In response, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry warned that Biden’s order could destroy a range of industries if left unchallenged. Landry is leading the interstate lawsuit that Louisiana filed in federal court.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, center, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 22, 2020.
In a statement, he said, “Joe Biden’s executive order should put every American on alert. If left unchecked, the president could use this destructive cost structure to justify almost anything.” “Louisiana provides our nation with vital natural and man-made resources and enjoys a rich and storied way of life. From timber and food to oil and gas, chemical and industrial products to recreational sportsmanship and outdoor activities, virtually every aspect of our economy and culture is threatened by this irrational policy.”
Biden’s order also requires federal agencies to estimate emissions of three greenhouse gases, which the 57-page brief calls “SC-GHG Estimates.
Because these gases are ubiquitous, the estimates could be relevant to cost/benefit analyses of every federal regulation and a range of other activities, including everything from dishwashers to vending machines.
In other words, federal agencies must now use the ‘SC-GHG estimates’ to calculate the regulatory costs and benefits of virtually everything that the United States and its citizens encounter every day,” the state attorney general warned in the lawsuit. This means that federal agencies will use the SC-GHG estimates to assign huge costs to every regulatory action and “other related activity” that fundamentally changes the way states conduct business and Americans live. It is no exaggeration to say that the ‘SC-GHG Estimate’ is the most extensive and probably the most expensive federal regulatory initiative in history.”
They also added that the use of these estimates during the Obama administration did not follow the procedures required by federal law. The Biden administration also did not follow those procedures when it used the estimates.
The Biden administration did not respond to reporters’ requests for comment.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to order federal agencies not to use the estimates, stating that they are contrary to law and are “arbitrary and capricious.
The attorneys general of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as South Dakota Governor Christy Noem, have also joined the lawsuit. All are Republicans.
In a separate move in Congress, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado said they will try to push for a vote on legislation to overturn Biden’s Jan. 20 executive order and other similar orders.
“The Biden administration is willing to sacrifice millions of oil and gas jobs, raise energy costs and destroy our energy independence, all in an effort to appease radicals who love the ‘Green New Deal,'” Roe said in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to stop his unilateral destruction of the economy and put the American people first. After all House Republicans sign on to this deal, I look forward to seeing that there are more of my fellow Democrats that are willing to protect American jobs and energy security.”
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