SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Two workers install solar panels on a home in Oak View, California on August 23, 2011. (Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
House Progressives Cheer Biden Solar Order But Say 'Executive Action Alone' Not Enough
"The president's leadership cannot substitute for lack of congressional action," warned the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Jun 07, 2022
Progressive U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday joined climate campaigners in welcoming President Joe Biden's executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic solar panel production while calling on Congress to pass legislation to facilitate the nation's transition into a post-fossil fuel era.
"There is simply no way to meet the president's climate goals with executive action alone."
As Common Dreams reported, Biden's executive order--which followed sustained grassroots pressure--includes a two-year freeze on solar panel and other clean energy component tariffs, and puts the "full power of federal procurement to work spurring additional domestic solar manufacturing capacity by directing the development of master supply agreements."
In a statement, Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said that "we applaud President Biden for taking a critically necessary step by embracing his administrative authorities and invoking the Defense Production Act, ensuring Americans have a reliable supply of electricity in the face of supply chain stocks and rising global fuel prices, while addressing the national security concerns that climate change poses."
The Defense Production Act (DPA) is the primary source of presidential authority to expedite and expand the supply of materials and services from the U.S. industrial base for national security purposes.
"This action is a key component of our Progressive Caucus Executive Action Agenda to mobilize domestic industry to manufacture affordable renewable energy," Jayapal added. "Crucially, it will also allow us to export green, cutting-edge manufacturing to reduce emissions abroad, while decreasing our reliance on foreign oil and autocratic human rights abusers, like Russia and Saudi Arabia, that produce it."
Japayal continued:
We're particularly gratified to see the president's plan to pursue the DPA implementation with a justice-oriented mindset, working toward strong labor protections, union membership, and high wages for the new jobs created. In particular, the administration has met a key goal of progressives in Congress and the environmental justice movement to prioritize communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis [that] have been devastated by pollution.
"The president's leadership cannot substitute for lack of congressional action," warned Jayapal. "There is simply no way to meet the president's climate goals with executive action alone."
"As the people's representatives, we have a moral and governing obligation to fight the climate crisis and pass legislation that will facilitate our transition away from fossil fuels and support frontline communities," she asserted.
"The House has already passed a broad set of climate investments in a reconciliation bill, and there is broad agreement among Democrats in both chambers on using reconciliation to make these investments," Jayapal added. "We will continue to push to make that bill law."
In recent months, House Democrats have urged Biden to revive the stalled Build Back Better reconciliation package, a watered-down version of which was scuppered last December by Senate Republicans and right-wing Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
CPC member Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) also praised Biden, while calling on her congressional colleagues to pass her Energy Security and Independence Act, which would invest $100 billion in "reinvigorating the domestic clean energy industrial base" through the DPA.
Bush said that if passed, the legislation would "lower energy prices, create jobs, and fight the climate crisis."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
renewable energyjoe bidencongressional progressive caucuskyrsten sinemafossil fuelspramila jayapaljoe manchincori bushus congress
Progressive U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday joined climate campaigners in welcoming President Joe Biden's executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic solar panel production while calling on Congress to pass legislation to facilitate the nation's transition into a post-fossil fuel era.
"There is simply no way to meet the president's climate goals with executive action alone."
As Common Dreams reported, Biden's executive order--which followed sustained grassroots pressure--includes a two-year freeze on solar panel and other clean energy component tariffs, and puts the "full power of federal procurement to work spurring additional domestic solar manufacturing capacity by directing the development of master supply agreements."
In a statement, Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said that "we applaud President Biden for taking a critically necessary step by embracing his administrative authorities and invoking the Defense Production Act, ensuring Americans have a reliable supply of electricity in the face of supply chain stocks and rising global fuel prices, while addressing the national security concerns that climate change poses."
The Defense Production Act (DPA) is the primary source of presidential authority to expedite and expand the supply of materials and services from the U.S. industrial base for national security purposes.
"This action is a key component of our Progressive Caucus Executive Action Agenda to mobilize domestic industry to manufacture affordable renewable energy," Jayapal added. "Crucially, it will also allow us to export green, cutting-edge manufacturing to reduce emissions abroad, while decreasing our reliance on foreign oil and autocratic human rights abusers, like Russia and Saudi Arabia, that produce it."
Japayal continued:
We're particularly gratified to see the president's plan to pursue the DPA implementation with a justice-oriented mindset, working toward strong labor protections, union membership, and high wages for the new jobs created. In particular, the administration has met a key goal of progressives in Congress and the environmental justice movement to prioritize communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis [that] have been devastated by pollution.
"The president's leadership cannot substitute for lack of congressional action," warned Jayapal. "There is simply no way to meet the president's climate goals with executive action alone."
"As the people's representatives, we have a moral and governing obligation to fight the climate crisis and pass legislation that will facilitate our transition away from fossil fuels and support frontline communities," she asserted.
"The House has already passed a broad set of climate investments in a reconciliation bill, and there is broad agreement among Democrats in both chambers on using reconciliation to make these investments," Jayapal added. "We will continue to push to make that bill law."
In recent months, House Democrats have urged Biden to revive the stalled Build Back Better reconciliation package, a watered-down version of which was scuppered last December by Senate Republicans and right-wing Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
CPC member Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) also praised Biden, while calling on her congressional colleagues to pass her Energy Security and Independence Act, which would invest $100 billion in "reinvigorating the domestic clean energy industrial base" through the DPA.
Bush said that if passed, the legislation would "lower energy prices, create jobs, and fight the climate crisis."
Progressive U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday joined climate campaigners in welcoming President Joe Biden's executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic solar panel production while calling on Congress to pass legislation to facilitate the nation's transition into a post-fossil fuel era.
"There is simply no way to meet the president's climate goals with executive action alone."
As Common Dreams reported, Biden's executive order--which followed sustained grassroots pressure--includes a two-year freeze on solar panel and other clean energy component tariffs, and puts the "full power of federal procurement to work spurring additional domestic solar manufacturing capacity by directing the development of master supply agreements."
In a statement, Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said that "we applaud President Biden for taking a critically necessary step by embracing his administrative authorities and invoking the Defense Production Act, ensuring Americans have a reliable supply of electricity in the face of supply chain stocks and rising global fuel prices, while addressing the national security concerns that climate change poses."
The Defense Production Act (DPA) is the primary source of presidential authority to expedite and expand the supply of materials and services from the U.S. industrial base for national security purposes.
"This action is a key component of our Progressive Caucus Executive Action Agenda to mobilize domestic industry to manufacture affordable renewable energy," Jayapal added. "Crucially, it will also allow us to export green, cutting-edge manufacturing to reduce emissions abroad, while decreasing our reliance on foreign oil and autocratic human rights abusers, like Russia and Saudi Arabia, that produce it."
Japayal continued:
We're particularly gratified to see the president's plan to pursue the DPA implementation with a justice-oriented mindset, working toward strong labor protections, union membership, and high wages for the new jobs created. In particular, the administration has met a key goal of progressives in Congress and the environmental justice movement to prioritize communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis [that] have been devastated by pollution.
"The president's leadership cannot substitute for lack of congressional action," warned Jayapal. "There is simply no way to meet the president's climate goals with executive action alone."
"As the people's representatives, we have a moral and governing obligation to fight the climate crisis and pass legislation that will facilitate our transition away from fossil fuels and support frontline communities," she asserted.
"The House has already passed a broad set of climate investments in a reconciliation bill, and there is broad agreement among Democrats in both chambers on using reconciliation to make these investments," Jayapal added. "We will continue to push to make that bill law."
In recent months, House Democrats have urged Biden to revive the stalled Build Back Better reconciliation package, a watered-down version of which was scuppered last December by Senate Republicans and right-wing Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
CPC member Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) also praised Biden, while calling on her congressional colleagues to pass her Energy Security and Independence Act, which would invest $100 billion in "reinvigorating the domestic clean energy industrial base" through the DPA.
Bush said that if passed, the legislation would "lower energy prices, create jobs, and fight the climate crisis."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.