Concerns arise within the U.S. energy sector over potential reports of the Biden Administration contemplating a ‘COVID-like’ climate emergency declaration.
Such a declaration could grant the administration greater authority to implement regulatory measures on fossil fuels, akin to the extensive actions taken during the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They’re leaning to that direction,” U.S. Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart told Just the News. “If you grant the president’s emergency powers to declare a climate emergency, it’s just like COVID.”
According to Mr. Stewart, such a declaration would grant the president extensive and unregulated power to enforce shutdowns, ranging from communications to infrastructure.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, government leaders implemented various measures, including closing international borders, imposing “vaxx or axe” mandates for federal employees and healthcare workers, and enforcing lockdowns in numerous cities and states.
As a result of these lockdowns, the majority of businesses came to a halt until remote work became widespread, enabling many white-collar workers to retain their jobs. However, the lockdowns also resulted in a significant number of blue-collar workers becoming unemployed.
“They can literally do exactly what they did in COVID,” Stewart said. “If you disagree with the climate emergency, [speech] can be shut down.”
“We really need to be paying attention to that because that power could be extended indefinitely until the ‘climate emergency’ is over,” Stewart added. “Who knows how long that would last.”
The energy industry plays a vital role in the U.S. economy, offering employment to numerous Americans and delivering essential services across the country. However, insiders within the industry are concerned that heightened regulations may put its stability at risk, potentially leading to job losses and higher energy prices.
President Joe Biden acknowledges the existence of a climate crisis both in the United States and worldwide, using language that characterizes it as an emergency. Although he hasn’t formally declared an emergency yet, about 60 congressional Democrats supported the “Climate Emergency Act of 2021,” as reported by The Epoch Times. This legislation, introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, aims to mandate a climate-related emergency declaration by the Biden administration.
Some legacy media outlets, like the Los Angeles Times, have proposed solutions such as implementing “occasional blackouts” to address climate change intentionally.
Additionally, a recent Guardian article called for the Biden administration to urgently declare a climate emergency.
Stewart described the LA Times article and similar reports as part of a propaganda war designed to “condition the public to think people it is their duty to the State to be miserable, cold, and hungry.”
“It wasn’t too long ago that even posing a question like this would be considered preposterous even from Democrats,” Stewart said.
“After all, one of the defining problems of Third World countries is the lack of reliable energy infrastructure and supply.”
