FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2021

MCV: White House orders ‘a giant leap in the right direction’

Organization praises climate, energy and conservation policies that protect land and water, fight climate breakdown, prioritize jobs

(BOZEMAN, Mont.) – Whitney Tawney, Executive Director of Montana Conservation Voters, released the following statements in response to President Joe Biden’s executive orders today to “tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad,” including a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal public lands or offshore waters:

“After four years of disastrous decisions from Washington, we desperately need to take ambitious steps to protect our environment, our climate and our public lands for all Americans, our kids and future generations,” Tawney said. “The President’s actions are a giant leap in the right direction. These orders prioritize job creation by investing in infrastructure needed to fight climate breakdown, they deliver environmental justice, and they put science and common sense back into the decision-making process.”

MCV this week published a fact-check calling out Senator Steve Daines’ false suggestion that a federal oil and gas leasing moratorium would impact funding for the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund, which relies on existing revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling.

Biden today also committed to a so-called “30×30 Plan,” committing to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. land and ocean by the year 2030.

“30×30 is 20/20 vision for the future, and it comes at the most crucial time for our lands and wildlife,” Tawney added.

Scientists say protecting 30 percent of land and ocean is the bare minimum needed to stem the loss of biodiversity and prevent mass extinction of wildlife across the globe.

In addition to today’s moratorium on oil and gas leasing, and land and water conservation, Biden’s executive orders also:

• Establish the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization to focus on recovery for communities that currently rely on coal;

• Establish an Earth Day (April 22) World Leaders Climate Summit;

• Establish both the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy and National Climate Task Force;

• Ensure environmental justice is officially a part of every federal agency’s mission

• Establish the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

MCV also praised Biden on January 20, his first day as President, for re-entering the United States into the Paris Climate Agreement and for revoking the permit of the tortured Keystone XL Pipeline.

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