The Eco-Left Is Celebrating Biden’s “Environmental Dream Team”

December 18, 2020

Joe Biden has labored to build a reputation as a pragmatic moderate Democrat. Over the summer, Power The Future released a study that showed his real record on energy issues and he is anything but moderate.

Yesterday’s announcement of the members of his cabinet that will focus on energy and environmental issues show just how far to the left progressives and the Eco-Left have pulled Biden’s climate agenda. The announcements included Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) for the Department of Interior, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI) for the Department of Energy, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Michael Regan for the EPA, and environmental lawyer Brenda Mallory for the Council on Environmental Quality.

Predictably, the groups like Greenpeace, Earthjustice, Center for American Progress, and Oil Change International LOVED the announcements. Here’s what they are saying.

According to Politico Pro, “Greens [are] dazzled by Biden’s climate team”:

“This is the climate and overall environmental dream team,” said Christy Goldfuss, who heads the progressive Center for American Progress’ energy and environment program. “If you look across the expertise, the vision and passion of this team, you have to be optimistic that we are going to make progress in addressing climate change.”  …

Collin Rees, senior campaigner with Oil Change International, one of the progressive environmental groups most skeptical of Biden’s commitment to addressing climate change, also praised the picks. “I think if you would have given me this slate a couple of months ago, I would have taken it in a heartbeat … it shows he’s serious about tackling the climate crisis and about addressing environmental inequity and environmental justice,” he said. …

Perhaps the biggest sign that Biden would act on environmental justice, though, was his appointment of Haaland, who was helped by an aggressive push from progressives and dozens of Democratic lawmakers, like Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the chair of the House Natural Resources committee. “When we’re talking about climate change initiatives, environmental justice will be part of that discussion,” he told reporters. “When we’re talking about disparities, other communities will be part of that process. When we’re talking about indigenous people, their role in public lands and waters is going to be part of that discussion. … The lobbyists from Exxon oil are going to have to sit with the chairman of a particular tribe if it’s going to affect their lives — and I think that’s only fair.” …

Across the whole team, Biden’s picks suggest he “is serious about fighting climate change and his goals of ending CO2 on the electric grid are real and credible, they weren’t just talking points designed to win over the left,” said Mark Jones, political science fellow at the Baker Institute at Rice University. “While Biden might have disappointed progressives on the issues on Medicare For All and foreign policy, I don’t think he’ll have disappointed them on environmental issues. Now we’re back on the trajectory that President Obama began to chart, but ratcheted up on steroids.”

Earthjustice celebrated the announcements of Haaland and Regan:

Greenpeace loved the appointments of Haaland and Granholm: