Washington, D.C. — The Biden administration has pledged to tackle climate change with the most ambitious agenda of any American president in history. Much of that effort will be led by a slate of Cabinet nominees who already have broad experience dealing with the climate crisis, advancing environmental justice, and creating good union jobs at the state level, according to a new issue brief from the Center for American Progress.
Many of these nominees have served in or at the top of state government, including in Michigan, North Carolina, and New York. Others come from states that have recently made great strides in clean energy, such as New Mexico. All of these leaders can now use the valuable lessons from state-level climate leadership to advance bold federal action.
“The lessons of climate leadership are traveling from the state house to the White House,” said Sam Ricketts, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. “The new administration and Congress can learn from states’ experience in carrying out these transformative policies. Led by the Biden-Harris administration, federal lawmakers should engage states’ successful advocacy coalitions and pursue an agenda that makes nationwide progress and further empowers state and local governments to continue their climate leadership.”
The lessons from state-level climate action, along with lessons from cities, tribal nations, and environmental justice communities, have already informed the “Build Back Better” climate plan that President-elect Joe Biden campaigned on to win the election. With its slate of nominees for national climate adviser, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of the Interior, and Council on Environmental Quality, the Biden administration is laying a strong foundation for federal climate action. The new administration will lead a clean energy recovery that will create millions of good union jobs and build a just, equitable, and prosperous economy.
Read the issue brief: “The Biden Administration Brings State Climate Leadership to the White House” by Sam Ricketts, Christy Goldfuss, and Aimee Barnes
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].