Worries have emerged among some energy industry groups that the White House may consider declaring a climate emergency similar to the COVID-19 emergency that was declared in the past.

“They’re leaning to that direction,” warned Tim Stewart, President of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association, in a recent interview with Just the News on July 30.

“If you grant the president’s emergency powers to declare a climate emergency, it’s just like COVID.”

Stewart expressed concerns about the potential implications of such a declaration, saying that it could grant the president “vast and unchecked authority to shut down everything from communications to infrastructure.”

He criticized the Biden administration and suggested that essential infrastructure related to water and electricity could be impacted if such a decision were made.

“They can literally do exactly what they did in COVID,” Stewart emphasized. “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. Who knows how long that would last.”

As of now, the White House press office has not responded to inquiries about whether such a climate emergency declaration is being considered.

President Joe Biden and his administration have previously referred to the ongoing climate challenges as a “climate crisis” and have used emergency-like language to describe it.

However, an official declaration of a climate emergency has not been made yet, despite some Democrats and environmental groups advocating for it.

Recently, around 60 congressional Democrats endorsed the “Climate Emergency Act of 2021,” sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), which would require the Biden administration to make a climate-related emergency declaration.

The concerns around climate change have intensified globally, with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres issuing an alarming message, stating that “the era of global warming has ended” and “the era of global boiling has arrived.”

He called on member states to take ambitious actions to address climate change.

Some media outlets, like the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian, have proposed implementing drastic measures, including occasional blackouts, to combat climate change and have urged the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency.

Tim Stewart criticized these media reports, calling them part of a “propaganda war” aimed at making the public believe it is their duty to endure discomfort for the sake of the State’s climate goals.

While the current heat wave prompted the White House to issue a “first-ever” heat wave hazard alert for outdoor workers, discussions about climate change and the reliability of energy infrastructure continue to be relevant.

The largest power grid operator in the country, PJM, recently issued an emergency alert due to high demand caused by extreme heat.

It is essential to note that the Environmental Protection Agency’s data indicate that some of the hottest heatwaves in the United States occurred in the 1930s.

This period was also marked by the Dust Bowl, which severely damaged farmland and led to significant migration of farmers to Southern California.

Earlier this year, PJM released a report warning about potential reliability risks during the transition to de-carbonize the grid, as it involves reducing fossil fuel usage and increasing reliance on renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.

We the people must remain vigilant amid these developments, keeping an eye on potential emergency declarations and their potential impact on the nation’s energy infrastructure and economy.. and our freedom.

A climate emergency declaration could grant unprecedented powers to the government, allowing it to take drastic and immediate actions without the usual checks and balances.

While such measures may be initially aimed at addressing environmental challenges, we must be cautious about potential encroachments on our individual rights and freedoms.

History has shown us that emergency powers, once granted, can be challenging to roll back, and they might inadvertently infringe upon our civil liberties, privacy, and ability to voice dissent.

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Epoch Times

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Biden administration climate crisis climate emergency communications concern COVID-like electricity emergency powers energy industry infrastructure shutdown water White House