WYOMING — On June 29, Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in reintroducing the “Real Emergencies Act” to clarify that the president does not have the authority to declare a national emergency on the premise of climate change.
Specifically, the “Real Emergencies Act” would prohibit the president from using the three primary statutory authorities available – the “National Emergencies Act,” the “Stafford Act” and section 319 of the “Public Health Service Act” – to declare a national emergency solely on the basis of climate change.
A press release from Senator Lummis’ office confirms the Act would not disrupt the declaration of national emergencies or major disasters such as hurricanes, flooding and more.
In July 2022, Biden reiterated that climate change is a clear and present danger to the U.S., and in April of this year lawmakers unveiled new Green New Deal legislation aimed at putting millions of Americans to work in “good-paying, union jobs” strengthening the nation’s public infrastructure and tackling pollution and climate damage. The update provides cities, states, Tribes, nonprofits and individuals with the tools to take advantage of new federal funding under the “Inflation Reduction Act” (IRA).
In a press release, Lummis stated her support of the Act was aimed at protecting domestic energy production in Wyoming that would be harmed by the implementation of a climate emergency. However, a report by the Rocky Mountain Institute looking at federal benefits from the IRA determined Wyoming could net over $12,000 per resident by 2030, mostly in the form of tax credits.
Teton County has been seeing the effects of climate change on species like whitebark pines and on the relationship between wildflowers and pollinators. Additionally, the Jackson Hole Climate Action Collective’s “A Climate Action Roadmap for Jackson Hole, Wyoming” highlights compounding climate impacts as a concern for vulnerable local communities.
