Stymied by Congress, Biden feels heat to act on climate while activists hold out for more
Unable to advance his legislative plan, Biden vows to use presidential powers - but only some of them - to fight climate change.
Saying if Congress wouldn't act then he would, President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled plans to fight climate change with executive actions – none of which went as far as many environmental groups had hoped.
Declaring climate change "an emergency" without declaring an official state of emergency, Biden said in the coming days and weeks he would use his power as president to issue formal government actions through proclamations, executive orders and regulatory power.
His biggest announcement: a plan to open parts of the Gulf of Mexico for the first time to offshore wind farms that could power more than 3 million homes. He also directed the Department of Interior to advance wind energy development off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina.