Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

16 hours ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

17 hours ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

20 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Senate Bill Would Destroy Jobs and Harm US

20 hours ago

Israel Strikes Pound Gaza, Killing 60, Ahead of US Talks on Ceasefire

22 hours ago

Trump’s Administration Finds Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, WSJ Reports

22 hours ago

How Did the Supreme Court Rule? Here’s a Look at the Big Cases

3 days ago
Biden Climate Efforts Abroad Shadowed by Troubles at Home
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
November 2, 2021

Share

GLASGOW, Scotland — President Joe Biden announced steps Tuesday to stop methane leaks and spend money on infrastructure abroad to limit global warming while, back home, a pivotal senator has threatened to scuttle landmark climate legislation Biden is pushing for the U.S.

Biden portrayed the plans unveiled at a side event during the U.N. climate conference as a win that would save companies money, create jobs and improve the global food supply.

“It’s an enormous opportunity,” Biden said.

The president announced commitments as coal-state U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin has again threatened Biden’s domestic effort. For all the optimism Biden has been radiating at the summit in Scotland, persistent doubts lurk about whether he can really deliver solely through executive actions as continued talks with Congress have steadily cut into his ambitions.

Manchin Says He Remains Undecided on Biden’s Plan

Manchin said Monday, at an unfortunate time for the president, that he remained undecided on Biden’s $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal, which includes $555 billion in provisions to combat climate change.

Manchin holds a key vote in the Senate, where Biden has the slimmest of Democratic majorities, and has successively killed off key parts of the administration’s climate proposals. He said Monday he was uncertain about the legislation’s impact on the economy and federal debt and was as “open to voting against” it as for it.

Biden has been determined to demonstrate to the world that the U.S. is back in the global effort against climate change, after his predecessor Donald Trump pulled the U.S. — the world’s largest economy and second-biggest climate polluter — out of the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord.

Putting the U.S. on the path to halve its own output of coal, oil and natural gas pollution by 2050, as his climate legislation seeks to do, “demonstrates to the world the United States is not only back at the table, it hopefully can lead by the power of our example,” Biden told delegates and observers on Monday.

“I know that hasn’t always been the case,” he added, in a reference to Trump.

Questions Over U.S. Ability to Deliver on Promises

Biden has essentially bet that the right mix of policies on climate change and the economy are not only good for the country but will help Democrats politically. But questions remain about whether he has enough political capital at home to fully honor his promises to world leaders about shifting the U.S. toward renewable energy.

Gubernatorial elections Tuesday in Virginia and New Jersey — states Biden won in last year’s election — will provide the first ballot-box test of how Americans view his presidency.

Biden joined other leaders Tuesday for an initiative to promote safeguarding the world’s forests, which pull vast amounts of carbon pollution from the air. As part of a broader international effort, the administration is attempting to halt natural forest loss by 2030 and intends to dedicate up to $9 billion of climate funding to the issue, pending congressional approval.

“Forests have the potential to reduce — reduce — carbon globally by more than one third,” Biden said.

The president and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen co-hosted an event to promote an alternative to China’s infrastructure financing programs. Biden compared his “Build Back Better World” policies to the Chinese programs, saying his would not expose countries seeking infrastructure funds to “debt traps and corruption.”

He then highlighted the commitments by roughly 100 countries to cut methane emissions by 30% over the next decade.

Some Pledges Will Bypass Congress

Biden will hold a news conference before returning to Washington. Crucial for his time in Scotland is that he’s emphasizing several policies that can be achieved without congressional buy-in, such as the methane pledges and private partnerships.

Back home, his administration chose Tuesday to launch a wide-ranging plan to reduce methane emissions, targeting a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.

Biden came to the summit saying he hoped to see his legislation pass this week, but Manchin’s new objections threaten to close the narrow window Biden may have to win passage of his initiatives. The senator is eager to preserve his state’s declining coal industry despite coal’s falling competitiveness in U.S. energy markets.

If Biden’s climate legislation falters, he could be limited to regulatory projects on climate that could easily be overturned by the next U.S. president, and turn his stirring cries for climate action abroad into wistful talk at home.

Manchin’s statements are a possible sign that one of two key Democratic votes in the Senate wants to delay votes on the president’s agenda until the bill is fully reviewed. But House Democrats are still taking steps this week to pass Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure package, which includes efforts to address climate change. The White House is seeking to turn both measures into law, linking them in hopes of appeasing a diverse and at times fractious Democratic caucus.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki pushed back, saying the administration is confident the spending package already meets the criteria set by Manchin.

“It is fully paid for, will reduce the deficit, and brings down costs for health care, childcare, elder care, and housing,” Psaki said. “We remain confident that the plan will gain Senator Manchin’s support.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

DON'T MISS

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

DON'T MISS

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

DON'T MISS

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

DON'T MISS

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

DON'T MISS

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

DON'T MISS

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

DON'T MISS

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

DON'T MISS

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

UP NEXT

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

UP NEXT

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

UP NEXT

935 People Killed in Israeli Strikes on Iran, Official Says

UP NEXT

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

UP NEXT

US Revokes Visas for Bob Vylan After Music Duo’s Glastonbury Chants

UP NEXT

Israel Acknowledges Palestinian Civilians Harmed at Gaza Aid Sites, Says ‘Lessons Learned’

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Says Senate Bill Would Destroy Jobs and Harm US

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

Iran-Linked Hackers May Target US Firms and Critical Infrastructure, US Government Warns

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

14 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

14 hours ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

14 hours ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

15 hours ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

15 hours ago

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

15 hours ago

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

15 hours ago

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

15 hours ago

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

15 hours ago

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

The Clovis Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating an at-risk missing adult last seen on Thursday. Pathmani Goonawarde...

13 hours ago

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
13 hours ago

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

fresno
13 hours ago

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

14 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

Bryan Koberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, listens during a hearing to overturn his grand jury indictment in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., October 26, 2023. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

The Blanca Fire, burning 12 acres northwest of Lake Madera Country Estates in Madera County, remains active with 0% containment and no reported injuries or structural damage as the cause is under investigation as of Monday, June 30, 2025. (CalFire)
14 hours ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

Fresno County CHP arrested two on Interstate 5 after finding about one kilogram of suspected cocaine, a loaded ghost gun, and counterfeit money during a vehicle search on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (CHP)
15 hours ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

Gov. Newsom warns Californians to celebrate the Fourth of July safely, emphasizing zero tolerance for illegal fireworks which have surged to over 600,000 pounds seized this year. (Shutterstock)
15 hours ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend