A reporter asked National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby Tuesday if the Biden administration was tracking carbon emissions from the aid flights to Israel and Ukraine.
President Joe Biden required federal agencies to track carbon emissions in a December 2021 executive order. The State Department came under fire in June after it failed to track carbon emissions to multiple climate summits, including COP 26 and COP 27. (RELATED: ‘How Is It Good?’: Josh Hawley Grills Energy Official On Biden’s EV Push ‘Enriching’ China)
“Just a quick question about whether the administration includes environmental impact assessments in calculating how to support allies like Israel and Ukraine?” Andrea Powell of Voice of America asked Kirby. “Just for reference, we interviewed some environmental experts who estimated that in the last 60 days, U.S. supply flights to Israel contributed to 133,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. That’s a lot, right. So is that part of the calculation that you make? And how do you balance your desire to protect the environment with your desire to protect your allies?”
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The United States has sent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.
“I know of no — and I’m happy to take this question — I know of no mathematical analysis that we’re conducting at an agency level to judge the impact of using jet fuel for instance, to fly support to Ukraine or get it into the region for Israel,” Kirby responded. “Again, I’ll take that question. But we’re focused, rightly so, on making sure that our two partners have what they need to defend themselves. And that’s really where the president’s head is.”
The Biden administration has pushed a range of regulations targeting household appliances and gasoline-powered vehicles in pursuit of its wider climate agenda.
The administration proposed new regulations on water heaters in July, following an effort to regulate gas stoves in February 2023. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced new proposed regulations for increased fuel efficiency in passenger cars and light trucks July 28, taking the required average fuel economy to 58 miles per gallon, according to a release.
Despite Biden’s push for electric vehicles, the Biden administration blocked efforts to start mining for copper and nickel, critical materials for producing electric vehicles near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in January 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency blocked the mining of 1.4 billion tons of copper, gold, molybdenum, silver and rhenium in Alaska in order to protect salmon in a Jan. 31, 2023 ruling.
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