Sen. Ed Markey calls on Biden to declare climate emergency

Late last week, Sen. Joe Manchin’s refusal to support a Democratic spending bill with crucial provisions on climate and energy left activists with little hope for the future of federal climate change action.

Even after the disintegration of nearly a year of negotiations with Manchin to secure his support for the legislation, Sen. Ed Markey still has optimism that there is a path forward and is looking to President Joe Biden for help.

“My hope is that the Biden administration will announce this week that a climate emergency is needed and that we're going to move and I'm going to be giving them my full support to accomplish that goal,” he said during an appearance on Boston Public Radio.

Biden is expected to travel to the shuttered Brayton power plant in Somerset on Wednesday to address the way his administration will respond to the climate crisis.

A climate emergency declaration could provide at least a bit of relief in the short term, giving the administration the power to stop oil and gas exports, limit drilling in certain areas, and boost the use of renewable energy.

Considering Manchin’s cited concerns about inflation, Markey believes that if inflation levels begin to fall, there could be space for a compromise in the future.

“If Sen. Manchin says he's concerned about inflation, and if inflation goes down significantly ... and it very well could … then it still gives us a chance to stay at the table to pass significant climate and clean energy provisions," Markey said.

While Manchin has repeatedly voiced his economic concerns about the climate and energy package, some people question how large a role his investments in coal played in his decision not to support the bill.

Markey said election funding from the fossil fuel industry limits the ability of politicians to take action on climate change, as doing so would risk losing their support.

“Because the oil, gas and coal industries are the largest contributors to the Republican Party — especially the dark money which is inside of the political system in the United States — their hands are tied,” he said.

When asked about the United States' future as a leader in the climate space considering recent Supreme Court decisions that restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority, Markey reiterated his call for reforming the court and abolishing the filibuster.

“The best way to deal with [these failures] is to expand the Supreme Court,” the senator said, referring to the EPA decision as well as controversial conservative rulings on abortion and gun control. “We cannot allow for this illegitimate Supreme Court to continue for the next upwards of 15 years to not have any constraints upon what it can do to undermine the last two generations of progressive changes in our country.”

Markey emphasized that making these changes relies on Democratic wins in the midterms this fall.

“We have to hold on to our existing seats,” he said. “This is all about elections. It's all about making sure that we give ourselves the ability to make these changes.”

In light of the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, many fear that the court will seek to roll back decisions that guaranteed the right to interracial and gay marriage, as well as contraception.

“We have to fight back,” Markey said. “We have to adopt a strategy which says that we are going to do our best, at least for as long as we can, to stop this assault upon all of the constitutional protections which have been enshrined into law over the last two generations in our country. Otherwise, this ancient animosity which these right wing Republicans have towards this progressive era is just going to continue until they remove all of the protections. And I don't think that is an acceptable option at all.”