Brief #166 – Environment Policy Brief
by : Todd Broadman
Amidst bipartisan support, the Biden administration allocates $6 billion towards green jobs, targeting the decarbonization of heavy industries like steel and aluminum. This initiative aims to create employment opportunities while advancing environmental goals, sparking debates on its effectiveness and economic viability.
Brief #116—Environment
By Todd Broadman
The Biden Administration has recognized what previous administrations have not: that carbon-based energy has been destroying our planet and must stop, that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to net zero by 2050. Recognition is a major step forward. Government action to replace our fossil fuel economy with renewables is a colossal task and one that Biden aims to tackle.
What we know is that carbon-free energy is actually more mineral intensive than its oil-based counterpart. There are some 35 rare earth minerals that are key components to making the transition from fossil-fuels to clean energy. Lithium has recently garnered much attention for its essential role in the production of lithium-ion batteries that power our next generation of EV cars. (Other essential minerals include aluminum, cobalt, copper, and nickel).
Brief #100—Environment
By Todd Broadman
The Tongass forest, referred to as “America’s Amazon,” was designated a National Forest by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902.
Brief #65—Environment
by By Todd Broadman
Through an Executive Order issued March 1, 2025, there is to be an expansion of American timber production that meets goals to achieve “sound forest management, reduce time to deliver timber, and decrease timber supply uncertainty.” Approximately 100 million acres, the equivalent of 60% of our national forests, are to be within earshot of a chainsaw. In so doing, the Trump administration declares this a “new era” in national forest management. Legally protected forest land and parts of old growth forest are slated be part of the expanded production.
For the last 475 years, the expanse of ocean from western Florida to southern Texas has been called the “Gulf of Mexico.” English geographer Richard Hakluyt referred to the “Gulfe of Mexico” in his work of 1589. With the stroke of a pen on February 9, 2025, the President of the United States signed Executive Order 14172 and renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.” In addition to “restoring American pride,” President Trump justified the name change by referencing territorial rights over much of the area and that those waters have “long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.” Trump considers the Gulf a business asset.
40% of the U.S. population line our coasts. That equates to approximately 130 million people residing in coastal counties. In addition to those who retire seaside, entire economies are integrated into the coastal industries of fishing, tourism, energy, shipbuilding, and recreation. Even a cursory glance using google maps shows how tightly clustered the built space is, all on only 10% of the total U.S. land mass. Shoreline communities have five times the population density as compared to the U.S. average.
Don’t Expect Trump 2.0 to be Climate Friendly Environment Policy #177 | By: Todd J. Broadman | January 10, 2025 Photo by Documerica on Unsplash __________________________________ POLICY SUMMARY President-elect Trump is set to take office on January 6, 2025 and has...
In the midst of escalating environmental crises, climate change has surprisingly taken a backseat in political discourse. Despite initial commitments from the Biden administration to combat climate change through initiatives like the Paris Agreement and the Inflation Reduction Act, significant challenges remain. As fossil fuel production reaches unprecedented levels and partisan divides deepen, the urgency to prioritize climate policy faces increasing obstacles, leaving many to question the future of our environmental commitments.
As the clock ticks on climate change, scientists and corporations are racing to deploy geoengineering solutions like carbon capture and solar radiation modification. While these technologies offer hope, they also raise complex ethical and environmental concerns that could reshape global climate policy for decades to come.