Although the Biden-Harris administration has enacted a series of regulations addressing environmental health and alleged human-caused climate change, it is unlikely to complete everything on its agenda before President Joe Biden's term ends in January.
November's election will go a long way in determining whether the agenda will be completed should Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris win or if it will be abandoned following a victory by Republican former President Donald Trump, The Hill reported Monday.
The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by Biden in August 2022 targeted billions of dollars to climate-friendly initiatives, including funding for assistance for environmental and climate justice activities to benefit underserved and overburdened communities, lessening greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering economic reliance on fossil fuels with volatile global market prices.
One of the highest-profile policies that is unlikely to be finished in Biden's term is his effort to protect workers from "extreme heat," The Hill reported. His administration announced in 2021 that it planned to require companies to provide employees with such protections, but it didn't propose to do so until this year.
If completed, the proposal would mandate that employers provide rest breaks and access to shade and water for workers who face extreme heat risks. They also would be required to identify heat hazards and develop heat illness and emergency response plans.
Also, rules that would regulate planet-warming emissions from existing gas-powered plants and that would set discharge limits for toxic "forever chemicals" are also unlikely to be finished before Biden's term is up, according to The Hill.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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