The Fossil Fuel Executive Inside The White House

As Biden faces the biggest climate decision of his term, he’s hearing “concerns” from one of his closest advisors—who happens to be a former gas executive.

by Emily Atkin, Heated

In the coming weeks, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to make one of the most consequential climate change decisions of his term.

Bloomberg News reports that the White House will soon decide whether to pause the permit approval process for more than a half dozen new liquified methane gas (LNG) export terminals, which would ship domestically produced fracked gas to countries overseas.

These proposed terminals are massive fossil fuel projects that, if given the green light by the Department of Energy, could add up to 317 coal plants worth of carbon emissions to the atmosphere over the coming decade, according to The Guardian.

amos hochstein sits at a table with an american flag behind him

Needless to say, adding 317 coal plants worth of carbon emissions to the atmosphere would effectively doom the U.S.’s climate goals—and certainly violate Biden’s recent pledge at COP28 “to transition away from the fossil fuels that jeopardize our planet and our people.”

But activists feel confident that this is a fight they can win—namely because, as Bloomberg reported on Friday, several influential Biden advisors have already come on board with a pause.