Following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen issued the following statement:

“Tonight, President Biden clearly outlined the historic progress his administration has made in its first two years in combatting the climate crisis and advancing environmental justice. Under his leadership, congressional Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, once-in-a-generation legislation that is supercharging a clean energy build-out that will end our reliance on fossil fuels, increase clean energy production, and create hundreds of thousands of new green economy jobs. Now, the Biden administration must keep its promises to communities of color, Indigenous communities, and low-income communities and ensure these funds go to those that need them the most.

“President Biden said in his speech that the climate crisis “is an existential threat” and that “we have an obligation to our children and grandchildren to confront it…America is at last stepping up to the challenge. But there’s much more to do.” Too many devastating Trump rules remain on the books, and we need the Biden administration to finalize strong rules to hold polluting industries accountable and protect communities from pollution. When it comes to fossil fuel development on our public lands, President Biden must match his words with actions, which means saying no to greenlighting projects like Willow in the Western Arctic, which will harm fragile ecosystems already harmed by climate change, emit hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide and further line the pockets of oil and gas companies who continue to rake in record profits.

“This administration should stay focused on quickly disbursing funds made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act and achieving the President’s ultimate climate goals. President Biden’s legacy is poised to be the greatest climate champion to ever hold the office, and he has two more years to fulfill his promise. We look forward to partnering with his administration, holding it accountable, and continuing the fight to meet our climate goals and promises to environmental justice communities.”