Ernst Demands Transparency on Emissions Used to Transport Biden, Cabinet to and from U.N. Climate Summit

WASHINGTON—As President Biden, his cabinet members, and high-ranking Administration officials continue their war on U.S. fossil fuels, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is calling for transparency surrounding their travel to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). In a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Ernst, along with Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), are requesting the total amount of carbon emissions required to transport President Biden and Administration officials to Glasgow, Scotland.

 

In the letter, Ernst and her colleagues write, “In one of the first official acts of his presidency, President Biden released a slew of Executive Orders (EO) targeting the fossil fuel industry. Specifically, he issued EOs revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and halting the sale of oil and gas leases on federal lands. In direct contrast to his attacks on Ameican energy independence, President Biden later terminated sanctions on Russia allowing them to complete Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany. The result of this policy is that we are now more dependent on foreign adversaries for the energy to run America.”

 

They go on to say, “While President Biden continues to target American energy with harmful policies, he and his staff continue to rely on fossil-fuel transportation. In the interest of transparency, we would like an answer to understand the total amount of emissions linked to the transportation to and from COP26 for Biden Administration officials.”

 

To read the full letter, click here.

 

Background:

Earlier this year, Ernst introduced the Executive Branch Emissions Transparency Act, cosponsored by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.). The bill would create a publicly accessible database documenting the carbon emissions associated with all fossil fuel-powered travel by the president, vice president, and executive branch political appointees.