President Joe Biden set a new goal to conserve 30% of all land and water the United States has jurisdiction over by 2030 during a speech on Monday but momentarily forgot the year amid a flurry of environmental initiatives.
At the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center in Palo Alto, California, alongside Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, Biden discussed how climate change is “the existential threat” to humanity.
During his speech, which the White House later corrected in the transcript, the President said: “And maybe most important, I’ve committed by 2020 we will have conserved 30% of all the lands and waters the United States has jurisdiction over and simultaneously reduce emissions to blunt climate impacts.”
President. Joe. Biden.
That’s the tweet.Here’s the quote:
“And maybe most important, I've committed to it. By 2020, we will have conserved 30% of all the lands and waters the United States has jurisdiction over and simultaneously reduce emissions to blunt climate impact.” pic.twitter.com/fG0dzoeHwI— HARRISFAULKNER (@HARRISFAULKNER) June 19, 2023
The 80-year-old president also said that thousands of farmers rely on the Colorado River for “integration” instead of “irrigation,” the transcript shows, as well as suggesting the so-called infrastructure bill designated $3.5 million to flood mitigation instead of $3.5 billion.
In addition, Biden made several announcements related to environmental spending, including $600 million for a program called the “Climate Resilience Regional Challenge” and $2 billion for the Department of Energy to use for the electrical grid.
The president also discussed Congress’s actions and Republicans who he referred to as “MAGA Republicans.”
“Unfortunately, some of our MAGA Republican friends in Congress are continuing to try to undo all the progress we’ve already made in the first two and a half years,” Biden said. “They were holding the country hostage over the debt limit unless I would gut the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. I was determined not to let that happen.”
Governor Newsom has indicated his support for a Biden re-election campaign in 2024. “Our democracy is under attack,” Newsom said on Twitter in April. “Our freedom is being stripped away. It’s time to step up — and there’s no one better to lead that fight than President Biden. Looking forward to another four years of his leadership. Let’s show up big today. Every dollar counts.”
Biden’s slip-up may create a sense of doubt and uncertainty for some. Although the White House corrected the incident in the transcript of the speech, it raises questions about some of his policies. As of now, his promise to conserve 30% of all land and water the U.S. has jurisdiction over by 2030 still stands. The United States and its citizens will have to wait and see if Biden can live up to his promise.