After 122 lawsuits, California finally gets new environmental allies as Biden swears in

With the advent of Joe Biden as the new American President, the state of California, which has been battling with natural disasters since long, has now got environmental allies. The new administration not only shares many of the state’s concerns but also has been quick to address Donald Trump’s deregulation efforts. In recent years, the Golden State has been battered with issues such as water scarcity, interfiled heatwaves and dire wildfire causing gigantic loss, both in terms of money and lives.

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Opposition to Trump’s policies

California has tenaciously led the resistance to Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back environmental regulations in the past four years. According to The Guardian, The State’s attorney general Xavier Becerra has filed 122 lawsuits suing the previous administration for its policies on climate. The list did not end at it but also included trump’s regulations on health care, immigration, border wall, public lands amongst others.

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Now with Democrats swearing-in as America’s leadership, the western American state has, once again, got allies in the White House when it comes to environmental protection. Immediately after swearing-in on January 20, Biden released a comprehensive non-exclusive list of Trump policies that will be up for review as part of his new initiative to prioritize public health and climate change. As per the Guardian, the list is intended to serve as a roadmap for US officials, especially those at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Interior.

Many of items in the list fall in line with California’s priority like animal protection, vehicle regulations etc. Firstly, Biden’s plan supports the state’s carbon-cutting plan and his new rules would enable increased state control on car manufactures. Secondly, environmentalists hope Biden’s rule would put a curb to expanded oil and gas drilling in the state. In addendum, to solving the state’s water wars, Biden’s review list includes the changed determination for protection of fish called the delta smelt. Lastly, the Biden administration has put to review the Endangered Species Act of 1973, in which Trump had added new criteria for listing and removing animals that may be at risk. 

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