This is the ninth edition of the Biden Tracking newsletter. Last week, the Biden Administration denied a petition to protect Whales, outpaced the Trump Administration in drilling permits, and restarted Trump-era rapid asylum screenings. It is Monday, January 30th, 2023, day 741 of the Biden Presidency.
Friday, January 20th (Day 731) (Missed from Last Week)
Biden Admin Denies Petition to Protect Right Whales
This story is from last week but was not included in last week’s newsletter
On Friday, the National Marine Fisheries Service denied an emergency petition that sought to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from being struck and killed by vessels in their calving grounds off the coast of the southeast United States. The species is down to about 70 reproductive females. The Service said it does not have the time and resources to effectively implement the emergency regulations and is working with vessel operators to get voluntary slow-downs. This is another example of inaction by the Biden Administration when it comes to protecting endangered species.
Tuesday, January 24th (Day 735)
Biden Administration Outpacing Trump in New Permits for Oil and Gas Drilling
New Federal data dug up by the Center for Biological Diversity found that through two years, President Biden is outpacing President Trump on the number of approvals for oil and gas drilling permits on public lands. Through two years, the Biden Administration has approved 6,430 such permits, while the Trump administration had only approved 6,172 permits in the same time frame. On the campaign trail, then-candidate Biden pledged to end new federal oil and gas leasing and drilling, though he has since backed away from that promise. Federal oil and gas programs are a huge driver of climate change, which the President has called an “existential threat.” These numbers bring into question the sincerity of the statement. There is some good news though, the Biden Administration approved fewer drilling permits than the Trump administration when comparing just the second years of their presidencies, hopefully showing that such approvals are slowing down.
Thursday, January 26th (Day 737)
Biden Administration Restarts Trump-era Rapid Asylum Screenings
On Thursday, Reuters reported that the Biden Administration would begin using Trump-era fast-track asylum screenings at the U.S.-Mexico border. These screenings determine whether arriving migrants at the border have a legitimate fear of persecution or torture in their home countries - the first step in an asylum claim. Interviews for asylum seekers would be conducted within days. If the person is unable to establish a fear of persecution during the interview, they will be deported. Under the program, Asylum seekers would have only days to prepare a complex legal claim, something that activists argue is a mockery of justice.
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