By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


Conservation groups in Michigan are welcoming the Biden administration's commitment to environmental protection, while energy companies are decrying what they see as a return to burdensome regulations.

President Biden issued executive orders last week canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and bringing the U.S. back into the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Tim Minotas, the legislative and political coordinator for the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, felt the policies are crucial for the state, which continues to feel the climate impacts of increased rainfall and flooding, as well as deterioration of Lake Michigan's shores.

"These executive actions really will protect our public lands, water and coasts, and make great strides towards environmental justice and including those voices into any climate work," Minotas explained. "We look forward to working with them, and creating a more clean and sustainable future."

Executive actions also included creating a National Climate Task Force, a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands, and a ten-year goal to conserve 30% of the country's land by 2030.

Meanwhile, General Motors this week set a goal of making the vast majority of the vehicles it produces electric by 2035, and the entire company carbon neutral, including operations, five years after that.

The Detroit automaker’s push into electric vehicles has gone into overdrive this year. GM has already announced that it will invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles in the next five years, a 35% increase over plans made before the pandemic. It will offer 30 all-electric models worldwide by the middle of the decade.

By the end of 2025, 40% of its U.S. models will be battery electric vehicles. The company plans to include crossovers, SUVs, sedans, and trucks in its electric vehicle lineup.