State Department climate lawyer Sue Biniaz said the discussion with the EU was “fraught with complexity on both sides of the equation.” She said a U.S. carbon border tax was not an “extremely active possibility.” It is not yet clear how Kerry will work with the Department of Defense (DOD), but newly created positions at the DOD that deal with climate should help coordinate efforts there. By setting a standard without a source-by-source prescription, the policy is supposed to allow businesses and utilities to determine the most efficient way of meeting the targets. Within the White House, Kerry is expected to work closely with Melanie Nakagawa, Senior Director for Climate and Energy, a new position that is part of the NSC. Two other members of Kerry’s team include Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, who worked as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department for Energy and Environment under President Obama, and Rick Duke, the Special Assistant on climate change. Reviews Write New Review. President Biden has nine staffers with “climate” in their titles, compared to five for President Obama when he first took office. https://newsyfi.com/a-nerve-center-for-climate-in-the-biden-white-house “White House staffers do not have the authority to make decisions on spending or personnel,” he said. Relying on legal advice prepared by paid counsel for your opponents is presumably not part of the “art of the deal.” Yet pro-Paris Republicans now appear to be taking their cues from Todd Stern and Sue Biniaz, who were respectively U.S. special envoy for climate change and senior U.S. climate negotiator in the Obama administration. They will include Jonathan Pershing, who served as the State Department special envoy for climate change under President Obama; Sue Biniaz, a former top climate lawyer for the State Department across multiple administrations who played a key role in drafting the Paris Agreement; and Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury Department for energy and environment under Mr. Obama. WASHINGTON — Joseph R. Biden Jr. assumed the presidency on Wednesday, bringing an expansive team of climate change experts to staff a White House that is preparing to focus on global warming in a way no other administration has done before. The mix of expertise was applauded by moderate Democrats as well as the liberal wing of the climate movement, which has been critical of some of the incoming president’s policy positions and personnel choices. 25 years later: When the world united against climate change The expansive White House team, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, has provoked consternation among Republicans. In early statements, Regan has appealed to Republicans that he will consider all constituencies and be fair-minded as he implements the Biden administration agenda to address climate change. In the coming days, two people with knowledge of new hires said, Mr. Biden is expected to announce several additions to Mr. Kerry’s team. In that capacity, she played a central role in all major international climate negotiations, including the Paris Agreement on climate change. US edition. 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