Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis reportedly vowed on Wednesday that, if elected, he would slow America’s transition to electric vehicles, repeal environmental, social, and governance regulations, and significantly increase domestic fossil fuel production.
In a speech delivered in Midland, Texas the governor of Florida stated that he would withdraw the United States from global agreements to reduce emissions, while expanding production of crude, gas, coal, and uranium on federal lands.
When viewed as a whole, the plan constituted a doubling down on the promises DeSantis and the majority of his Republican rivals made while running for office to eliminate restrictions on the use and production of fossil fuels as well as to reduce regulations.
He declared that under his leadership, the federal government would substitute the term “energy dominance” for “climate change” in important national security and foreign policy texts.
“We’ve seen a concerted effort to ramp up the fear when it comes to things like global warming and climate change,” DeSantis said.
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed regulations that could result in as much as two-thirds of the new vehicle market transitioning to EVs by 2032.
DeSantis vowed to reveal all of the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandates, saying that it would be necessary to do so in order to prevent “California and faceless bureaucrats from setting America’s environmental standards.”
DeSantis’ proposal, calls for pension funds and public accounts to stop taking environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into account when making investment decisions.
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule, which would have required businesses to disclose certain ESG-related information to investors, would also be repealed.
DeSantis also called for large expenditures in so-called vital minerals, including the establishment of a vital Mineral Strategic Reserve, in addition to increasing the output of fossil fuels.
[READ MORE: DeSantis Unveils Major New Energy Plan to Bring Back $2 a Gallon gas]
