[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 24397-24398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09012]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 24397]]

                Proclamation 10372 of April 21, 2022

                
Earth Day, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Fifty-two years ago, millions of people gathered across 
                our country in a rally to protect our planet. This 
                collective action gave birth to a new movement and 
                spurred the creation of landmark environmental laws 
                that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink. 
                Today, we must recapture that spirit and, as I said in 
                my Inaugural Address, heed a cry for survival that 
                comes from the planet itself.

                In their most recent report, the Intergovernmental 
                Panel on Climate Change provided yet another round of 
                evidence that climate change is no longer in the 
                distant future--it is here. Last year, extreme weather 
                and climate disasters cost our communities $145 billion 
                and claimed hundreds of lives. In the summer of 2021 
                alone, nearly 1 out of every 3 Americans experienced a 
                weather disaster. The climate crisis is upending lives 
                across the country and around the world. Environmental 
                injustices continue to exact a toll on the health of 
                communities of color, low-income communities, and 
                Tribal and Indigenous communities. A number of wildlife 
                species in the United States and around the world are 
                facing an extinction crisis unparalleled in human 
                history. The environmental challenges of our time call 
                for historic action, and we intend to meet the moment.

                That is why my Administration has launched the most 
                ambitious environmental and climate agenda in history. 
                We have made the bold commitment to reduce greenhouse 
                gas emissions in the United States by 50 to 52 percent 
                by 2030, reach 100 percent carbon pollution-free 
                electricity by 2035, and achieve net zero emissions 
                economy-wide by no later than 2050. To work toward 
                these goals, we have taken action across every sector 
                of the economy, including setting the strongest-ever 
                standards for greenhouse gas emissions from passenger 
                vehicles, tackling super-pollutants like methane and 
                hydrofluorocarbons, investing billions in the 
                deployment of clean technologies, and launching the 
                American offshore wind industry.

                In addition, I was proud to start the ``America the 
                Beautiful'' initiative, our first-ever voluntary 
                national conservation goal to conserve 30 percent of 
                America's lands and waters by 2030.

                The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-
                generation opportunity to build on these actions and 
                accelerate our Nation's ability to confront the 
                environmental and climate challenges we face. It will 
                allow us to remediate and reclaim abandoned mine lands 
                and oil wells leaking methane while putting Americans 
                to work in good paying jobs; invest in coastal wetlands 
                and habitats that can protect infrastructure and homes 
                during storms; replace lead pipes that plague 
                underserved communities and remove dangerous chemicals 
                from our drinking water; restore watersheds and rivers; 
                create fish passage to protect iconic species, such as 
                salmon; restore forests as carbon sinks; build 
                resilience to climate impacts including droughts, heat, 
                floods, and wildfires; and build a national network of 
                electric vehicle charging stations to accelerate our 
                transition to electric mobility.

                As my Administration implements this agenda, we are 
                following through on our commitment to ensuring that 
                our investments advance equity and

[[Page 24398]]

                justice and reach communities across the country--
                including rural communities, communities of color, and 
                low-income communities. We will be guided by the 
                steadfast conviction of Earth Day founder Gaylord 
                Nelson, my friend and former colleague, that ``every 
                person has the inalienable right to a decent 
                environment,'' including those who have long been shut 
                out of decisions that directly affect their lives and 
                who are most likely to bear the brunt of pollution and 
                climate change.

                The responsibility to confront the climate crisis is 
                not solely on the United States. It requires leaders 
                across the world committing to a clean energy future. 
                On my first day in office, I fulfilled my promise to 
                rejoin our Nation to the Paris Agreement to tackle the 
                climate crisis at home and abroad.

                For the future of our planet, for our health, and for 
                our children and grandchildren, we must act now. Let us 
                stand united in this effort to save our planet and, in 
                the process, strengthen our economy and grow more 
                connected to each other and the world we share.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 22, 
                2022, as Earth Day. I encourage all Americans to 
                participate in programs and activities that will deepen 
                their understanding of environmental protection, the 
                urgency of climate change, and the need to create a 
                healthier, safer, more equitable future for all people.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-09012
Filed 4-25-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P