Portland State Vanguard Volume 76 Issue 18

VOLUME 76 • ISSUE 18 • AUGUST 10, 2021

SAVE U P O S TA L U N I O N S AYS :

SPORTS

Big Sky commissioner says to players: get vaccinated P.6

ARTS & CULTURE The joy of live Shakespeare P.7

OPINION

Biden’s climate policy P.8-9

CONTENTS

COVER BY SHANNON STEED, COVER PHOTOS BY CONOR CARROLL

NEWS HILL TO HALL AUGUST 2–AUGUST 6

P. 3

ON THE POST OFFICE’S 246TH BIRTHDAY, UNION OFFICIALS AND OREGON POLITICIANS DEMAND REFORM INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD AUGUST 1–6

STAFF EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Nick Gatlin MANAGING EDITOR Morgan Troper NEWS EDITORS Conor Carroll Danny O’Brien INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa SPORTS EDITOR Eric Shelby SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Ryan McConnell

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser OPINION EDITOR Rachel Owen ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings COPY CHIEF Mackenzie Streissguth CONTRIBUTORS Nova Johnson Catherine Kane Analisa Landeros Kat Leon

P. 4

P. 5

SPORTS BIG SKY COMMISSIONER AND OTHERS WANT MOST PLAYERS VACCINATED BEFORE SEASON STARTS ARTS & CULTURE SHAKESPEARE, CROSS-DRESSING AND THE JOY OF LIVE THEATER OPINION IS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DOING ENOUGH TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE?

PHO T O A ND MULTIMEDI A MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Olivia Lee

A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Shannon Steed

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

DESIGNER Kelsey Stewart T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow Kahela Fickle George Olson

P. 6

STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com

MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.

P. 7 P. 8-9

A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

AUGUST 2-6 CONOR CARROLL

AUGUST 2: REPORT: CITY OF PORTLAND LAGGING FAR BEHIND CO2 EMISSION REDUCTION GOALS

In a recent One-Year Progress Report provided to the Portland City Commissioners by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, it was made clear that Portland is far behind the goals set out in July 2020, when the city declared a climate emergency. The declaration outlined over 30 different steps City Hall would take to make Portland greener.

The goals of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, similar to those presented by the Biden administration on a national level, have been debated by both sides of the political spectrum. Experts believe current goals of emission cuts are not fast or deep enough to protect against further climate change. “For decades Portland has been a leader in climate action, but now most leading cities are well out in front of where we are,” the report stated.

AUGUST 3: MAYOR WHEELER TO PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU: GET READY FOR BODY CAMERAS

The mayor’s office issued a statement on body worn cameras and has committed to creating a program whereby all police officers must adhere to the requirement of transparency. Many expect this was a preemptive move in expectation of the federal government stepping in and forcing the matter. “I am not alone in supporting police worn body cameras,” Wheeler said in the statement. “At least 75 other large government agencies use body worn cameras for policing.” Portland is the largest U.S. city which does not require body cameras for all police officers.

AUGUST 4: OREGON SEC. OF STATE REVEALS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION THAT HAS NO REAL POWER

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced what she termed the “People’s Commission,” which would assist in an advisory capacity in the redrawing of political districts, once the U.S. Census Bureau releases their data on Aug. 12. Technically, state lawmakers have the first chance to set the new district boundaries, however this has only happened twice since 1911, according to reporting. Despite an agreement struck by the Democrats and Republicans regarding the district lines, Fagan’s commission is different from those in other states; most others have a final say in district map construction. Fagan’s gives no power to those participating in the commission. The Oregon Supreme Court ruled lawmakers have until Sept. 27 to pass their own maps.

AUGUST 6: OREGON REACHES HIGHEST LEVELS OF COVID-19 ICU HOSPITALIZATIONS SINCE PEAK LAST DEC.

According to data from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), there are more people in the Intensive Care Unit from COVID-19 in the state now than since the last spike in hospitalizations last Dec. The Delta variant has been blamed for this recent spike in ICU visits, as has the lack of vaccinations in areas where COVID-19 has been spreading so steadily. The patients contracting the Delta variant are far younger than before, according to OHA data. Patients are also getting sicker at a faster rate and appear to be exhibiting more extreme symptoms.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 10, 2021 • psuvanguard.com

NEWS

3

ON THE POST OFFICE’S 246TH BIRTHDAY, UNION OFFICIALS AND OREGON POLITICIANS DEMAND REFORM CONOR CARROLL & DANNY O’BRIEN The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and community members held a rally July 26 at the East Portland Post Office to celebrate Postal Heritage Day, and to demand that the U.S. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, resign or be removed from office.

Problems with funding the United States Post Office (USPS) were made clear again in 1970, with the Postal Reorganization Act, which stated that the Postal Service was self-sustaining and exempted it from both executive control and budget/funding laws. From the 1970s until 1989, funding fluctuated depending on if USPS ran a surplus or deficit, until 1989 when its funding was officially taken out of the congressional budget.

Rally participants had all been given pamphlets on the history and tribulations of the Post Office, and details like those above were discussed in hushed circles. Predetermined speakers stood in front of a makeshift podium and attempted to speak over the passing traffic.

Those in attendance also called for reforms to a postal service long-bereft of proper funding and adequate management, according to Jamie Partridge, a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers and representative for Portland’s Communities and Postal Workers United.

“The overall goal of those who are attacking the postal service is to turn it into a private entity,” Partridge said in an interview with the Portland State Vanguard.

The plan put forth by DeJoy does lean towards privatization of post office services. In fact, a company DeJoy has financial ties with recently received a $120 million contract from the United States Postal Service, despite a year-long call for his removal from the position.

DeJoy was appointed by President Donald Trump in June 2020 amidst a nationwide controversy surrounding mail-in ballots. Following his appointment, DeJoy made several sweeping moves, displacements and reassignments within the USPS. “Postal prices have risen, you know…it was three cents when I was a kid and now, you know, it’s like 58 cents a piece,” Partridge said. “Everything is just going up.”

4

NEWS

CONOR CARROLL & DANNY O’BRIEN

A SIGN IN SUPPORT OF INCREASED USPS FUNDING AND THE REMOVAL OF U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL LOUIS DEJOY, FROM A JULY 26 RALLY BY COMMUNITIES AND POSTAL WORKERS UNITED. CONOR CARROLL/PSU VANGUARD In May 2021, DeJoy announced a ten-year plan for the Postal Service called “Delivering for America,” which outlined changes in hours for some stations, increased stamp costs, lowered standards for first-class mail and closed some locations.

“This new iteration of privatizers comes out of the Trump camp,” Partridge said. “Louis DeJoy comes from the private sector; he made his millions as the head of a logistics company called XPO, which is trucking. And now his XPO is getting all of these contracts?”

The plan is centered on austerity measures and budget cuts, and has the stated goal of saving the Postal Service $160 billion over the span of the next decade. The majority of the austerity measures take the form of cutting pre-funded health care for retirees and raising the price of paper mail and postage by as much as 9%.

“The privatization is happening, without an act of Congress, and it’s very difficult to get rid of [DeJoy],” Partridge said. “In the meantime, these price hikes are going into effect [soon], the delay of mail from three to five days is going into effect in September.”

Additionally, 18 mail processing plants are going to be closed by Nov., including Bend, OR, according to Partridge.

“Biden’s being urged by three of our Congresspeople: Blumenauer, Bonamici and DeFazio, to fire those six Trump appointees, for negligence and dereliction of duty,” Partridge said.

Before the rally, Oregon congressional representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici wrote a let-

ter to President Biden denouncing Postmaster General DeJoy and his ten-year plan as “dangerous” and “critically flawed.”

They stress that this plan will cause massive delays, especially in Oregon. The average expected delay in Oregon will be one day late, and more than half of all first-class mail is expected to incur delays.

The representatives also demand the removal of Ron Bloom, William Zollars, Robert Duncan, Lee Moak, John Barger and Roman Martinez IV from the USPS Board of Governors for complicity.

In a letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission signed by 21 attorneys general, including Oregon’s own Ellen Rosenblum, it’s stated that because of these austerity measures, people who depend on the Postal Service for the “delivery of prescription medication, paychecks, and other necessities were left stranded.”

The attorneys general, as a potential reform measure, suggest that the postal service “focus its attention on improving its performance in delivering First-Class Mail and other market-dominant products” instead of furthering budget cuts and delays, according to the letter.

Due to some peculiarities of the USPS Board of Governors, DeJoy has been allowed to stay in leadership and has elected to continue to push his plans for slower service and higher prices.

DeJoy is currently under investigation by the FBI for illicit campaign fundraising strategies, or "straw fundraising," though it is unclear if statute of limitations rules and political will could allow authorities to indict DeJoy for his alleged crimes.

SPEAKERS AT THE RALLY DECRIED THE IMPENDING PRIVATIZATION OF POSTAL SERVICES WITH SHOUTS OF “DUMP DEJOY!” AND “SAVE OUR POST OFFICE!”

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 10, 2021 • psuvanguard.com

THIS WEEK

around the

WORLD

August 1–6

3

2

1

KARISA YUASA 1

August 1

BRAZIL

Thousands gathered in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia to show their support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s call to change the country’s electronic voting system. Bolsonaro claimed without evidence that the current voting system is fraudulent, and insisted that the country adopt a mixed system of voting, according to Reuters. Currently, Brazillians cast their votes entirely electronically—Bolsonaro’s proposal would require each vote to have a physical printout that would be used in a recount. “People who say electronic voting is safe and subject to audits are liars,” Bolsonaro said in a video that was played for the crowd in Brasilia. Bolsonaro has threatened to cancel next year’s elections “if they are not clean and democratic.” A day later, Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court opened an investigation into Bolsonaro for his claims that next year’s election will be fraudulent. “Brazil has eliminated a history of election fraud,” the judges said in a statement. “The electronic voting system is subject to audits before, during and after the election.” On Aug. 5, a Brazillian

congressional committee voted 23-to-11 against Bolsonaro’s proposal. Critics argue that Bolsonaro is increasing doubt in the current system in case he loses next year’s election. "Bolsonaro has threatened the elections because he has already lost," said Congressman Ivan Valente of Socialism and Liberty Party. “He wants to perpetuate himself in power. He needs to be contained.”

2

August 4

BEIRUT, LEBANON

A year after the Beirut port explosion that killed over 200 people, hundreds of protesters gathered to demand accountability, according to Al Jazeera. “This is a day of pain and grief,” said Ilbrahim Hotreit, who lost his brother in the blast and became a spokesperson for the families fighting for justice. “It is the day we lost our loved ones and relatives and children. We hope all those coming down in solidarity with us respect our pain.” Protestors argue that, in the year since the blast, no one has been held accountable. Beirut’s fire service has also called for an investigation, following the deaths of nine firefighters and a paramedic who went

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 10, 2021 • psuvanguard.com

to extinguish the fire at the port, unaware of the over two tons of ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion. “Had they told us what was inside, we would have conducted an evacuation of the area,” said First Lieutenant Ali Najem, public relations chief of the Beirut Fire Brigade. “Every fire is different and there are different ways that you can deal with it. In our world, there will be more fires, but we have to know first what we are dealing with to keep our firefighters safe and keep the public safe.”

Protestors on the anniversary clashed with riot police near parliament. “I believe politicians, and anyone responsible, fear the people,” said Tatiana Hasrouty, who lost her father in the blast. “If we put pressure on them, we can acquire justice…They are scared that if they lift the immunity, they will be held accountable.

All we can do is protest, let them fear us more.”

3

August 6

TOKYO, JAPAN

The International Olympic Committee announced that two Belarus team coaches would be removed from the Olympics, following their

involvement in an attempt to send an athlete back to Belarus, according to AP News. On Aug. 1, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya posted a video saying that, in addition to being set to compete in the 200-meter sprint, she was added to the 400-meter relay—an event she says she never competed in—at the last minute because some teammates were ineligible. Later that day, she was told to pack her bags and head to the airport.

Tsimanouskaya refused to get onto the plane and head back to Belarus due to worries of larger repercussions. “[Team officials] made it clear that, upon return home, I would definitely face some form of punishment,” Tsimanouskaya said. She explained her worries to police at the Haneda airport and was eventually taken to the Polish embassy where she received a humanitarian visa. “They did not expect that, in the airport, I [could] approach the police,” Tsimanouskaya said. “They think that we are scared to make a move, that we are afraid to speak, afraid to tell the truth to the whole world. But I am not afraid.”

The events unfolded as Belarus faces continued criticism over repression of anyone that speaks out against the government.

INTERNATIONAL

5

ERIC SHELBY The Big Sky football Conference kick off was aired July 24–26 from Spokane, Washington on ESPN+. The two-day event provides coverage of student athletes, coaches and schedule releases as they get ready for college football to begin again in Sept.

Portland State head coach since 2014, Bruce Barnum, quarterback Alexander Davis and safety Anthony Adams represented PSU. To start the kick off, Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill had his State of the Conference address and explained that his goal is to have the vaccination rate up to 80–85% within the conference. Currently, out of the 13 football programs in the conference, the average is below 50%. This is important because low vaccination rates will result in outbreaks within the conference and cancelled games soon after. If teams do not have enough players to start a game, the team will have to forfeit instead of a no-contest. There will be no rescheduling of the game, either. In a 2020 March Madness game, Virginia Commonwealth University had to forfeit their game

because they had too many players on the COVID-19 list, resulting in the Oregon Ducks moving on to the next round unchallenged.

“We will not make up games this year,” Wistrcill said in his address. “We do not have room in the schedule, so it will be a forfeit—and it would break my heart to see that happen. We need our players’ help here to keep a safe and healthy locker room.”

All member schools will have a full schedule. The Big 12 Conference, Sun Belt, Mountain West and Southeastern Conference will follow the same rules as Wistrcill stated. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Pac-12, including Oregon and Oregon State, will soon likely follow.

Not everyone is onboard with these new rules and policies. Boston College, a private college in Massachusetts, requires all students to be vaccinated. Their football team, the Eagles, play in the ACC, and have every member on the team vaccinated except for one. Since the university’s rules were set in stone, head coach of the team, Jeff Hafley, simply helped one player who opposed getting the vaccine to transfer to another school.

The Big Sky is not mandating its member

schools have players be vaccinated, but it does require its referees and staff to be vaccinated. The Big Sky left the final word on whether student athletes should be vaccinated to its member schools.

Portland State University requires all students and employees on campus to be vaccinated, so the players on the field will likely be no different.

Montana, Montana State and Northern Arizona will not require students to be vaccinated on campus. PSU will play Montana State this season in the Big Sky Conference. The state of Utah is not allowed to require vaccination, but will have access to vaccines for students who do want to be vaccinated. The Viks will play both Utah schools— Southern Utah and Weber State—this fall.

Portland State will start the first two games of their season away, playing the University of Hawai’i in less than a month on Sept. 4, and Washington State on Sept. 11. They have their home opener on Sept. 18 against Division-II Western Oregon. PSU will have an 11-game season and will be playing six away games, including the Idaho Vandals and Sacramento State Hornets. The Viks got back on the park blocks to begin fall camp on Aug. 6, looking

to prove critics wrong, after recently being ranked 10 in the Big Sky preseason poll.

Portland State was one of five teams in the conference along with Montana, Montana State, Sacramento State and Northern Colorado that canceled their last season due to the pandemic.

On Aug. 4, the NCAA released the Reconciliation of Collegiate Sport: Fall Training and Competition.

The document listed a table for what players can and cannot do, if they are vaccinated. Vaccinated players will not need regular testing unless they are experiencing symptoms. Unvaccinated players can be tested up to three times a week and need to wear a mask during team travel and while indoors. If either vaccinated or unvaccinated players test positive for COVID-19, they must be isolated for 10 days.

College football will still be played, nonetheless, whether players are vaccinated or not. All teams are on thin ice though; too many COVID-19 cases will result in a forfeit without hesitation. The main importance is to make sure all players are ready before the new college football season starts Aug. 28 for all 254 Division-I schools.

BIG SKY COMMISSIONER AND OTHERS WANT MOST PLAYERS VACCINATED BEFORE SEASON STARTS

A MINI PSU VIKINGS FOOTBALL. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD

6

SPORTS

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 10, 2021 • psuvanguard.com

KAT LEON After spending over a year devoid of any group activities, one might be excited to enjoy a drink in a public space, laugh at a comedy show or appreciate intellectual stimulation from live theater. Enter the Experience Theatre Project’s production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare...Abridged (CWWC), an event that manages to combine all three. This show attempts to weave comedy and modernity into Shakespeare’s best—and least—known works and explore characters within Shakespeare’s plays from a unique and modern perspective.

It was customary for theater productions in Shakespeare’s time to be allmale performances, so the Experience Theatre Project remained true to their historical roots and had three men perform all parts. During the performance, actors wore dresses and wigs when playing certain characters.

As a historical reference, the tradition of men playing women’s roles spans back to ancient times and often referenced a woman’s place in that given society. It was illegal for women to perform in England until 1661, and female actors were associated with sexual incontinence, prostitution, lasciviousness and indecency, according to theatre critic Lucas Garcia.

Maintaining the gender hierarchy was more critical at that time.

Furthermore, the cross-dressing required for theatrical performances in Shakespeare’s time was accepted by the general public for men, but only in the realm of theater. Thus, any women participating in crossdressing were placed in the same social class as female actors of their time and could face arrest and imprisonment.

Despite the Experience Theatre Project’s production being directed by a woman, the production of CWWC used only men to portray the characters. Therefore, the comedic aspects of the show lacked the humor that a more diverse cast might have lent itself to. Instead, the comedy consisted primarily of vulgar humor and references to Pokémon. While still hilarious at times, the feeling arose that diversity among the cast in both gender and race might have allowed for a more well-rounded performance, especially in the comedic aspects. It could have also fought back against the historical implications of excluding female performers in a theater production, instead of seemingly endorsing it.

That being said, one portion of CWWC’s performance explored a female Shakespearian character in a unique and intuitive way. Moving away from the more comedic aspects of the show, the actors discussed a Freudian analysis of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet. One of the more famous scenes that includes Ophelia, the nunnery scene, was analyzed.

Leading up to this scene, Ophelia’s brother and father both express concerns that Hamlet will take advantage of Ophelia and that he will never love her. However, despite her family’s concerns, Ophelia still desires Hamlet, and these feelings result in her lying in wait for Hamlet, who, upon seeing her, proclaims, “Take thee to a nunnery.” Fascinatingly, while the term nunnery could refer to its commonly understood meaning, it was also popular slang at the time for a brothel. In other words, Hamlet was telling Ophelia to either go to a place where she could no longer get married, essentially calling her unloveable, or to go to a brothel, essentially calling her a whore. Either way, his refusal of her love was the beginning of her downward spiral that eventually leads to her suicide.

The CWWC cast used Freud’s theory of the id, ego and superego to help explore Ophelia’s story and eventual downfall. Ophelia’s id, described by CWWC as her animalistic urges or desire for Hamlet, was balanced by her superego, the messages she received from her father and brother warning her about Hamlet.

Lastly, her ego was the message that she heard from Hamlet himself to, “Take thee to a nunnery,” which made Ophelia aware that Hamlet did not share her affections. According to the performance, these overlapping messages caused her to have a meltdown that was directly responsible for Ophelia taking her own life.

By analyzing Ophelia’s character in Freudian terms, the performers sought to provide emotional context to an intellectually written play. The in-depth analysis of this female role arguably allowed for more emotional depth to be given to a somewhat shallow character depicted initially as being lost to the whims of the men in her life. Understanding Ophelia’s perceived thought process allowed for a deeper understanding of her internal emotions outside of the men that seemingly controlled her actions. As was narrated during the show, “Shakespeare can be both intellectual and emotional!”

While the humor of Experience Theatre Project’s production at times lacked ingenuity, their exploration of characters allowed for a fuller picture of originally surface-level individuals. Furthermore, while the show was initially touted as a comedy, it was actually when the actors moved away from the more comedic aspects that the show began to stand out as exciting and original. No matter the production’s pros and cons, being able to get out and experience life is something we have learned never to take for granted—because when it comes right down to it, it is just so wonderful to enjoy live theater again!

ERIK MONTAGUE AS HAMLET IN THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE...ABRIDGED. KAT LEON/PSU VANGUARD

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 10, 2021 • psuvanguard.com

SHAKESPEARE, CROSS-DRESSING

AND THE JOY OF LIVE THEATER ARTS & CULTURE

7

SHANNON STEED

8

SECTION OPINION

PSU PSU Vanguard Vanguard •• AUGUST AUGUST 10, 10, 2020 2021 • psuvanguard.com

RACHEL OWEN “It’s not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” said President Joe Biden at a speech in Pittsburgh this past March. “It’s a once-in-a generation investment in America, unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the Interstate Highway System and the Space Race decades ago.”

In his 2020 campaign promises, Biden said that he would get the United States to be carbon neutral by 2050. That’s not an ambitious goal—it’s something we’ve needed to do for a really long time. He came out as a big proponent of climate science and supporting the idea that we need to make changes that seem radical— but really aren’t. But at this point, it needs to happen. Here we are, nearly seven months after he was inaugurated, and what has Biden done? Has he kept up to that promise of searching for carbon neutrality by 2050?

That’s where the Infrastructure Bill comes in. Infrastructure may not be automatically linked with thinking of climate change or ways to promote clean energy. But, secretly, that’s what this bill is doing.

Initially, Biden had planned this bill as its own entity outside of another bill that he proposed called the American Jobs Plan. Now, months after both of those bills had been proposed, he has decided to combine the two of them, while also excluding some parts of the American Jobs Plan.

Cumulatively, the two attack climate change from an aspect that is economically savvy and supports job growth in the United States.

You heard that right—Biden is attacking climate change by supplying jobs for Americans.

What a revolutionary concept. The question is, is that enough? Is proposing a bipartisan infrastructure bill with an accumulation of jobs and a tax plan going to help us get to carbon

neutrality by 2050? We need to be doing this now—even though, by the way, it’s not enough.

According to Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, 25% of global emissions are made from making electricity, 24% by food, agriculture and land use, 20% by industry (which just includes factories making stuff ), 15% by transportation, 5% by infrastructure inside of buildings (the gas and heat used to run homes or office buildings) and 10% from extracting, processing and transporting fossil fuels.

If Biden really wants to tackle climate change, he needs to hit all six of these categories. But after dissecting the infrastructure bill, it is clear that he is not doing that. The only way to get to carbon neutral is to support policies that go after each one of these categories, to break down the use of carbon in the United States. What is Biden doing to combat climate change through this bill, then? The six categories can be broken down, as Wilkinson listed, to analyze exactly what Biden is doing and how effective it is.

The first category is making electricity—25% of all global emissions. Biden has promised to “upgrade our power infrastructure, including by building thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy.” He expands on this by creating a Grid Authority that is responsible for this plan, and he’s decided that Congress needs to put $73 billion towards power infrastructure.

Biden is attacking electricity emissions by building more transmission lines. While these transition lines do intend to expand the use of renewable energy, it’s not enough. According to the 2035 Report study by the University of California, Berkeley, in order to combat this 25% of global emissions, clean energy is needed everywhere the eye can see. Only then could the U.S. actually create enough clean energy in the designated amount of time. However, expansions of transmission lines are not the same as expanding renewable energy. Biden has stated he is committed to do-

ing so, but it’s not the same as supplying everyone with solar power or wind energy. It’s a start. At least he’s supporting renewable energy in some facet.

Furthermore, this section of the bill establishes Energy Efficient and Clean Electricity Standards. These standards help companies and state governments support renewable energy.

You heard that right: Biden’s giving companies reachable goals to create renewable energy. He is using the government to mandate that power companies move towards clean energy; that’s something that’s never been done before. In doing so, Biden is ensuring that the U.S. moves towards clean energy, even in the private sector.

The transportation category, which makes up for 15% of global emissions, is really what the infrastructure bill is made for. The bill intends to “repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians.” In total, Biden intends for Congress to put $284 billion towards transportation emissions. He is doing this by fixing our roads, creating a national network of electric vehicle chargers, electrifying transit and school buses and expanding our public transit system to make it more accessible for people. Electric vehicles and public transportation are significantly better than the gas-guzzling vehicles that millions of Americans drive every single day. By doing this, Biden is tackling the transportation sector by thoroughly implementing different tactics. He’s going to fix our roads and support infrastructure that allows electric vehicles to become more popularized, affordable and accessible for everyday people. The bill also supports a rail system which will help those that use public transportation systems, for less congestion on the roads and less global emissions.

However, Biden is failing to tackle the industrial section. Industries make up for 20% of all global emissions, yet the only real way that Biden plans to attack this is through his Made in America Tax

IS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

DOING ENOUGH

TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE? A LOOK AT THE 2021 BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 10, 2021 • psuvanguard.com

Plan. This tax plan supports equitable tax funds and makes sure that companies are actually paying their taxes—I’m looking at you, Jeff Bezos.

However, the only truly climate change-focused part of this plan is to make sure that companies are actually paying for the pollution they are producing. When companies spill oil in the middle of an ocean and ruin ecosystems, they would be monetarily paying for it. Again, that is not a revolutionary idea; it should have been happening in the first place. But I digress. Biden’s only plan of attacking 20% of global emissions is through a tax plan, so he needs to come up with another idea. We’re only going to reach carbon neutrality if Biden manages to handle every single part of global emissions, and denying industries is not helpful.

In the last three categories, infrastructure of buildings makes up for 5% of global carbon emissions, but it is not found anywhere under the Infrastructure Bill. However, it is under the American Jobs Plan—in a part that isn’t included in the Infrastructure Bill—called “human infrastructure.” This includes rebuilding and updating our schools, making sure that childcare is accessible and making sure that buildings are healthy, including the equity and safety of those workspaces. However, re-labeling this “human infrastructure” doesn’t follow the direct definition of what infrastructure is.

Additionally, this part is not included in the Infrastructure Bill, noted as being bipartisan, because it’s being put in another Democrat-only bill that will most likely include more climate change policies. “Human infrastructure” implies that this is part of human-caused climate change, which historically has not been supported nor agreed upon by the GOP. In order to really combat and create a bipartisan bill, the GOP would not support any part that claims that humans are causing climate change. So while Biden isn’t tackling the buildings portion right now, he’s in the process of getting to it.

Next, agriculture land use and food supply, which makes up 24% of global carbon emissions, is not found in the infrastructure bill whatsoever. We need to do something about our agriculture—it’s 24-freaking-% of the problem. Failing to tackle this part of global emissions is a huge error and supports the claim that this bill is not enough.

Furthermore, Biden does not attack the 10% of transporting, extracting and processing fossil fuels.

Although this may possibly be included under the tax plan and the same write-off that he included for industry, it’s not included under the Infrastructure Bill, further proving that he’s not doing enough.

So, in total, Biden and his infrastructure bill are truly only accounting for 40% of global carbon emissions. That is not going to get us to where we need to be soon enough. His goal of being carbon neutral by 2050 is too kind. The only way that we’re going to combat climate change is if solid policies that further engage in protecting and slowing down climate change are laid down.

Although 40% is a solid chunk, none of it matters if the energy used to produce those results does not come from clean energy. Burning fossil fuels to make wind turbines just does not make sense. If Biden is really in support of climate change policies, he will lay down the needed facets not only to support infrastructure, but to support it in an ethical and clean way. Otherwise, any progress that we will be making is damaged.

This infrastructure bill is unlike anything that Congress has seen before in the entire history of the United States. This truly is a once-in-a-generation bill, and it is just the start to combating climate change.

“JOE BIDEN” BY GPA PHOTO ARCHIVE IS LICENSED UNDER PUBLIC DOMAIN MARK 1.0 “NORTHERN HEMISPHERE PLANET GLOBE WORLD EARTH” BY MAX PIXEL IS LICENSED UNDER CC0 1.0

OPINION

9