U.S. Senator Manchin to back Biden pick for interior secretary

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin will throw his support behind Congresswoman Deb Haaland to lead the Biden administration’s Interior Department, he said in a statement on Wednesday, likely securing her confirmation to become the first Native American in a cabinet position.

Manchin’s “yes” vote is seen as crucial to Haaland’s confirmation because he is a supporter of fossil fuel development who wields significant power in a U.S. Congress split 50-50 among Democrats and Republicans, meaning every Democratic backer counts. He had previously said that he was undecided on her bid.

“While we do not agree on every issue, (Haaland) reaffirmed her strong commitment to bipartisanship, addressing the diverse needs of our country and maintaining our nation’s energy independence,” Manchin said in a statement. “For all these reasons, I believe Deb Haaland will be a Secretary of the Interior for every American and will vote to confirm her.”

Haaland’s Senate confirmation hearing this week was contentious, with Republicans focusing on her past opposition to fossil fuel projects, as well as her likely role as a key player in President Joe Biden’s efforts to combat climate change.

The U.S. Interior Department oversees around a fifth of the nation’s land surface along with offshore waters, accounting for around 25% of domestic oil and gas production. Biden has paused new drilling leasing on federal lands, and has said he wants to eventually impose a permanent ban on new drilling and encourage broader development of renewables instead.

As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Manchin oversaw the two-day hearing this week. During the hearing, Manchin said he supported reducing methane emissions from pipelines on federal lands and the administration’s review of the oil and gas leasing program.

Last week, Manchin said he would oppose Biden Office of Management and Budget pick Neera Tanden, putting her confirmation at risk.
If there were any doubts the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the Biden administration will increase its expectations of public companies to assess and disclose climate change-related risks, they were laid to rest Wednesday.

Acting SEC Chair Allison Herren Lee said in a statement she has ordered the agency’s Division of Corporate Finance to “to enhance its focus on climate-related disclosure in public company filings.” Lee said the Division will begin reviewing the SEC’s 2010 guidance on climate change disclosure “to take into account developments in the last decade.”

“Now more than ever, investors are considering climate-related issues when making their investment decisions. It is our responsibility to ensure that they have access to material information when planning for their financial future.”

Acting SEC Chair Allison Herren Lee

Lee indicated the move to update the guidance on climate-related disclosures is among “immediate steps the agency can take on the path to developing a more comprehensive framework that produces consistent, comparable, and reliable climate-related disclosures.”

“Now more than ever, investors are considering climate-related issues when making their investment decisions. It is our responsibility to ensure that they have access to material information when planning for their financial future,” Lee said.

Taken in combination with the recent announcement the SEC has created a senior policy advisor position on climate change and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, it is becoming clear the new priorities of the agency are being set.

The moves lay the groundwork for more substantive change to be pursued by Gary Gensler, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the SEC. Gensler’s confirmation hearing before the Senate is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 2. If Gensler’s nomination is confirmed by the Senate, the SEC would have a 3-2 tilt toward Democrats and would be in position to implement Biden’s agenda.

In addition to climate change and ESG, the SEC under Gensler will also pursue ways to promote more diversity in corporate governance, experts say.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to distribute millions of face masks to Americans in communities hard-hit by the coronavirus.

It’s part of his effort to ensure equity in the government’s response to the pandemic. Biden is aiming to reach underserved communities and those bearing the brunt of the outbreak. His plan will distribute masks not through the mail, but through Federally Qualified Community Health Centers and the nation’s food bank and food pantry systems.

The White House announced it expects more than 25 million American-made cloth masks in both adult and kid sizes will be distributed.

Biden has asked everyone to wear face masks for the first 100 days of his term. He’s also required mask-wearing in federal buildings and on public transportation.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

Dr. Anthony Fauci says National Institutes of Health will study symptoms in “long-haul” COVID-19 patients. CVS, Walgreens to give shots in more states this week. Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 shot poised for FDA decision. South Africa to spend $172 million on mass vaccination drive.

— Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON — Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington D.C., is declaring a day of remembrance as the nation’s capital passes 1,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

On Wednesday night at 6 p.m., houses of worship across the city are encouraged to honor the lives lost.

Bowser says: “This tragic milestone is a reminder that this pandemic has forever changed families and communities. Even when the pandemic ends, for many, the pain and loss will still be there.”

Earlier this week, Bowser order all flags in the District of Columbia flown at half-staff to commemorate the U.S. death toll surpassing 500,000. Bowser’s declaration credited the “tremendous sacrifices” made by Washington residents to help contain the spread of the virus.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A coronavirus variant originally traced to Brazil has been discovered in Alaska.

The variant was found in a specimen of an Anchorage resident who developed COVID-19 symptoms, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The person had no known travel history.

Dr. Joe McLaughlin, an epidemiologist with the state health department, says there is some evidence to suggest the P.1 variant is more transmissible than the original virus.

The person ate at an Anchorage restaurant with at least one other person in late January and didn’t wear a mask. The infected person developed symptoms four days later and tested positive on Feb. 8.

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ROME — Italy registered 16,424 coronavirus cases, the highest number in six weeks.

Italy’s vaccination program recently was forced to slow, after a quick initial start, when vaccine manufacturers didn’t deliver all the doses according to the original timetable.

Italy’s total confirmed cases rose to 2.8 million. With 318 more deaths, the known total rose to 96,666, Europe’s second-highest confirmed death toll after Britain.

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SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Bosnia’s foreign minister says all the preparations for the arrival of vaccines through the World Health Organization’s COVAX program were done but no shots have arrived.

Officials with COVAX, the program designed for poorer countries, says the promised batch of the vaccines haven’t t been dispatched because Bosnia’s authorities haven’t met Pfizer’s ultra-cold storage requirements.

Foreign minister Bisera Turkovic says the “cold chain” has been met, money has been paid for the vaccines and the non-arrival problem is on COVAX and Pfizer.

Bosnia, a country of 3.3 million, expects 1.2 million vaccines through COVAX. The program has faced delays in the global vaccine distribution because of problems with deliveries from suppliers.

The Serb-run half of the state has received about 2,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Its health workers have been receiving shots in neighboring Serbia, which managed to make direct deals with China, Russia, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

On Wednesday, Ghana has become the first country to receive COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX.

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TORONTO — Canada’s largest city, Toronto, has cancelled all outdoor events until July 1 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Toronto Mayor John Tory says that includes Canada Day celebrations and Pride parade. He says it’s too soon to say whether events after that date will be cancelled as well.

The provincial Ontario government says they won’t start vaccinating people 80 years or above until the third week of March and won’t start with those 60 and above until July 1.

Canada has had a shortage of vaccines until this week but expects to get 6 million vaccines before the end of March and 29 million by July for a population of 37 million people.

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WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health is launching research to understand the causes and consequences of the lingering brain fog, breathing problems and malaise reported by many recovering COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says some studies have shown up to 30% of patients report symptoms that can endure for months, complicating their return to normal routines and work, and plunging many recovering patients into depression.

Fauci noted at a White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday that work at NIH started this week thanks to more than $1 billion provided by Congress for COVID-related medical research. Government scientists are looking to enlist doctors and research institutions around the country in the effort to learn about “long-haul” COVID-19.

Fauci says a critical issue is whether COVID-19 predisposes some patients to other medical problems later, such as conditions affecting the heart or brain.

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JOHANNESBURG — South Africa plans to spend $712 million to vaccinate some 67% of its 60 million people and help the economy to rebound.

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni says the vaccination drive will help South Africa’s economy, the most developed in sub-Saharan Africa, to rebound by 3.4% this year.

Mboweni says the vaccines would be given to all South Africans free of charge. Last week South Africa launched the first phase of its vaccination campaign in which it is inoculating an estimated 500,000 front-line health care workers with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as a large-scale observational study.

The J&J vaccine is authorized for testing purposes in South Africa but has not yet been approved for general use.

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WARSAW, Poland — Poland will require surgical masks nationwide on Saturday and ban scarfs, shawls or headgear as substitutes.

Headgear can only be worn together with a mask, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Wednesday. The decision comes after an increase in coronavirus cases to more than 12,000 Wednesday, from a daily average of about 7,000 the previous week.

Because of high COVID-19 incidence in neighboring Czech Republic and Slovakia, all people entering Poland from those countries need a 10-day quarantine, unless they show a negative test taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival. More