However, no such declaration has come from the White House. Experts say Biden could invoke the 1976 National Emergencies Act to give himself the power to order the manufacture of clean energy technology, deploy renewables on military bases, block crude oil exports or even suspend offshore drilling — though that would require compensation to the owners.

Though the law limits emergency declarations to one year, it could be renewed annually to address the increasingly troubling impacts of climate change.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre did not walk back Biden’s comments when asked about them during an interview on CNN later Wednesday morning.

“This is a president that has taken really an ambitious approach to climate change,” Jean-Pierre said, turning the conversation to the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping bill Biden championed last year that included hundreds of billions of dollars to help the U.S. transition away from fossil fuels.