Navy Secretary John Phelan, left, speaks with Marine Corps Lt. Col. Matthew Bagley, the commanding officer of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461, during a tour at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., April 10, 2025. (Jacquilyn Davis/U.S. Marine Corps)
WASHINGTON — Navy Secretary John Phelan has canceled the Navy’s Climate Action 2030 program, which was enacted by the Biden administration in 2022 to improve the service’s energy efficiency.
“We need to focus on having a lethal and ready naval force, unimpeded by ideologically motivated regulations,” Phelan said in a pre-recorded video posted Tuesday to his official X account.
The rescinded plan had committed the Navy to reducing its overall emissions by 65% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Net-zero emissions mean some greenhouse gases are released but are offset by the removal of an equivalent amount of the gases from the atmosphere.
Scientists have said rising sea levels, recurrent flooding and more frequent and destructive hurricanes result from man-made climate change and are a particular challenge for the Navy.
In 2010, a two-day storm dumped more than 14 inches of rain on Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tenn., causing a levee to fail and flood the base and surrounding community. The flood displaced military families from their homes, caused extensive damage to base auxiliary buildings, impacted critical information technology systems, and cost the Navy approximately $154 million.
Hurricane Sandy, in 2012, caused $50 million in damage to Naval Weapons Station Earle, a critical ammunition resupply base in New Jersey. The Navy combined $1.9 million in defense funds with $61 million from the local county to restore the beaches and salt marsh to protect the installation from storm surge. Those efforts were still underway in 2020 when Hurricane Sally significantly damaged more than 600 facilities at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. The Navy deferred $49 million in sustainment and modernization requirements to fund initial response and repairs to withstand future storms.
“Climate change increases risk, exposes vulnerabilities to our people, installations, platforms, operations, and allies and partners,” Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, said in 2022 when the program was announced.
The action plan goals listed were meant to hit targets included in an executive order issued in 2021 to all federal agencies by former President Joe Biden. President Donald Trump axed Biden’s executive order, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” on Jan. 20, 2025, when he rescinded 78 orders issued by the previous administration.
In mid-March, the Defense Department announced it would flush climate change policies and initiatives deemed “inconsistent with our core warfighter mission.” Phelan canceling the Navy’s Climate Action 2030 brings the sea service into compliance with those efforts.
“Now, it’s done,” Phelan said in the brief pre-recorded video.
Phelan nor his office provided additional details about what efforts were canceled or whether any were being considered separate from the now defunct Climate Action 2030 program.
“The Department of the Navy is focused on shipbuilding, deterrence and warfighting. We will no longer be sidetracked by climate-focused decision-making. Any distraction to those core priorities removes valuable resources better spent on readiness and operational effectiveness,” Kristina Wong, spokeswoman for Phelan, said Thursday.
Wong did not say how much money the Navy expects the canceled climate plan to save the service.
Later Thursday, Phelan announced the cancellation of 45 “nonessential” grants and awards, as well as information technology contracts deemed ineffective and over-budget, which he said would save the Navy nearly $300 million. Among the items canceled, Phelan said via his official X account, was the studying of the “population consequences of the disturbance of humpback whales in the context of climate change.”
No additional information was provided.
