The New York Times - USA (2020-10-25)

by animus against law enforcement. The
president and vice president pleaded
with union leaders to temper their rheto-
ric about a nationwide “war on cops.”
The vice president, Mr. Johnson re-
called, made a personal appeal to the po-
lice groups, to the effect of: “You know
me, you can trust me, I’ve always been
there for you.”
“I think it fell flat,” Mr. Johnson said.
“For the representatives around the ta-
ble of various law-enforcement groups,
our perception was, things were very
bad out there.”
As early as 2009, there had been at
least faint signs of tension. One was the
uncomfortable episode that summer
when Mr. Biden helped chaperone a so-
called beer summit between Mr. Obama,
Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor at
Harvard University who was arrested at
his own home after a passer-by reported
a suspected robbery, and Sgt. James
Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police,
who had arrested Mr. Gates. Mr. Obama
said the Cambridge police had “acted
stupidly,” enraging police groups.
The challenges to come would dwarf
that episode by orders of magnitude.
The lethal shooting of Michael Brown,
a Black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., by a
white officer in 2014 opened a new period
of tumult in law enforcement and race re-
lations. By the summer of 2016, a mood of
crisis had taken hold, as the country con-
fronted the successive killings of two
Black men, Alton Sterling and Philando
Castile, in Louisiana and Minnesota, and
of the officers in Dallas.
For Mr. Biden, it was no longer an op-
tion to focus on the mechanics of crime-
fighting over matters of race.
Mr. Biden repeatedly summoned
chiefs and union leaders to his residence
and his office, and backed an administra-
tion task force charged with a reform
agenda. Ms. Robinson, who co-chaired
the panel, said Mr. Biden’s involvement
helped secure cooperation from wary po-
lice groups, calling it “a reflection of his
real sensibility about tone, and how
things are being received, and the role
that he can play in those situations.”
Ronald L. Davis, a member of the task
force who had headed the federal Com-

munity Oriented Policing Services pro-

gram, which gives funding to police de-

partments, said Mr. Biden was emphatic

that the panel had to “come up with real

solutions,” not just generate a report.

(The group’s work was largely disman-

tled by the Trump administration.)

Without Mr. Biden’s involvement, it is

possible that an insuperable rift would

have opened between the administration

and crucial law-enforcement groups. Mr.

Wexler described a session at the Naval

Observatory in the aftermath of Fergu-

son, when police chiefs and union lead-

ers were at loggerheads.

“The police chiefs were pushing for re-

form, the unions were digging in and Bi-

den had all of us to his residence,” Mr.

Wexler said. “He mediated, in the sense

that he let people talk, and if nothing else

he was the convener, because everybody

knew him.”

But if Mr. Biden’s easy manner and

concern for cops helped bring police

groups to the table, some law enforce-

ment leaders felt a mounting sense of

grievance as they saw the administra-

tion take up a reform agenda. Mr. Pasco,

of the Fraternal Order of Police, said that

for all Mr. Biden’s heartfelt outreach, he

was still “on the anti-police side of these

issues.”

At the same time, Mr. Trump was

mounting his first campaign for the pres-

idency on a simpler message: one of un-

yielding support for law enforcement

and near-total indifference to police bru-

tality. Accepting his party’s nomination

in 2016, shortly after the Dallas shooting,

Mr. Trump said such attacks “threaten

our very way of life.”

In the intervening years, Mr. Trump’s

message has scarcely changed, while

Mr. Biden’s task has grown more compli-

cated. The racial-justice movement chal-

lenging traditional policing has gathered

strength, while police groups have em-

braced increasingly strident and alarm-

ist rhetoric about rioting and violent

crime. And Mr. Biden’s determination to

bridge those divides has persisted.

Rich Stanek, a former Republican

sheriff in Hennepin County, Minn., who

worked with Mr. Biden on gun control

during his vice presidency, questioned

how much good will Mr. Biden would

have to draw on with police groups as

president. Yet he and other police lead-

ers did not discount the possibility of a

shift if Mr. Biden wins the election.

“It’s the president,” Mr. Stanek said.

“If he calls and invites law enforcement

to his office to talk about an issue, they’re

going to come.”

TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

STEPHEN CROWLEY/THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE NEW YORK TIMES NATIONALSUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 N 27

Articles in this series are exploring the
lives and careers of candidates in the
2020 presidential race, and the turning
points that led to their White House bids.

The Long Run

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden

says he loves ice cream, aviators

and Amtrak. But if elected presi-

dent, his love for the rail agency

may be put to the test.

Amtrak is facing a crisis. The

coronavirus has led to scores of

riders abandoning its trains, caus-

ing huge drops in revenue. The

agency has cut back on service to

America’s heartland. It has fur-

loughed over 2,000 workers. If it

does not get $2.8 billion in emer-

gency funding by December, an-

other 2,400 employees could lose

their jobs, Amtrak officials warn.

High profile projects across the

country, including those in New

York and New Jersey, are facing

delays.

All the while, Congress has

stalled on approving any further

relief, despite bipartisan support

for the rail agency.

But as Mr. Biden — a longtime

Amtrak rider and perhaps its

most famous advocate — rolls to-

ward Election Day, rail supporters

want to hear more from the Demo-

cratic presidential candidate and

former vice president about what

a potential Biden administration

would do to solve it.

“The Amtrak that Joe Biden

loves can be largely gone by Inau-

guration Day,” said John Robert

Smith, a former board chairman

of Amtrak. “The V.P.’s got to make

a statement.”

When asked about Mr. Biden’s

position on Amtrak’s personnel

cuts or reduction in service, the

Biden campaign could not provide

specific details. But Matt Hill, a

spokesman for the campaign, said

that Mr. Biden had been “a loyal

Amtrak rider and advocate for its

workers throughout his entire ca-

reer.”

“A President Biden will step up

for Amtrak’s workers,” Mr. Hill

said.

Amtrak is core to Mr. Biden’s

personal and political identity. In

1972, one month before Mr. Biden

was sworn in as a senator from

Delaware, his first wife and infant

daughter died in a car crash. He

soon began a decades-long daily

ritual of riding the train between

Washington and Wilmington to

fulfill a pledge to be home with his

children every night, earning the

moniker “Amtrak Joe.”

As a senator, he was a staunch

supporter of Amtrak funding. As a

presidential candidate, he has re-

lied on his love for the rail network

to support his common man im-

age with voters.

In 1987, Mr. Biden kicked off his

first presidential bid from the

back of an Amtrak train. Last

month, the day after his first de-

bate with President Trump, Mr.

Biden chartered an Amtrak train

to talk with voters in Ohio and

Pennsylvania on his “Build Back

Better Express” tour.

Current and retired Amtrak

workers have said Mr. Biden’s

connection with the train staff

during his 30-plus years as a rider

exemplifies his personality.

“Every cafe car attendant up

and down that corridor knows

him,” Gregg Weaver, a retired Am-

trak conductor who worked on Mr.

Biden’s train route, said in an in-

terview. “He didn’t care whether

you were carrying a briefcase or a

lunch pail, he had time for you.”

Amtrak supporters recognize

there is little a presidential candi-

date can do to bolster the rail

agency, and that any financial life-

line for the network must come

from the White House and Con-

gress.

But they say the Biden cam-

paign could pressure Amtrak’s

leaders into doing what some law-

makers and rail advocates have

been pressing the agency to do:

lobby Congress for permission to

use funds intended for capital

projects to temporarily save jobs

and maintain service.

Amtrak has nearly $3.3 billion

available to use for capital

projects, according to the agen-

cy’s August financial report. Rail

experts indicate at least $1.4 bil-

lion of that money could be recon-

figured to support worker salaries

and rail operations with a con-

gressional waiver.

Amtrak has been loathe to tap

into those funds because leaders

worry it would delay projects

meant to increase the safety and

reliability of the rail service. Am-

trak currently spends $200 million

to $250 million per month to sus-

tain its operations, according to its

chief executive William J. Flynn.

In August, the rail agency brought

in nearly $127 million in total reve-

nue, according to an analysis of its

financial reports.

Mr. Biden could draw a spot-

light on Amtrak’s struggles, rail

advocates say, by publicly encour-

aging the agency to reverse its

furlough plans and restore daily

service on its long distance routes,

an essential transportation link

and economic lifeline for rural

communities.

“By talking now, Biden could

lay the foundation to assure Am-

trak the pressure will get more in-

tense if Biden wins,” said Ross Ca-

pon, a transportation consultant

and former executive director of

the National Association of Rail-

road Passengers.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Bi-

den has not commented on Am-

trak’s decision to cut jobs and re-

duce service.

But in September, he voiced his

support for Amtrak’s 2,000 fur-

loughed workers. “It’s safe to say

I’ve gotten to know the hardwork-

ing men and woman of Amtrak

over the years,” Mr. Biden said on

Twitter. “I’m proud to stand with

them as they face furloughs due to

funding cuts.”

“It’s time we have their backs,”

he added.

Mr. Flynn said in a statement

that “delaying capital work” was

“not an option,” and that repur-

posing capital funds for operating

expenses would also result in job

losses.

Part of Amtrak’s hesitation over

tapping into its capital funds may

be the uncertain political climate

as the Nov. 3 election draws closer,

rail experts said.

“There is a calculation to be

made,” said Jim Mathews, the

chief executive of the Rail Pas-

sengers Association. “A Biden ad-

ministration and a Democratic-

controlled Senate would make it a

lot easier to restore that capital

funding.”

Amtrak supporters are also

looking for more information from

the Biden campaign about how

the rail agency would fare under

his potential presidency. Under

Mr. Trump, Amtrak’s budget has

repeatedly been on the chopping

block but Congress has opted to

largely maintain the agency’s

funding. In February, the White

House proposed cutting its budget

by half.

John D. Porcari, an adviser to

Mr. Biden’s campaign who served

as President Barack Obama’s dep-

uty secretary of transportation,

told Politico this month that a Bi-

den administration might aim to

not only restore Amtrak but ex-

pand it, creating new 400-mile

corridors that connect small and

midsize cities where airlines pro-

vide limited service. Such an am-

bitious plan is similar to Amtrak’s

own 2050 vision.

Congressional aides and rail ad-

vocates note that a plan to bolster

Amtrak has already passed the

House but lacks enough support

in the Senate. The INVEST Act

would increase investment in rail

by $60 billion over five years, with

nearly $29 billion specifically for

Amtrak.

The legislation’s lead sponsor in

the House, Representative Peter

A. DeFazio, Democrat of Oregon,

is confident that if Mr. Biden is

elected, he will work with Con-

gress to provide Amtrak a robust

future.

‘What I’m going to

do as president of

the United States

is call together an

entire group of

people at the

White House.

Well, everything

from the civil

rights groups, to

the police officers,

to police chiefs,

and we’re going to

work this out.’

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Amtrak in Crisis Seeks Biden’s Aid

By PRANSHU VERMA

Hoping his influence

will stop cuts to rail

personnel and service.

The Trump administration has

relaunched long-delayed plans to

conduct a seismic survey in the

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in

Alaska as a prelude to drilling for

oil there.

The Bureau of Land Manage-

ment on Friday released a pro-

posal to begin a seismic survey in

December that would look for un-

derground signs of oil reserves

over more than half a million

acres on the east side of the ref-

uge’s coastal plain. The Bureau

said it would accept public com-

ments on the plan, which was pro-

posed by an Alaska Native village

corporation, for 14 days before de-

ciding whether to issue a permit.

Environmental and conserva-

tion groups in Alaska and else-

where immediately criticized the

action, saying it would perma-

nently harm the delicate Arctic

tundra and affect polar bears and

other wildlife in what is one of the

most remote and pristine parts of

the United States. They also said

that the rapid time frame meant

that a thorough environmental re-

view would not be possible.

“The submission of this applica-

tion and BLM’s choice to act on it

so close to the election shows how

desperate the administration is to

turn over one of the nation’s most

sensitive landscapes to the oil in-

dustry,” Lois Epstein, director of

the Arctic program for the Wilder-

ness Society, said in a statement.

“The federal government is reck-

lessly rushing and irresponsibly

denying the public adequate time

to assess the application and sub-

mit comments.”

The land that would be sur-

veyed is part of the so-called 1002

Area, which the Trump Adminis-

tration and Congress opened to oil

and gas development in 2017, re-

versing decades of protections. In

August, the Interior Department

finished reviews of plans to sell oil

and gas leases in the area, saying

the sale could occur before the end

of the year. Environmental groups

have filed suit, and so far the lease

sales have not occurred.

The 1002 Area is thought to

overlie geological formations that

might hold billions of barrels of oil,

but that assessment is based

largely on the only seismic survey

ever conducted there, in the 1980s.

Only one exploratory well has

ever been drilled in the refuge,

and a New York Times investiga-

tion found that the results were

disappointing.

The new proposal, by the Kak-

tovik Inupiat Corporation, would

use improved technology that can

produce three-dimensional im-

ages of underground formations.

It would involve deploying heavy

trucks across the tundra in a grid

pattern, as well as supplies and

mobile living quarters for a crew

of 180 workers.

Because of the potential for

damaging the tundra, the work

could only be conducted when

there was sufficient snow cover

and frozen ground. But damage

from the previous seismic work,

which was also conducted in win-

ter, can still be seen today.

The proposal calls for the work

to be done by SAExploration, a

Houston-based contractor that

specializes in seismic surveys for

the oil and gas industry.

In 2018, SAExploration, along

with the Kaktovik Inupiat Corpo-

ration and another Alaska Native

corporation, submitted a proposal

for a seismic survey in the refuge.

But an environmental assessment

of the proposal was delayed, and

the plan was shelved last year.

Since then, SAExploration has

declared bankruptcy and, this

month, the company and four for-

mer senior executives were ac-

cused by the Securities and Ex-

change Commission of conducting

a multiyear accounting fraud that

inflated the company’s revenue

by $100 million and hid the theft of

about $10 million by executives.

The new proposal is similar to

the one released in 2018, although

smaller in scope, covering about

one-third of the 1002 Area. It calls

for using infrared cameras to de-

tect the heat from polar bears in

dens under the snow. But a study

published in February suggested

that the cameras were likely to

miss some dens.

Seismic Tests Are Planned for Arctic Refuge

By HENRY FOUNTAIN

GABRIELA BHASKAR FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Joseph R. Biden Jr. chartered an Amtrak train last month to talk

with voters in Ohio. He has always been a loyal Amtrak rider.

Some see a scheme to

sell gas and oil leases

by the end of the year.

.