President Biden visited Prince William Forest Park in Virginia’s Triangle on Monday to announce new federal grants for low- and moderate-income communities.Jose Luis Magana/AP
This story was originally guardian Reprinted here as part of. climate desk collaboration.
joe biden marks On Monday’s Earth Day, the White House announced a $7 billion investment in solar energy projects across the country focused on underserved communities, a weeklong series that the White House claims will be “historic climate action.” Announced.
The president speaks at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, touting his environmental record and unveiling measures to tackle the climate crisis, increase access to clean energy and reduce costs. did.
A highlight was the announcement of $7 billion in subsidies through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar Power for All program, which was funded by last year’s $369 billion Inflation Control Act, and which Biden now plans to spend. He said it would benefit hundreds of thousands of people, mainly low-income households, who live in poverty. Up to 30% of your income can come from energy.
“These awards are given all over the country. [are to] State, territorial, and tribal governments, local governments, and nonprofit organizations should develop programs to help low-income and disadvantaged communities access the benefits of residential solar power. And that’s a big deal,” he said. “The Solar for All program means 900,000 households will install rooftop solar for the first time, and millions of households will soon save more than $400 a year on their energy bills.”
EPA estimates that this investment, which will be distributed through grants to 60 applicant organizations across the country, will reduce household electricity bills by $8 billion over the life of the program.
Biden said all solar power-funded programs would create 200,000 jobs and account for at least the benefit of the federal government’s investments in climate clean energy and affordable and sustainable housing projects. He said he would promote his Justice 40 initiative, in which 40 percent goes to local communities. “They are marginalized by lack of investment and overburdened by pollution.”
Biden also launched a new website to encourage people to join the American Climate Corps, a volunteer government organization modeled on former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s much-vaunted Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Announced.
site, climatecorps.govaims to initially fill approximately 2,000 positions across 36 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, hosted by organizations working on clean energy, conservation, and climate resiliency projects. The White House says the Corps will eventually employ more than 20,000 young people.
Targeted primarily at young people, the administration said in a press release that the program aims to “make it easier for every American to find jobs that address the climate crisis, while providing the clean energy and climate resilient workforce of the future.” “To enable them to acquire skills.” ”
“Today is a historic day and a landmark achievement,” said New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just before Biden took the stage. “[It] This work is a reminder of the power of organizing and what we can achieve when young people, climate change activists, labor activists, and working people come together to demand the future we all deserve. It is designed to make you ”
Biden was joined by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the architects of the inflation law, who called the climate crisis an “existential threat.”
“Climate change is real, and climate change is already causing massive destruction in our country and around the world through droughts, floods, wildfires, heat waves, and extreme weather disruptions,” Sanders said. “If anyone says climate change is a hoax, talk to the farmers whose crops are in decline and who are risking their lives to fight the most severe and massive fires we’ve ever seen. Please talk to the firefighters.”
Today’s announcement follows climate change measures Biden officials advanced last week, including restrictions on oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres in Alaska and “harmful” private industry activities such as oil drilling. and the finalization of federal land management regulations that give equal priority to land management and conservation. on government-owned property.
Mr. Biden is seeking to shore up support among climate-savvy young voters who were disappointed by his administration’s approval of oil and gas development last year, including the massive Willow project in Alaska. His supporters are pressuring Biden to declare a climate emergency.
He said Republicans were threatening the climate reforms he initiated, including rejoining the Paris climate accord, which Donald Trump withdrew from.
“Despite the overwhelming devastation occurring in red and blue states, there are still those who deny that we are in a climate crisis,” he said. “My MAGA Republican friends don’t seem to think we’re in a crisis. They want to roll back protections for clean water.
“I might add that those in and out of government who willfully deny the effects of climate change are pushing the American people and the world into a very dangerous future.”
Mr. Biden’s visit to Virginia was the first in a packed Earth Week itinerary with administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, across the country, with officials vowing to Build a stronger, healthier future for all.”
Tuesday’s theme will be providing clean water to all communities, according to the White House. Wednesday will focus on accelerating America’s clean transportation future. Thursday will focus on measures to reduce pollution from the power sector and strengthen the U.S. power grid. And on Friday, steps will be taken to promote cleaner air and healthier schools.
Climate activist groups on Monday welcomed Biden’s announcement on solar energy. “Solar power for all is exactly the kind of investment this country needs to reimagine its clean energy future,” Jean Hsu, energy justice program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. ” he said. “Broad-scale community-based solar power is our brightest hope for protecting people and the climate from the scourge of fossil fuels. It means having clean energy that protects our ecosystems. It’s great to see President Biden revitalize this groundbreaking program.”
