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Biden Marks Earth Day With $7B Grants 04/23 06:31
President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal
grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low-
and middle-income communities -- while criticizing Republicans who want to gut
his policies to address climate change.
TRIANGLE, Virginia (AP) -- President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by
announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving
900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities -- while
criticizing Republicans who want to gut his policies to address climate change.
Seeking reelection in November, Biden said, "Despite the overwhelming
devastation in red and blue states, there are still those who deny the climate
is in crisis."
He took specific aim at supporters of former President Donald Trump's "Make
America Great Again" movement.
"My MAGA Republican friends don't seem to think it's a crisis," Biden said
Monday during a visit to Virginia's Prince William Forest Park, about 30 miles
(48 kilometers) southwest Washington. "They actually want to repeal the
Inflation Reduction Act, which provides the funding for the vast majority of
these projects, and roll back protections for clean air and clean water."
The president also used the trip to announce that nearly 2,000 corps
positions are being offered across 36 states as part of his New Deal-style
American Climate Corps green jobs training program, including jobs offered in
partnership with the North American Building Trades Unions.
Biden used executive action last year to create the American Climate Corps
modeled on Roosevelt's New Deal.
"You'll get paid to fight climate change," he said Monday.
Biden made the announcements in a shady spot in Prince William Forest Park,
which was established in 1936 as a summer camp for underprivileged youth from
Washington. That was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian
Conservation Corps to help create jobs during the Great Depression.
The solar grants are being awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency,
which unveiled the 60 recipients. The projects are expected to eventually
reduce emissions by the equivalent of 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
and save households $350 million annually.
Biden's announcements come as he is working to energize young voters for his
reelection campaign. Young people were a key part of a broad but potentially
fragile coalition that helped him defeat then-President Trump in 2020. Some
have joined protests around the country of the administration's handling of
Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
After his speech, Biden was asked by reporters about protests against
Israel's handling of the war and replied, "I condemn the antisemitic protests."
But he also added, "I also condemn those who don't understand what's going on
with the Palestinians."
The White House issued a statement over the weekend denouncing "harassment
and calls for violence against Jews." Protests on college campuses, including
those of Columbia and Yale Universities, prompted scores of arrests.
Biden's campaign is hoping that his climate efforts can energize young
voters ahead of November. Senior administration officials said young Americans
are keenly invested in the Biden climate agenda and want to help enact it and
that the Climate Corps is a way to do so.
Solar energy is gaining traction as a key renewable energy source that could
reduce the nation's reliance on fossil fuels. Not only is it clean, but solar
energy can also boost the reliability of the electric grid.
But solar energy can have high costs for initial installation, making it
inaccessible for many Americans -- and potentially meaning a mingling of
environmental policy with election-year politics.
Forty-nine of the new grants are state-level awards, six serve Native
American tribes and five are multi-state awards. They can be used for
investments such as rooftop solar and community solar gardens.
"Broad community-based solar is our brightest hope for protecting people and
our climate from the scourge of fossil fuels," said Jean Su, director of the
Energy Justice program at the Center for Biological Diversity. "These targeted
investments mean low-income families get clean energy that is affordable,
resilient and protects our ecosystems. It's great to see President Biden
jumpstart this landmark program."
The president has often used Earth Day as a backdrop to further his
administration's climate initiatives. Last year, he signed an executive order
creating the White House Office of Environmental Justice, meant to help ensure
that poverty, race and ethnic status do not lead to worse exposure to pollution
and environmental harm.
He has tried to draw a contrast with GOP congressional leaders, who have
called for less regulation of oil production to lower energy prices. Biden
officials counter that GOP policies benefit highly profitable oil companies and
could ultimately undermine U.S. efforts to compete with the Chinese in the
renewable energy sector.
The new awards came from the Solar for All program, part of the $27 billion
"green bank" created as part of a sweeping climate law passed in 2022. The bank
is intended to reduce climate and air pollution and send money to neighborhoods
most in need, especially disadvantaged and low-income communities
disproportionately affected by climate change.
Among those receiving grants are state projects to provide solar-equipped
roofs for homes, college residences and residential-serving community solar
projects in West Virginia, a non-profit operating Mississippi solar lease
program and solar workforce training initiatives in South Carolina.
The taxpayer-funded green bank has faced Republican opposition and concerns
over accountability for how the money gets used. EPA previously disbursed the
other $20 billion of the bank's funds to nonprofits and community development
banks for clean energy projects such as residential heat pumps, additional
energy-efficient home improvements and larger-scale projects like electric
vehicle charging stations and community cooling centers.
Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Ed Markey of Oregon spoke at Monday's
event along with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, all leading voices in
the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Ocasio Cortez referenced
"peaceful protests" elsewhere while arguing, "It was the power of young people
who have made today possible."
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