Biden-Harris Administration Announces Historic Investments in Climate Every Day of Earth Week
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Phoenix, AZ — To commemorate Earth Day, the Biden-Harris administration announced a slew of investments and programs aimed at boosting the clean energy economy and protecting our health and environment from the harmful effects of climate change. These accomplishments are directly benefiting the people of Arizona, as outlined below.
“President Biden is the most accomplished climate president in history,” said Climate Power Interim States Managing Director André Crombie. “His administration is slashing pollution, creating opportunities for all Americans, and making Arizona’s air and water cleaner. As Earth Month comes to a close, we’re grateful for President Biden’s leadership on this issue, which stands in stark contrast to Trump’s blatant disregard for the environment, climate science, and American workers.”
White House Earth Week climate announcements
Monday, April 22nd (Earth Day!):
- President Biden announced $7 billion in grants through “Solar for All”, which will deliver solar power to over 900,000 households in low-income communities, saving families money in electricity costs and lowering pollution. This includes over $180 million in investments in Arizona.
- President Biden launched a jobs portal for the American Climate Corps with nearly 2,000 positions across the country. In Arizona, you can apply to work on outdoor recreation access improvements or natural resource preservation and conservation in Tucson or Flagstaff. The first class of the American Climate Corps will be deployed to communities across the country in June 2024.
Tuesday, April 23rd:
- At the White House Water Summit, the Biden administration announced $1 billion in funding for Tribal clean water projects. More than 100 members (including ten states, eight tribes, 24 local governments, and over 50 organizations) around the country have signed onto the American the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge, including the Navajo Nation, which aims to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our nation’s rivers and streams.
Wednesday, April 24th:
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a nearly $1 billion funding opportunity for cities, states and Tribes to replace Class 6 and Class 7 heavy-duty vehicles like school buses, trash trucks, and delivery trucks with zero-emissions vehicles.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published its first-ever website on Extreme Heat, which serves as a hub highlighting actions communities can take to prepare and respond to extreme heat events.
Thursday, April 25th:
- The EPA announced a suite of standards to cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as toxic air pollution, water pollution, and land contamination from fossil fuel power plants, avoiding 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047 and protecting our clean air and water.
- The Department of Energy announced up to $331 million in funding for a new transmission line that will be built with union labor, stretching from Idaho to Nevada and providing hundreds of jobs to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) members.
Friday, April 26th:
- The White House hosted the first-ever Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Infrastructure, highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to providing communities equitable access to energy-efficient, climate-resilient, and healthy school facilities. Alongside the summit, the White House released a toolkit that provides an overview of federal resources that can help schools achieve energy efficiency, resilience to extreme weather, and cleaner air, water, and transportation.
While President Biden is firmly on the side of the clean energy economy, the environment, and the American worker, President Trump is not: he gave Big Oil a $25 billion tax break, rolled back more than 100 environmental rules, and launched a war on the nation’s clean energy economy that cost jobs and stunted growth. President Biden, on the other hand, has prioritized making Big Oil pay their fair share and created more than 271,000 jobs through his clean energy plan so far.
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