ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates Earth Week with Nearly 40 Announcements and Events

President Biden has done more than any prior president to tackle the climate crisis, and during Earth Week, the President, Vice President and Senior Administration officials participated in nearly 40 announcements and events focused on how the President's Investing in America agenda is powering an American manufacturing and clean energy boom, lowering prices, creating good-paying jobs in clean energy industries, meeting our climate goals, and advancing environmental justice and conservation.

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President Biden Signs Historic Environmental Justice Executive Order

President Biden signed an Executive Order to revitalize our nation's commitment to Environmental Justice for All. With this action, the President is working to ensure that all people – regardless of race, background, income, ability, Tribal affiliation, or zip code – can benefit from the vital safeguards enshrined in our nation's foundational environmental and civil rights laws. That means cleaner air and water, reduced risk for asthma, cancer, and other health burdens, and better access to green space, safe and affordable housing, and clean transportation.

The New York Times: Biden to Create White House Office of Environmental Justice
[Lisa Friedman, 4/21/23]

President Biden on Friday plans to announce the creation of a White House Office of Environmental Justice, one of several actions to address the unequal burden that people of color carry from environmental hazards, according to the White House. But Mr. Biden, who has indicated that he will run for re-election, is also expected to use the opportunity to portray Republicans as extremists who support the fossil fuel industry at the expense of public health and the planet, said a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

AP News: Biden signs order prioritizing 'environmental justice'
[Josh Boak and Drew Costley, 4/21/23]

President Joe Biden on Friday plans to sign an executive order that would make "environmental justice" the mission of federal agencies, the White House said. The Democratic administration wants to ensure that poverty, race and ethnic status do not lead to worse exposure to pollution and environmental harm. Biden is trying to draw a contrast between his agenda and that of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Reuters: Biden signs executive order on 'environmental justice'
[Steve Hollad, 4/21/23]

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order on Friday directing federal agencies to put more focus on environmental policies that do harm to communities, according to the White House. The order will establish a new Office of Environmental Justice within the White House aimed at coordinating efforts across the government. It would also require federal agencies to notify communities if toxic substances are released from a federal facility.

Vice President Harris Announces Funding for Resilience to Climate Change

Vice President Harris traveled to Miami to announce that the Department of Commerce has recommended $562 million in funding for nearly 150 projects across 30 coastal states and territories to make communities and the economy more resilient to climate change, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda.

Reuters: U.S. vice president to visit Miami, announce $562 million climate investment
[Doina Chiacu, 4/21/23]

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris planned to visit Miami on Friday, a White House official said, as she announces a $562 million investment in helping communities become more resilient to climate change. The trip coincides with U.S. President Joe Biden's signing of an executive order that the White House said will direct federal agencies to put more focus on environmental policies that do harm to communities.

Miami Herald: 'We still have time to make a difference': VP touts climate change investment in Florida
[Alex Harris, 4/22/23]

One week after massive flooding shut down Fort Lauderdale, Vice President Kamala Harris came to Miami to tout new federal cash to help protect Florida's coasts from storms and flooding. "The climate crisis represents a profound threat — as we all know — to our nation and to the world," she said. "We still have time to make a difference." Harris spoke at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science on Friday to announce a new wave of investment from the federal government into climate resilience. Florida has a significant cut of the total $561 million in recommended funding through NOAA's Climate Ready Coasts initiative.

Vice President Harris Demonstrates Support for Entrepreneurs' Building A Clean Energy Future

The Vice President also traveled to Los Angeles to visit a clean tech incubator and highlight the importance of entrepreneurs and small businesses in building an equitable clean energy future.

Spectrum News: Harris tours LA clean-energy incubator, touts improved job training
[4/17/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator in the downtown Arts District Monday and touted efforts to build a robust "clean energy economy" and ensure that workers are trained in the type of skills needed to support such an economy.

LA Daily News: In LA, VP Harris calls for investing in diverse, clean energy entrepreneurs
[Clara Harter, 4/17/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris toured the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator in downtown L.A.'s Arts District on Monday afternoon to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration is supporting clean energy entrepreneurs and encouraging people of all backgrounds to join America's green technology industry.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Efforts to Lower Energy Costs Through Expanded Domestic Heat Pump Manufacturing

The Department of Energy announced $250M for domestic electric heat pump manufacturing. This is the first funding opportunity announcement stemming from DOE's new authorization, invoked by President Biden last summer, to utilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase domestic production of five key clean energy technologies, including electric heat pumps.

Politico E&E News: Podesta: U.S. heat pump production poised to rise
[Brian Dabbs 4/19/23]

White House clean energy adviser John Podesta predicted Tuesday that $250 million in federal grants will lead to increased production of heat pumps in the United States by the end of this year or early next year. That timing is likely to line up closely with the disbursement to states of $8.8 billion in rebates for residential efficiency and electrification, which could help drive the installation of heat pumps and other efficiency upgrades in low-income communities. The two programs "will dovetail together because that [rebate] money will begin to be available through those state programs in the fall," Podesta said in an interview. Podesta and David Turk, deputy secretary at the Department of Energy, appeared together Tuesday in Washington on a tour of Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, which D.C. officials are touting as the first U.S. public high school set to hit net-zero carbon emissions.

President Biden Announces New Commitments to Catalyze Global Climate Action

President Biden convened the fourth virtual leader-level meeting of the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate, where he highlighted new steps the United States is taking to meet its ambitious 1.5°C-aligned goal of reducing emissions 50-52 percent in 2030. At the convening, President Biden announced significant new steps including a $1 billion contribution to the Green Climate Fund and a pledge of $500 million to Brazil's Amazon Fund.

The Hill: Biden to announce climate assistance funds in meeting with world leaders
[Rachel Frazin, 4/20/2023]

During a meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF), Biden will announce that the U.S. is providing $1 billion for the Green Climate Fund, which pays for low-carbon and climate-resilient projects in developing countries. Biden will also request $500 million over five years to support anti-deforestation efforts in Brazil – though Congress often does not allocate funds that the president asks for, according to a White House fact sheet.

Reuters: In meeting with big economies, Biden announces more funds to fight climate change
[Jeff Mason, 4/20/2023]

"We're at a moment of great peril but also great possibilities, serious possibilities. With the right commitment and follow-through from every nation ... on this call, the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees can stay within reach," Biden said. The countries that take part in the forum account for about 80% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and global gross domestic product, according to the White House. Thursday's meeting was the group's fourth under Biden's presidency. Biden announce a U.S. contribution of $1 billion to the Green Climate Fund, which finances projects on clean energy and climate change resilience in developing countries, doubling the overall U.S. contribution.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Actions to Foster Forest Conservation, Enhances Resilience to Climate Change

The Departments of Agriculture and Interior announced actions to foster forest conservation, enhance forest resilience to climate change, and inform policymaking on ensuring healthy forests on federally managed lands administered by the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

The Washington Post: U.S. has inventoried old-growth forests. Will protection be next?
[Anna Phillips, 4/20/23]

In a first-ever finding that could increase protections for remaining U.S. forests, the federal government estimated Thursday that more than 100 million acres of old-growth and mature timberlands are still standing on public lands, despite decades of commercial logging, wildfires and climate threats.

AP news: US plans new forest protections, issues old-growth inventory
[Matthew Brown, 4/20/23]

The Biden administration has identified more than 175,000 square miles (453,000 square kilometers) of old growth and mature forests on U.S. government land and plans to craft a new rule to better protect the nation's woodlands from fires, insects and other side effects of climate change, officials said Thursday.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Investments in Solar Manufacturing to Strengthen the Clean Energy Grid

The Department of Energy also announced new investments to support and accelerate community solar across America and $82 Million to increase domestic solar manufacturing and recycling, and strengthen the American clean energy grid.

Associated Press: US invests in alternative solar tech, more solar for renters
[Isabella O'Malley and Jennifer McDermott, 4/20/23]

The Biden administration announced more than $80 million in funding Thursday in a push to produce more solar panels in the U.S., make solar energy available to more people, and pursue superior alternatives to the ubiquitous sparkly panels made with silicon. The Department of Energy announced the investments in the morning and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm plans to visit a community solar site in Washington in the afternoon. Community solar refers to a variety of arrangements where renters and people who don't control their rooftops can still get their electricity from solar power. Two weeks ago, Vice President Kamala Harris announced what the administration said was the largest community solar effort ever in the United States.

Biden-Harris Administration Releases Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Framework

The Environmental Protection Agency released a framework for the implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Engineering News-Record: EPA Outlines $27B Climate Act Grant Fund for Clean Energy Projects
[Tom Ichniowski, 4/20/23]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fleshed out more details about its new $27-billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which aims to leverage public-sector funds with private investment in what the agency says will be "thousands" of clean energy projects. EPA on April 19 released what it termed a framework for the competitive grant program, which was created in the Climate Act–formally known as the Inflation Reduction Act­–signed into law last August.