Vice Presidential Pool Reports of January 12, 2023

VP pool report #1

VP arrival in Michigan

Air Force 2 landed at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 12:27 PM. Tarmac greeters were Secretary of the Department of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Mayor of Ann Arbor Christopher Taylor

VP Pool #2 start of event

#2 event starts

Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of the U.S. Dept of Energy Jennifer Granholm, U.S. and Professor Kyle Whyte of the School for Environment & Sustainability at the University of Michigan began a discussion about climate change at Rackham Auditorium at The University of Michigan at 2:20 PM

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) gave a few opening remarks prior on their interests in combating climate change and investing in clean energy solutions in Michigan.

White House Officials estimate the crowd count in the auditorium at 980

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-- Note from White House Officials

Today at 2:00 PM ET, the Vice President will engage in a moderated conversation on the Biden-Harris Administration's historic and ongoing work to combat the climate crisis with Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Kyle Whyte, Professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. The discussion will be live-streamed on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

Most recently, the Vice President convened climate leaders from local, state, and national level organizations to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration's investments and action to combat the climate crisis and the road ahead.

Key actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to combat the climate crisis:

• Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) over $370B in climate investments
• Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) advancing climate resilience and environmental justice
• CHIPS and Science Act boosting clean energy innovation
• Executive Order on "Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis"
• Establishing the Coal & Power Plant Communities Interagency Working Group
• Advancing environmental justice
  • Establishing the Justice40 initiative
  • Establishing the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

The Vice President's Past Work on Climate Action

• As San Francisco District Attorney, the Vice President established one of the first environmental justice units in the country.
• As California's Attorney General, the Vice President took action to hold polluters accountable and protect communities and the environment, including after the 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill.
• As a U.S. Senator from California, the Vice President led comprehensive legislation centered on climate and environmental justice, including the Climate Equity Act, the Water Justice Act, and the Environmental Justice for All Act. The Vice President also authored multiple bills that informed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Clean School Bus Act, the Wildfire Defense Act, and the Water for Tomorrow Act.

VP Pool #3 talking about the next generation

Pool vp Harris #3

Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of the U.S. Dept of Energy Jennifer Granholm, U.S. and Professor Kyle Whyte of the School for Environment & Sustainability at the University of Michigan discussion

Whyte asked Harris, what she would tell young people about how they can get involved in combating climate change

"Everything," Harris said. "Anything you are doing right now in terms of your studies or your passions."

Harris said no matter what students choose to get involved in in their studies, whether it be hospitality or communications, they can use their studies and their passions to create awareness to solutions to climate change. They can use their social media and relationships with others to plug-in to how to create change.

Harris told young people to look where issues intersect when looking at climate change. By examining LGBTQ rights and reproductive health care and making a Venn diagram, individuals may be surprised at how solutions for one issue may echo into another.

"Take a look at who and what is attacking these things," Harris said. "Fights and movements that seemingly have nothing in common by having everything in common in the midst of a time in our country where there are so many so-called powerful people, so-called leaders who are trying to divide our country and spew hate, one of the most powerful things we can do is build coalition and let people know that they are not alone in this."

VP pool #4

Final report: VP Harris departs Michigan

After the climate change event, Vice President left the University of Michigan at 3:40 pm. The Vice President departed from Willow Run Airport at 4:22 pm.