Pool Reports by Tara Kavaler, The Arizona Republic
| Sent: | Reports: |
| January 19, 2023 14:08 MST |
VP pool report 1 - Wheels Down Air Force 2 landed at Luke Air Force Base (KLUF) at 12:37 pm AT. Participants in the tarmac greet:
Following the tarmac greet, the Vice President and Second Gentleman will greet with, and express their appreciation to, more than 100 family members of military personnel stationed at Luke Air Force Base. Luke Air Force Base provides support for over 5,500 military and civilian employees and 6,700 family members. |
| January 19, 2023 15:12 MST |
VP Pool Report 2 - Briefing VP arrived for briefing on substation project from IBEW workers at 2:56 p.m in Tonopah, AZ. VP spoke with Kyle Gladden, Site Foreperson, IBEW. Gladden explained that Ten West Link would take 18 months to build, and construction was almost halfway. He said that the Ten West Link crosses federal land over I-10 highway. VP remarked at the work of the union. Gladden said some of the string in the line is installed with a helicopter, to avoid disturbing land. On Background from a White House Official: Today, Vice President Harris, Department of the Interior Secretary Haaland, Department of Energy Secretary Granholm, and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi are traveling to Tonopah, Arizona to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to create a new clean energy economy that works for all Americans. They will be joined by Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) and leadership from Ten West Link and the California Independent System Operator. The delegation will attend the groundbreaking of the Ten West Link transmission line, which will help deliver clean power from wind and solar farms to customers in the greater Phoenix Area and in Southern California. The project will create good-paying union jobs and result in lower energy costs and enhanced regional reliability for customers in both California and Arizona. The Ten West Link will be a 125-mile-long transmission line connecting electrical substations in Tonopah, Arizona and Blythe, California. It will be built by IBEW workers in both states. At peak construction, Ten West Link expects 365 union jobs on the line in AZ and CA. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the project in November 2019 and authorized construction in July 2022. The Ten West Link helps advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate and clean energy goals while lowering energy costs — the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal is to reduce America’s GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and to achieve a carbon-free power sector by 2035. Last fall, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the nation’s largest investment to combat the climate crisis. The $370 billion dollar climate investment, paired with provisions from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPs and Science Act, and key executive actions, will lead the nation toward a new clean energy economy. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the largest investment ever in upgrading America’s power grid. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act provides nearly $3 billion in transmission funding, including $2 billion that will unlock additional billions in federal lending for projects designated by the Secretary of Energy to be in the national interest. |
| January 19, 2023 15:51 MST |
VP Report 3 - Remarks and Groundbreaking At the Ten West Link construction site in Tonopah, AZ, about 120 attendees were present for remarks and the ceremonial groundbreaking. Speakers included;: White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Governor Katie Hobb, D-Ariz., U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Zaidi said the event was a "celebration of one project," hoped it would be a "catalyst" for other clean projects across the country Hobbs called the project "groundbreaking for the region." Haaland: Project will boost bulk power system for Arizona and California. Called clean energy projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act "once in a generation investments." VP started speaking at 3:31 p.m and spoke for approximately Made economic argument for clean energy, saying it's cheaper to transmit solar and wind electricity than electricity generated from fossil fuels. Also argued it creates good paying, union jobs. Vice President broke grou9nd at 3:42 p.m. Quotes: (Possibly more to follow) "Arizona, I am here today because this project demonstrates a very important point. It shows when we invest in climate we also invest in families, in communities, in opportunity and prosperity for all people…When we invest in climate, we invest in America" "Today America has more than half a million miles of electric lines, enough to wrap around globe 24 times" The U.S. is "at the start of a historic transition…toward cleaner and safer energy sources." |
| January 19, 2023 17:50 MST |
VP Report 4 - Departure At Luke Air Force Base, the Vice President did a greet with Luke Air Force Base Airmen. She was joined by Brigadier General Jason Rueschhoff, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base. The Vice President commended the Airmen’s skill and dedication. She also discussed how the U.S. military is the best fighting force the world has ever seen, and how the work at Luke AFB – training Air Force pilots on F-16s and F-35s as well as aircraft maintainers and other specialists – is critical to our national security. Luke AFB is home to the 56th Fighter Wing, the Air Force’s primary active-duty fighter pilot training wing and where a large number of the U.S. Air Force’s fighter pilots – and many of those of our Allies and partners – are trained. Luke AFB also hosts the 944th Fighter Wing, which is the Air Force Reserve’s largest F-16, A-10, F-15E, and F-35 fighter training wing. |
Kamala Harris, Vice Presidential Pool Reports of January 19, 2023 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/359424