ICYMI: Bidenomics Driving Clean Energy Jobs and Investments Across the Country

As President Biden this week laid out Bidenomics, his vision for growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up, members of the Cabinet blitzed the country and amplified his message as part of the Investing in America tour, announcing investments for clean energy that will boost domestic manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and tackle the climate crisis.

The Department of Energy this week announced its 2023 energy jobs report, which showed that clean energy jobs increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia last year.Additionally, Secretary Granholm and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu announced the winners of the Renew America's Schools grants totaling $178 million, which will enable K-12 public schools to make energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fueled vehicle upgrades and improvements. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced a groundbreaking $7 billion "Solar for All" grant competition, which will deliver solar to millions of low-income Americans, cut energy costs for families, and create good-paying jobs. And National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi joined Governor Wes Moore for an event announcing that Maryland will join President Biden's National Building Performance Standards Coalition, a first-of-kind partnership between state and local governments committed to delivering cleaner, healthier, and more affordable buildings.

Additionally, the Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced awards totaling nearly $1.7 billion for more than 1,700 American-built buses that will be manufactured with American parts and labor. FTA's historic investments over the last two years will more than double the number of zero-emission transit buses on America's roadways. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also announced $60 million to connect people across the country to good-paying jobs that help boost local resilience.

Read coverage below:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Energy Sec. touts push to get women, minorities in clean energy jobs
[Mirtha Donastorg, 6/28/23]

Federal investments in clean energy have unleashed billions of dollars in private sector commitments in manufacturing. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made clear during several stops in Atlanta on Wednesday that a Biden administration priority will be to make sure that wave of investment helps women and minorities. Granholm said the Democrats' clean energy initiatives and investments in electric vehicles have been "a job creation machine," helping to bring 170 new EV, battery manufacturing and supply chain expansions to the Southeast. A key focus of her Atlanta tour was workforce development efforts, particularly apprenticeship programs and incentive programs to get more women and minorities in clean energy industries.

Fox 6 Milwaukee: Wisconsin clean energy, Secretary Granholm tours sites
[Brhett Vickery, 6/16/23]

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Wisconsin Friday, June 16 to see advancements in pursuing clean energy. Granholm toured the Forest County Potawatomi community, which recently installed solar panels on its campus, as part of the visit. "It's exciting to see that they are very focused on energy efficiency," she said.

The Post and Courier: US Energy Sec tours West Columbia EV charger plant during multi-state clean energy trip
[Jessica Holdman, 6/27/23]

Employees huddled over work stations in a West Columbia assembly facility June 27, screwing down inductors, contactors and other components to control the flow of electricity in what will become a 180 kilowatt electric vehicle fast-charger station when it reaches the end of the line. But on this particular Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was on hand, along with Congressman Jim Clyburn, the U.S. House's third-ranking Democrat, to witness the work being done as Switzerland-headquartered ABB E-mobility seeks to deploy more of its chargers across the country. The factory tour was part of a multi-state road trip by the secretary highlighting the impacts of the Biden administration's marquee clean energy legislation, which along with the federal infrastructure package that followed has spurred investment across the country.

Chattanooga Times Free Press: Energy secretary says clean energy will power Chattanooga's economy
[Dave Flessner, 6/28/23]

The $1.2 trillion in clean energy and infrastructure spending measures pushed by President Joe Biden over the past three years is paying off in more manufacturing and energy jobs in America, especially across the "battery belt" in the Southeast, where new electric vehicle and battery plants are being built, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during a visit to Chattanooga on Wednesday.

Commercial Appeal: U.S. Secretary of Energy touts Tennessee's role in new 'Southern battery belt' in Memphis
[Omer Yusuf, 6/29/23]

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm touted President Joe Biden administration's commitment to creating more electric vehicle-related jobs and encouraging more Americans to eventually drive the vehicles themselves during a Memphis visit on Thursday. Memphis is about 40 miles away from Ford and SK On's future BlueOval City campus in Stanton that will produce electric vehicle batteries and electric trucks. BlueOval City is expected to create an estimated 5,800 new jobs and Ford's next-generation electric truck and is part of what Granholm described as the new "Southern battery belt."

WUWM 89.7: U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm talks to WUWM about the national switch to cleaner energy
[Chuck Quirmach, 6/23/23]

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was in Milwaukee a few days ago to promote the Biden Administration's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net zero carbon pollution by 2050. Among her stops, an electrical workers training center in Wauwatosa, where she announced Wisconsin will receive $10 million to help build a more resilient electric power grid in the state.

Reuters: Jobs in US energy grew 3.8% in 2022, led by work in clean energy
[Timothy Gardner, 6/28/23]

Jobs in the U.S. energy industry rose 3.8% last year, faster than overall employment growth and led by work in clean energy, the Department of Energy said on Wednesday. The U.S. Energy and Employment Report showed jobs in clean energy, a wide category including wind and solar power, nuclear, and grid technologies and battery storage, grew about 3.9%, adding 114,000 jobs.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: DEO says Georgia's clean energy sector has grown; larger surge expected
[Michael E. Kanell, 6/29/23]

Clean energy jobs are on the rise in every state, with the sector in Georgia accounting for more than 80,000 jobs — and growing, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy. The report showed jobs growing by 3.8% between 2021 and 2022.

The Hill: Clean and fossil fuel energy jobs both grew last year | The Hill
[Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk, 6/28/23]

Jobs in the clean energy sector grew 3.9 percent last year, while the energy sector overall saw 3.8 percent growth. On the fossil fuel side, jobs in the coal fuel sector grew 22 percent, while natural gas jobs increased 24 percent and petroleum jobs grew 13 percent. The energy sector overall employed 8.1 million people last year, an increase of nearly 300,000 from 2021, but the sector has still not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to the department.

RigZone: Clean Energy Employment Grew in All USA States 2022: DOE
[Jov Onsat, 6/29/23]

Jobs in the clean energy sector in the USA rose 3.9 percent from 2021 to 2022 with all states registering growth to outpace the overall increase in energy employment, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported Wednesday. Jobs aligned with a net zero future totaled three million last year, rising over 114,000 from 2021 and accounting for 40 percent of total energy jobs in 2022, according to the DOE's "United States Energy and Employment Report 2023".

Daily Energy Insider: DOE announces more than $21M for 30 clean energy projects
[Chris Galford, 6/28/23]

At 16 national laboratories working to advance clean energy solutions nationwide, 30 projects will split more than $21 million in funding recently announced by the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT). These efforts underscore the Biden administration's push on core commercialization challenges, and improving lab processes, accessibility to clean energy resources, lowering energy costs, pushing union jobs and getting the country to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In this case, this will focus on six topics meant to address commercialization challenges, advance development of certain technologies and smoothing the processes driving clean energy solutions to market.

Argus Leader: Pine Ridge nonprofit awarded $1.5M grant to train Indigenous women for solar energy jobs
[Makenzie Huber, 6/28/23]

The grant is part of the Biden Administration's "Investing in America" agenda aimed at achieving a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035 while boosting economic growth across the country. The grant is one of 12 nationwide with a total investment of $13.5 million. According to the 2022 U.S. Energy and Employment Report, Indigenous workers make up 1% of the 330,000 solar energy employees across the country — and Indigenous women make up a fraction of that percentage. "President Biden's Investing in America agenda is accelerating the clean energy transition, resulting in the creation of hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs and boosting our growing clean energy economy," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a news release.

OilPrice.com: U.S. Clean Energy Jobs Jumped In 2022
[Tsvetana Paraskova, 6/28/23]

Rising employment in clean energy led the 3.8% jobs growth in the U.S. energy sector in 2022, when the industry outpaced the overall U.S. rise in employment, the annual report by the Department of Energy showed on Wednesday. Last year, the U.S. energy workforce added nearly 300,000 jobs, at a 3.8% growth rate, which exceeded the 3.1% growth rate of the overall U.S. workforce, according to the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER).

Solar Power World: Report: Clean energy jobs increased in every state in 2022
[Kelsey Misbrener, 6/28/23]

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has released the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), a comprehensive study designed to track and understand employment trends across the energy sector. As the private sector continues to announce major investments in American-made energy, the 2023 USEER shows that the energy workforce added almost 300,000 jobs (+3.8% growth) in 2022.

PV Magazine: Clean energy employment on the rise
[Anne Fischer, 6/28/23]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), an annual study that tracks employment trends across the energy sector, and it shows that the energy workforce added 300,000 jobs in 2022, of which 114,000 were in clean energy. Clean energy technologies, such as solar and wind, accounted for more than 84% of net new electric power generation jobs, adding over 21,000 jobs, or a growth of 3.6% in 2022 over the previous year. Jobs related to zero emissions vehicles saw nearly 21% growth, adding over 38,000 jobs.

Reuters: U.S. launches $7 billion program to bring solar to low-income households
[Valerie Volcovici, 6/28/23]

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday launched a $7 billion competitive grant program that aims to give low-income communities access to residential solar panels, the latest effort by the Biden administration to expand renewable energy across the country. The agency will make up to 60 awards to community groups around the country representing specific states, Native Americans and Alaska Natives and multi-state programs.

Roll Call: EPA announces grant competition to fund residential solar
[Zack Budryk, 6/28/23]

The EPA on Wednesday said it would use a competitive grant process in order to distribute $7 billion for residential solar projects under a fund that congressional Republicans are seeking to eliminate. The agency published a notice of funding opportunity for the grant competition, and said it intends to distribute up to 60 awards to states, territories, tribes, municipalities and nonprofits. These funds would be used to establish and expand low-income solar programs that provide financing and technical assistance. Applicants can seek the grants in three categories: $25 million to $100 million, $100 million to $250 million, and $250 million to $400 million.

The Hill: Biden administration announces $7 billion residential solar grant program
[Annika Kim Constantino, 6/23/23]

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a $7 billion grant competition to expand access to residential solar energy in low-income communities. The funds, paid for by the Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, will cover up to 60 grants, according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) press call Wednesday. Activities covered by the grants will include development of technical and financial assistance to install residential solar in communities receiving the awards.

Bloomberg Law:EPA Makes $7 Billion Solar Grant Offer Under New US Green Bank
[Dean Scott, 6/28/23]

The Biden administration is opening its doors to states, nonprofits, and other groups seeking billions in funding for community solar energy projects, offering more than a quarter of the $27 billion in US green bank funds authorized under the 2022 climate law. The Environmental Protection Agency, which will approve the grants under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, will offer awards in three ranges: $25 million to $100 million for smaller projects; $100 million to $250 million for medium ones; and $250 million to $400 million for large-scale projects.

Washington Post: Renewables are getting oil-rich Texas through scorching heat
[Maxine Joselow and Vanessa Montalbano, 6/29/23]

The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday launched a $7 billion competitive grant program for solar projects in low-income communities across the country, marking the administration's latest environmental justice effort. The Solar For All program, which is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act's $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, will make up to 60 awards to projects serving states, territories, tribes, regions and eligible nonprofits. Groups can apply through Sept. 26 for the grants, which will guarantee that participating households save at least 20 percent on their electricity bills.

VT DIGGER: EPA chief, Vermont officials announce national Solar for All program in Waterbury
[Emma Cotton, 6/28/23]

A cast of big-name politicians gathered at the headquarters of SunCommon on Wednesday afternoon to announce the start of a program designed to reduce barriers for low- and middle-income families that want to install residential solar energy systems. Michael Regan, administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, stood alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., to launch the new program, called Solar for All.

NBC5 News @ 6, Burlington, VT: TVEyes Media Monitoring Suite - [Transcript]
[6/28/23]

Transcript: ...it will take place at one community center on Allen Street. The head of the EPA in Waterbury this afternoon.... to help Senator Bernie Sanders announce the launch of a brand new national program. It's called "solar for all". It aims to help make solar panels and green power more affordable for lower income Americans.

NBC5 News Today, Burlington, VT: TVEyes Media Monitoring Suite - [Transcript]
[6/28/23]

Transcript: This week-- the US Environmental Protection Agency administrator... will be stopping by Vermont... as part of the Biden-Harris "Investing In America" tour. We first told you about this yesterday. during the tour - Administrator Michael Regan ... will announce new resources to combat climate change. And today-- he'll be announcing new funding from the 'Solar for All program'.

WAMC Northeast Public Radio: EPA Administrator announces launch of solar initiative during Vermont visit
[6/28/23]

Transcript: This week-- the US Environmental Protection Agency administrator... will be stopping by Vermont... as part of the Biden-Harris "Investing In America" tour. We first told you about this yesterday. during the tour - Administrator Michael Regan ... will announce new resources to combat climate change. And today-- he'll be announcing new funding from the 'Solar for All program'.

Vermont Biz: Sanders, and EPA chief announce $7 billion Solar for All program to combats climate change and lower costs
[6/29/23]

At an event Wednesday in Waterbury, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S Regan announced a $7 billion grant competition for rooftop and residential solar that will increase access to affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy for millions of low-income households in Vermont and across the country. Sanders and Administrator Regan were joined at the announcement by Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), SunCommon's cofounder and president, and other community leaders.

Washington Post: Climate 202: Maryland Governor to Join Biden's Green Building Coalition
[Maxine Joslow, 6/29/23]

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) today will announce that he is joining President Biden's National Building Performance Standards Coalition, a group of state and local governments committed to setting building codes that reduce emissions and improve equity. Moore will make the announcement during a visit to Baltimore with White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi. They are expected to tour the Carver House, where high school students are getting hands-on training by retrofitting a vacant rowhouse into a net-zero-emission home. Moore will be the third governor to join the coalition after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D). For Zaidi, the visit comes one day after Biden delivered a speech laying out "Bidenomics," an expansive vision for benefiting the middle class by creating millions of well-paying jobs.

WBAL: Maryland Joins Biden Administration's National Building Performance Coalition
[Katarina Hein, 6/29/23]

Today Governor Wes Moore announced that Maryland will join the Biden-Harris Administrations National Building Performance Standards Coalition. Moore, along with National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, made the announcement during a visit to the Requity Foundation's Carver House project in West Baltimore. The Requity Foundation is a Baltimore-based nonprofit that provides vocational education and workforce development through learning initiatives focused on building community wealth and fighting climate change. Moore states that he is "thrilled to join the Biden Administration's National Building Performance Standards Coalition, which will help fuel job creation, create economic growth, reduce energy costs, and align health, energy, and housing needs in communities across the state." Maryland is one of only three states with statewide building performance standards. Moore has committed Maryland to a goal of reducing overall greenhouse gas emission by 60% by 2031 and reaching net zero statewide emissions by 2045.

Associated Press: The US government is awarding $1.7 billion to buy electric and low-emission buses
[Josh Boak, 6/26/23]

The grants will enable transit agencies and state and local governments to buy 1,700 U.S.-built buses, nearly half of which will have zero carbon emissions. Funding for the grants comes from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by President Joe Biden. The Democratic president has made it a priority to put more electric vehicles on the road — especially for schools and public transit — in an effort to contain the damage from climate change.

Washington Post: Climate change is fueling an insurance crisis. There's no easy fix. - The Washington Post
[Vanessa Montalbano, 6/26/23]

The Transportation Department yesterday announced it is awarding nearly $1.7 billion in grants for transit projects in 46 states and territories to purchase zero- and low-emission buses, Josh Boak reports for the Associated Press. The grants, which come from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, are meant to help transit agencies and state and local governments buy 1,700 domestically built buses, with at least half being zero-emission. The Washington, D.C., transit authority will get a $104 million grant to buy 100 electric buses and renovate a bus garage to support them, The Post's Justin George reports.

Fox Business: Biden administration announces $1.7B for low or no-emission buses, transit projects
[Danielle Wallace, 6/26/23]

The investment is the second bus grant package funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law, which has now invested more than $3.3 billion in American transit buses and the infrastructure that supports them, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters. After more than two years of funding, the total number of zero emission transit buses funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law is now more than 1,800, which Landrieu says is more than doubling the number of zero emission transit buses on America's roadways.

The Hill: Biden administration announces $1.7 billion for electric and 'traditional' buses
[Rachel Frazin, 6/26/23]

The Biden administration announced Monday it will disperse $1.7 billion for more than 1,700 new buses around the country, some of which are expected to be electric. The funds announced Monday, which will also go toward other programs like workforce training, come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is the second slate of bus grants announced by the Biden administration under the law.

Grist: Infrastructure funding is bringing zero-emission buses to communities that need them most
[Katie Myers, 6/28/23]

On Monday, the Biden administration announced nearly $1.7 billion in grants for municipal transportation departments serving cities, rural areas, and Native American reservations. The awards support multiple levels of the bus-electrification process, helping to fund everything from charging stations and garages to the buses themselves. The geographical reach of these awards is broad and includes the Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and municipal transit authorities in cities like Tucson, Arizona; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and Seattle.

Times of San Diego: North County Transit District Awarded $29 Million for 23 Zero-Emission Buses
[Debbie Sklar, 6/26/23]

"The historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering results across the country, including in our district with this grant of over $29 million going to the North County Transit District for the purchase of 23 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses," said Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point. "These clean energy buses will reduce harmful air pollution and modernize our transit infrastructure to improve service reliability.

KOAA Southern Colorado: New, clean and efficient buses are on the way for Mountain Metropolitan Transit
[Aidan Hulting, 6/27/23]

The United States Department of Transportation's Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) has awarded $1.7 billion for infrastructure projects in 46 states, Colorado being one of them. The awards which were announced Monday are part of the Biden Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed two years ago.

ABC 24: Riverview Elementary receives $9.5 million grant for updates | localmemphis.com
[Rya Wooten, 6/30/23]

Reverview Elementary received a $9.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Renew America's Schools Program Thursday, June 29. Memphis Shelby County Schools held a press release Thursday where U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, and Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor, and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator for the Biden Administration presented the grant to the school.

KGM News: Local public transit getting millions for diesel-hybrid buses, upgrades to facilities
[Staff, 6/27/23]

The Whatcom Transportation Authority is getting almost $10 million in federal funding to buy new diesel-electric hybrid buses. It is part of $1.7 billion from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked for electric or low emission buses and other transit projects around the country. The U.S. Department of Transportation says WTA's new buses will burn 24% less diesel fuel and emit about half the greenhouse gas emissions of the buses they'll replace. All the buses purchased under the program will be built in the U.S. using American-made parts.

Washington Examiner: Biden and Buttigieg greenlight $1.7 billion for electric bus fleet
[Breccan F. Thies, 6/26/23]

The announcement is the second round of grant funding from the Biden administration's infrastructure measure, which has so far invested $3.3 billion into the buses and related infrastructure. The Department of Transportation says localities transitioning fleets from diesel to low- or no-emission buses will have public health benefits, such as improving air quality and reducing noise pollution.

Whidbey Times-News: Federal grant funds South End transit hub
[Karina Andrew, 6/27/23]

Whatcom Transportation Authority and Skagit Transit received grants of $9.6 million and $5 million, respectively, under the Low or No Emission Vehicle initiative, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Through 2026, the law invests $5.5 billion in the initiative, including nearly $1.7 billion in grants to 125 communities nationwide for cleaner transit infrastructure projects.

KOAA Southern Colorado: New, clean and efficient buses are on the way for Mountain Metropolitan Transit
[Aidan Hulting, 6/27/23]

The United States Department of Transportation's Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) has awarded $1.7 billion for infrastructure projects in 46 states, Colorado being one of them. The awards which were announced Monday are part of the Biden Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed two years ago.

WREX 13: Rockford, Beloit transit systems receive project funding from Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
[Kelsey Anderson, 6/26/23]

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced 130 awards totaling almost $1.7 billion from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for transit projects in 46 states and territories. The funding invests in more than 1,700 American-built buses that will be built with American parts and labor. About half of these buses will be zero-emission models, which brings the total number of these funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over two years to more than 1,800.