ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Combat the Climate Crisis During Climate Week

During Climate Week 2023 in New York City, more than a dozen senior Biden-Harris Administration officials participated in a broad range of events, panels, and discussions focused on how the Administration is meeting the urgency of the climate crisis through a whole-of-government approach, and announced new actions to combat the climate crisis, create good-paying jobs, and advance environmental justice.

From launching the American Climate Corps – a workforce training and service initiative that will put a new generation of more than 20,000 young people to work in the growing fields of climate resilience, conservation, and clean energy, to announcing $4.6 billion through the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program for states, cities and tribes to help tackleclimate pollution, to directing Federal agencies to consider the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions in key decisions, to investing $40 million through the Department of the Interior to plug and cleanup oil and gas wells, to unveiling new actions to advance the American offshore wind industry, to opening $400 million in funding for states to adopt the latest building energy codes, and more – the Biden-Harris Administration is continuing to lead the most ambitious climate agenda in history.

See coverage below:

New York Times: Wanted: 20,000 Young Americans to Fight Climate Change
[Lisa Friedman, 9/20/23]

The White House plans to create an "American Climate Corps" that would train thousands of young people for green jobs. President Biden intends to use executive authority to train and employ thousands of young people in jobs to fight global warming, Ali Zaidi, the White House national climate adviser, said on Tuesday. The American Climate Corps, as the White House has named the organization, would provide young people with skills to work in wind and solar production, disaster preparedness and land conservation, Mr. Zaidi said. The White House expects about 20,000 recruits in the first year, he said.

CNN: Biden administration launches first-of-its-kind American Climate Corps program
[Ella Nilson & Donald Judd, 9/20/23]

President Joe Biden's administration is launching the first-ever American Climate Corps Wednesday, the White House said, a workforce training and service initiative aimed at preparing American youth for jobs in clean energy and climate resilience.

Associated Press: Biden uses executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps
[Matthew Daly, 9/20/23]

In an announcement Wednesday, the White House said the program will employ more than 20,000 young adults who will build trails, plant trees, help install solar panels and do other work to boost conservation and help prevent catastrophic wildfires. […] "Young people nationwide are excited to see the launch of the American Climate Corps, a program which will put more than 20,000 young people on career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation and climate resilience,'' said Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, president of NextGen America, an organization that promotes education, registration and mobilization for voters age 18 to 35.

NBC: White House launches American Climate Corps [Megan Lebowitz & Caroline Kenny, 9/20/23]

The White House on Wednesday announced the launch of the American Climate Corps, which the administration said will mobilize more than 20,000 Americans in the clean energy and climate resilience sectors. "This is important because we're not only opening up pathways to bold climate action, we're not just opening up pathways to decarbonization, we're opening up pathways to good paying careers, lifetimes of being involved in the work of making our communities more sustainable, more fair, more resilient in the face of a changing climate," White House climate policy adviser Ali Zaidi said on a call with reporters Tuesday.

Bloomberg: Biden Creates American Climate Corps for Youth Job Training [Stephen Lee, 9/20/23]

The White House unveiled a new program on Wednesday that will put young people to work staving off the climate crisis, meeting a longstanding demand of many environmental activists. Modeled on the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, the new American Climate Corps will recruit more than 20,000 people in its first year to conserve and restore lands and waters, build out clean energy and strengthen community resilience, Ali Zaidi, the White House's national climate adviser, told reporters on Tuesday. The jobs will provide "good wages, good benefits, and the right to organize," Zaidi said. Participants will learn clean energy, conservation and climate resilience-related skills, including restoring coastal wetlands to defend against storm surges and flooding, managing forests to prevent wildfires and installing energy-efficient technologies to cut down on energy bills, according to a White House fact sheet.

Teen Vogue: Civilian Climate Corps launched by White House during Climate Week
[Lexi McMenamin, 9/20/23]

A year after the concept of a "Civilian Climate Corps" was scrapped in the negotiation over the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden announced the formation of the American Climate Corps, a first-of-its-kind jobs program "to train young people in high-demand skills for jobs in the clean energy economy," per the White House's new website to sign up for more information. The American Climate Corps will create a projected 20,000 jobs for young people in its first year. […] Sunrise is celebrating the newly announced program, with executive director Varshini Prakash saying in a statement, "We turned a generational rallying cry into a real jobs program that will put a new generation to work stopping the climate crisis."

ABC News: Biden to launch 'American Climate Corps' following calls from activists, Democratic lawmakers
[Ben Gittleson and Morgan Winsor, 9/20/23]

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will launch the "American Climate Corps," according to the White House, which described it as "a workforce training and service initiative" for more than 20,000 Americans "that will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy."

NPR: Biden is unveiling the American Climate Corps, a program with echoes of the New Deal
[Eric McDaniel, 9/20/23]

The White House on Wednesday unveiled a new climate jobs training program that it says could put 20,000 people to work in its first year on projects like restoring land, improving communities' resilience to natural disasters and deploying clean energy. […] "We need millions of people, especially young people, employed to do the essential work of averting climate catastrophe and building a fair and equitable new economy," said Varshini Prakash, the group's executive director, who has advised the White House on climate issues. "I am thrilled to say that the White House has been responsive to our generation's demand for a Climate Corps and that President Biden acknowledges that this is just the beginning of building the climate workforce of the future," Prakash told reporters.

Wired: The US Is Mobilizing an Army to Fight the Climate Crisis
[Matt Simon, 9/21/23]

Climate Change is the greatest threat humanity has ever faced, and the United States has begun mobilizing an army to fight it: the American Climate Corps. Formerly conceptualized as the Civilian Climate Corps, the new initiative will "put more than 20,000 young people on career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation and climate resilience," the White House said in a statement announcing the launch Wednesday. That means civilian gigs like managing forests to prevent wildfires, preserving coastal wetlands to mitigate sea-level rise, and retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient.

Axios: Biden's new "American Climate Corps" aims to enlist 20,000 young people
[Ben Geman, 9/20/23]

The big picture: Unveiled during Climate Week, the corps is a paid training program that aims to provide "pathways to high-quality employment opportunities in the public and private sectors," according to the White House. It envisions training in areas like wetlands restoration, low-carbon energy deployment, forest management, and more. The goal is to move 20,000 people through the program in the first year.

Washington Post: Biden's new Climate Corps will train thousands of young people
[Maxine Joselow, 9/20/23]

President Biden on Wednesday announced an initiative to train more than 20,000 young people in skills crucial to combating climate change, such as installing solar panels, restoring coastal wetlands and retrofitting homes to be more energy-efficient. […] The administration "will specifically be focused on making sure that folks that are coming through this program have a pathway into good-paying union jobs," White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi said on a Tuesday call with reporters previewing the announcement. "We're very keenly focused on that."

Common Dreams: Embracing FDR's spirit and progressive demand, Biden unveils American Climate Corps
[Jake Johnson, 9/20/23]

Inspired by the New Deal's popular Civilian Conservation Corps—a popular decade-long program that employed millions of young men—the Biden administration's American Climate Corps (ACC) will establish a paid training program with the goal of providing "pathways to high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience jobs in the public and private sectors," according to a White House fact sheet.

Black Wall Street Times: Climate Corps will train 20,000 young people for clean energy jobs
[Deon Osborne, 9/20/23]

The American Climate Corps will equip 20,000 young people with skills-based training for careers in clean energy and climate resilience, the White House announced on Wednesday. The new initiative seeks to empower a new generation with the skills and support needed to help boost their community's resilience to the climate crisis while earning a living wage. "This is really focused and building on success in state-based programs in letting particularly young people participate in trying to make their communities more resilient," Senior Advisor John Podesta told The Black Wall Street Times on Wednesday. "As we go around the country, we hear from young people their desire to be part of the solution."

New York Times: White House Directs Agencies to Account for Climate Change in Budgets
[Coral Davenport, 9/21/23]

A directive issued on Thursday by the Biden administration would, for the first time, have federal agencies consider the economic damage caused by climate change when deciding what kinds of vehicles, equipment and goods to buy. The new guidance from President Biden could affect purchasing decisions across the government, from agriculture to defense to health care. The idea is to take into account the greenhouse gases generated by goods and projects, how they contribute to global warming, and the cost of that to the economy.

Washington Post (Climate 202): White House broadens use of social cost of carbon
[Maxine Joselow, 9/22/23]

The White House yesterday directed federal agencies to consider the real-world costs of climate change when deciding which goods to purchase and which projects to approve, the New York Times's Coral Davenport reports. The directive, which is not legally binding, significantly expands the government's use of the social cost of carbon, a key metric used to calculate the damage that each additional ton of greenhouse gas pollution causes society. Under President Barack Obama, that figure was set at $42 a ton, while under President Donald Trump it went as low as $1 per ton. Biden administration officials are working on an update that is expected to boost the figure to about $190 a ton.

The Messenger: Biden to Federal Agencies: Budget For Climate Change Costs
[Dave Levitan, 9/21/23]

The White House released a directive on Thursday instructing government agencies to consider the social cost of carbon — a measure of the felt impacts of climate change — when developing and implementing their budgets. […] "My administration, the United States, has treated this crisis as an existential threat from the moment we took office," Biden said on Tuesday, "not only for us but for all of humanity."

The Hill: White House directs agencies to consider climate costs in purchases, budgets
[Rachel Frazin, 9/21/23]

The White House is directing agencies to account for climate costs in purchasing decisions and budget proposals. The White House said in a Thursday fact sheet that agencies should weigh the costs of potential climate damages as they make purchases and put together budget proposals.

E&E News: Biden broadens use of social cost of carbon
[Jean Chemnick, 9/22/23]

The Biden administration announced plans Thursday to consider climate costs in a much broader swath of government policies and decisions than ever before — including how the federal government wields its massive buying power. The social cost of greenhouse gases — a metric for the climate damage done by a ton of carbon dioxide or methane as it enters the atmosphere — has been a regulatory staple for years. But on Thursday the president ordered agencies to get ready to use it consistently in a host of other government activities — including annual budgets, permitting decisions and foreign assistance programs. Biden also asked agencies to start laying the groundwork to build climate costs into government procurement.

Washington Examiner: Biden expands use of 'social cost of greenhouse gases' in budgeting and purchasing
[Nancy Vu, 9/21/23]

The Biden administration is issuing recommendations for federal agencies to consider the economic effects of greenhouse gas emissions in their budgeting and purchasing decisions, an unprecedented move meant to harness the government's power of the purse against climate change. The White House's guidance released Thursday will be issued to agencies across the board, from agriculture to health, and could affect purchasing decisions in various departments. The recommendations would allow agencies to consider the "social costs of greenhouse gases" generated by goods and projects, how they worsen global warming, and the cost of that to the economy.

CNN: Biden administration announces $4.6B grant program to reduce planet-warming pollution
[Ella Nilsen, 9/20/23]

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced new competitive grants totaling $4.6 billion that states, cities and tribes can apply for to reduce the planet-warming pollution that is fueling the climate crisis. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will be managed through the Environmental Protection Agency, is a second and larger tranche of funding in a $5 billion program that was part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The first went to help states and cities develop climate action plans. Some states, including Georgia, used those funds to develop their first-ever climate plan. […] At the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, President Joe Biden gave a speech that emphasized his administration's efforts on the climate crisis. While he called for more investment from the private sector, he hailed the administration's own clean energy investments and the climate financing it has secured for developing countries.

Washington Post (Climate 202): EPA to award $4.6 billion to projects that cut climate pollution
[Maxine Joselow, 9/21/23]

The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday announced the availability of $4.6 billion in competitive grants for state, local and tribal projects that slash planet-warming pollution, address environmental justice and accelerate the transition to a clean-energy economy. The money comes from the $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program established by the Inflation Reduction Act. The EPA has already offered $250 million from the program to help states and municipalities develop climate action plans. "President Biden secured this historic funding because he knows that communities need resources to fund projects to cut climate pollution, lift up disadvantaged communities, and reap the economic and job-creation benefits of climate action," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

Reuters: US environment agency calls for bids for $4.6 billion in grants to cut emissions
[Deep Vakil, 9/21/23]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday invited bids from state, local, and tribal governments for $4.6 billion in grants to implement climate action plans to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The competitive grants are funded under President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and build upon plans developed using $250 million of funding already allocated by the EPA as part of the same program.

The Hill: Biden administration to put $4.6 billion toward state and local climate plans
[Rachel Frazin,9/20/23]

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will make $4.6 billion available to help states, localities and tribes implement their climate plans. The funds represent the bulk of a $5 billion effort under the Inflation Reduction Act to help local and state governments cut their greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The administration has already put an additional $250 million to help them develop the plans.

Smart Cities Dive: $4.6B for climate action plan implementation available from EPA
[Ysabellle Kempe, 9/20/23]

Funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program "is the largest program of its kind to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to develop and implement a wide variety of greenhouse gas reduction measures," said Lisa Garcia, an EPA regional administrator for New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally recognized Indian nations, in a statement. When deciding which projects to fund, the EPA will prioritize those that result in the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Bloomberg Law: EPA Rolls Out $4.6 Billion in Grants for Clean Energy Projects
[Stephen Lee, 9/22/23]

The EPA unveiled $4.6 billion in grant funding on Wednesday for projects that cut climate pollution and speed the transition to clean energy in communities across the US. The program, the latest in a series launched under last year's climate law, will be paid out of a $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The green bank is meant to encourage private capital to come off the sidelines for clean technology, with a special focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities. The program's parameters are intentionally broad to "put communities in the drivers' seat."

Washington Examiner: EPA announces $4.6 billion for wide range of climate programs by states and cities
[Nancy Vu, 9/20/23]

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it would be launching $4.6 billion in competitive grants to fund state, local, and tribal programs aimed at cutting climate pollution. […] There will be two competitions - one general and one specifically for tribes and territories. The EPA said it expects to award approximately 30 to 115 grants ranging between $2 million and $500 million under the general competition, and approximately 25 to 100 grants ranging between $1 million and $25 million under the tribes and territories competition. The EPA said it expects that the general grants are expected to be awarded in the fall of next year, while the tribal grants will be awarded between the winter of 2024-2025.

The News Journal (Puerto Rico): Biden-Harris Administration announces availability of $4.6 billion in competitive grants to cut climate pollution
The two new competitions are part of the second tranche of funding from EPA's $5 billion CPRG program
[Staff, 9/20/23]

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched $4.6 billion in competitive grants to fund state, local and Tribal programs and policies that cut climate pollution, advance environmental justice, and deploy clean energy solutions across the country. As part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) competitions will enable community-driven solutions to the climate crisis, helping to accelerate America's clean energy transition. The two new competitions are part of the second tranche of funding from EPA's $5 billion CPRG program. EPA has already made $250 million available to fund the development of climate action plans, and nearly all states, plus major cities opted in to receive these flexible planning resources.

Biomass Magazine: EPA offers $4.6B in grants to cut climate pollution
[Erin Voegele, 9/22/23]

The $4.6 billion implementation grant competitions launched Sept. 20 support the implementation of GHG reduction programs, policies, projects and measures identified in a PCAP developed under a CPRG planning grant. The implementation grants are designed to enable states, municipalities, tribes and territories implement ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond; pursue measures that will achieve substantial community benefits, including a reduction in criteria air pollutants and hazardous air pollutants, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities; complement other funding sources to maximize these GHG reductions and community benefits; and pursue innovative policies and programs that are replicable and can be scaled up across multiple jurisdictions.

Associated Stories: Governors, Biden administration push to quadruple efficient heating, AC units by 2030
[Isabella O'Malley]

A group of 25 state governors that make up the U.S. Climate Alliance and the Biden administration announced a pledge Thursday to quadruple the number of heat pumps in U.S. homes by 2030, from 4.7 million to 20 million. Heat pumps use little electricity, yet are able to heat and cool buildings. Since they often replace oil or gas furnaces that add greenhouse gases to the air, they can meaningfully address climate change.

The Hill: Biden administration announces $400 million to help states adopt climate-friendly building codes
[Rachel Frazin, 9/19/23]

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will open applications for the first tranche of funding — $400 million — to help states and territories take up energy-efficient building codes. A senior administration official told reporters Monday that under the codes, new buildings and major renovations would be done with better construction and in a way that is more efficient and resilient. The Energy Department said in a press release announcing the funding that homes built using modern energy codes are 40 percent more efficient than homes built 15 years ago.

Utility Dive: DOE makes $400M available to assist states, territories in adopting energy-efficient building codes
[Robert Walton, 9/19/2023]

The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced $400 million in formula funding to assist in the adoption and implementation of updated building energy codes for new residential and commercial construction. States and territories will be able to reserve funds with a commitment to adopt either the latest model energy codes or zero energy codes, a senior DOE official said in a Monday call with reporters. They have 60 days to indicate their intention to adopt new codes.

Engineering News-Record: DOE Offers $400M to Support State Energy Codes for Commercial Buildings
[James Leggate, 9/22/23]

The U.S. Dept. of Energy is coming to the aid of states and territories by offering a total of $400 million in formula funding toward the adoption or the update of model energy codes for commercial development. The goal of the DOE grants, which are from $1 billion of the Inflation Reduction Act, is to help increase building energy efficiency and ultimately reduce utility bills—and greenhouse gas emissions. DOE estimates that updated building codes would eventually result in lower building energy consumption that could save consumers $178 billion in utility bills over 30 years.

E&E News: 4 federal agencies ink offshore wind plan with coastal states
[Heather Richards, 9/22/23]

Four federal agencies have reached a deal with coastal states to collaborate on building an offshore wind supply chain, attempting to address a pinch point in meeting the Biden administration's goals for the nascent industry. The agencies — the Energy, Interior, Commerce and Transportation departments — aim to help states "incentivize the development of U.S. offshore wind vessels and U.S. steel production," according to a White House fact sheet on the memorandum of understanding that was released Thursday.

Utility Dive: Offshore wind plan from Energy, Interior departments aims for regional collaboration, clarity on transmission planning
[Diana DiGangi]

The Departments of Interior and Energy released Tuesday an action plan for developing offshore wind transmission off the Atlantic coast of the U.S., outlining immediate goals to be accomplished by 2025 as well as ones for 2030, 2040, and sustained actions to continue to 2050 and beyond. Immediate goals include updating reliability standards and identifying interconnection points, while mid-term goals include regulated interregional joint transmission planning.

Wind Power: DOE Awards $72 Million to Advance Wind, Water Energy Technologies
[Nina Korman, 9/21/23]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $72 million for three sets of projects that will innovate manufacturing processes for wind and water technologies and accelerate the equitable and sustainable deployment of offshore and land-based wind energy. This funding encompasses 29 projects from 16 States and Washington, D.C. The breakdown includes $27 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for 15 projects to support research, development and community engagement to accelerate the equitable and sustainable deployment of offshore and land-based wind energy. In addition, $45 million will go to 14 projects that will make domestic manufacturing for these technologies quicker and less expensive.

KOSU: Tribal nations in Oklahoma receive federal funds to plug orphaned oil and gas wells
[Graycen Wheeler, 9/22/23]

The U.S. Department of the Interior is investing almost $40 million to plug and clean up abandoned oil and gas wells in tribal communities across the country. More than half of that money, which comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is going to tribes in Oklahoma.

KUNM: Tribes get $40 million from the infrastructure law to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells
[Jeanette DeDios, 9/21/23]

The Department of the Interior announced on Thursday that it will invest nearly $40 million to help Native American tribes clean up and plug orphaned oil and gas wells across Indian Country to help reduce harmful pollutants. The funds come from the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that passed last year, and will go to 10 tribal nations across the country including the Navajo Nation. Officials say the money will combat pollution by assessing and remediating abandoned oil and gas wells that spread environmental hazards such as methane leaks that contaminate groundwater and harm wildlife.

KTVH: Feds invest in addressing orphaned wells on Montana tribal lands
[Jonathon Ambarian, 9/21/2023]

On Thursday, the federal government announced how it's going to distribute around $40 million to help clean up orphaned oil and gas wells in Indian Country – and four Montana tribes will be getting support. The U.S. Department of the Interior unveiled a first round of grants to plug wells on tribal lands. During a press call, department leaders said tribal communities have been disproportionately burdened by the impacts of these wells.

E&E News: CEQ announces agency moves to accelerate permitting
[Robin Bravender, 9/19/23]

Two federal agencies plan to use new tools in a bid to speed up the federal permitting process for energy and manufacturing projects, the White House Council on Environmental Quality announced Tuesday. The Transportation Department and Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology are using a new process to speed up permitting that was included in the bipartisan deal to raise the federal debt limit.

Bloomberg Law: Electric Vehicles, Semiconductors Get US Permitting Exclusions
[Stephen Lee, 9/19/23]

The Biden administration will activate new permitting rules to speed the buildout of electric vehicle charging stations and promote semiconductor manufacturing—the first use of the powers, a White House official said Tuesday.

E&E News: Team Biden goes all in at New York climate week
[Robin Bravender, 9/18/23]

President Joe Biden promised to use the whole federal government to tackle climate change, and he's sending his climate hotshots to New York City this week in a bid to prove he's following through. […] The Biden administration is flooding New York with top climate and energy officials — including top White House aides and Cabinet secretaries — who will laud the president's actions so far to drive down emissions, most notably the massive climate law known as the Inflation Reduction Act.

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