The Biden administration announced Monday it will be deploying the remaining grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to expand access to solar energy, along with further actions to deploy the American Climate Corps.
In honor of Earth Day, the Biden administration will spend the week announcing environmental and infrastructure projects. On Monday, the president will travel to Prince William Forest Park in Virginia, announcing $7 billion in grants for the Solar for All program, which will fund solar buildout for low-income and disadvantaged communities. The president will also announce that Americans can now apply to join the American Climate Corps, a national service program dedicated to employing workers to combat climate change.
“Both of these announcements, together against the backdrop of the Civilian Climate Corps … will show how the president, through clear vision and big bold steps, has continued to move the United States to a leadership position on climate change,” White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi told reporters during a press call. “[Biden is] making sure that this doesn’t just represent opportunity or possibilities for few, but … an economic surplus that’s accessible to all Americans, whether it’s by entering pathways to a climate career, or plugging into the savings that come from clean energy.”
Sixty recipients of the Solar for All program are expected to deliver residential solar projects to over 900,000 households across the country, through a grant competition created through the Inflation Reduction Act’s green bank. The program is expected to generate more than $350 million in annual energy savings, reduce 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide cumulatively over the span of five years, and generate an estimated 200,000 jobs.
The Climate Corps will also have a new website that will feature nearly 2,000 new positions across the country, including occupations such as mangrove restoration, solar installation, and the operation of methane detection technologies. The first class of the Climate Corps will be deployed to communities across the country in June.
Three states – Vermont, New Mexico, and Illinois – will also launch new state-based climate corps programs, adding on to 10 other states that have launched similar efforts.
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The Biden administration will also finalize a rule that will streamline the process of joining the federal services from the Climate Corps.
Members of the White House’s cabinet will spend this week touting Democrats’ climate and infrastructure legislation as the Biden administration continues to court young climate voters ahead of November’s election. On Monday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Pennsylvania to highlight the White House’s efforts, while Energy Secretary Granholm will travel to a different part of the state outlining how the administration is aiming to lower emissions for domestic steel manufacturing. The tour will continue the entire week.