Biden Marks Earth Day with $7 Billion Grants, Climate Corps Expansion

The Biden Administration celebrates Earth Day with a multitude of moves, including $7 billion worth of cash grants, that reportedly boost the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPO) Solar for All Program.

The announcement saw low-income and disadvantaged households receiving a total of $7 billion worth of cash grants for solar expansion and the expansion of the United States Climate Corps.

Sources indicate President Biden personally unveiled the new climate-centered initiatives in Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia. The President also announced that applications are now being accepted to join the American Climate Corps, a program designed to train youth for careers in climate-related industries.

The $7 billion in grants are part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund established under the Inflation Reduction Act. The fund finances the EPA's Solar For All program. Under the Act, hundreds of billions of dollars are allotted to energy and climate-related initiatives.

According to the EPA, the funds will enable distributed solar energy to help over 900,000 households in impoverished and low-income regions. Low-income communities are the focus of the administration's "Justice40 Initiative," which allocates 40% of federal climate monies to these communities.

Climate Corps Expansion

Over the next 25 years, these projects are expected to prevent 30 million tons of carbon pollution and save $350 million in annual electricity expenditures. According to the Biden administration, the program's solar projects will generate 200,000 jobs. The communities that need them the most will bear a disproportionate share of these advantages.

The announcement also included the launch of the ClimateCorps.gov website, which allows job seekers to apply for available climate positions. Although, as of the time of writing, the website only had 273 vacant posts, the administration claims that there are 2,000 open positions spread across 36 states and Puerto Rico. Many of these positions will offer career paths to federal jobs in the future. The website is still in beta and will grow as the Corps grows.

Biden Initiatives Reducing Carbon Emissions

The announcement also comes after the Biden administration disclosed a $6 billion project a few weeks ago, which intends to significantly reduce emissions from the industrial sector. This would make it the greatest US investment in decarbonizing domestic industry.

Since the industrial sector is responsible for more than 25% of the nation's emissions, highly energy-intensive practices have become a major problem. Nevertheless, the new funding, resulting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, will support 33 pilot projects spread over more than 20 states.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the impact of the investment, describing the technologies as "scalable" and "replicable." They have the potential to create a "new gold standard" for sustainable manufacturing that would benefit both domestic and international markets.

Ali Zaidi, the White House climate adviser, estimates that the measures will cut annual carbon dioxide (CO2) production by over 14 million metric tons, the same amount as 3 million gasoline-powered cars' worth of emissions.

Some of the sponsored projects focus on many sectors, including cement, aluminum, iron, chemicals, steel, and more. These initiatives include upgrading blast furnaces to use hydrogen-based ironmaking technology, installing low-emission furnaces in aluminum facilities, and producing steel.