Biden working group targets jobs for fossil fuel communities
Source: Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Six large regions nationwide that have economies reliant on fossil fuels have been targeted for federal investment and aid to create renewable energy jobs, as detailed in a new report from President Joe Biden’s administration.
The report released Friday is part of Biden’s plan to reduce America’s use of coal and other fossil fuels in order to fight climate change. The White House held a global summit this week and Biden announced he intends to cut U.S. coal and petroleum emissions in half by 2030.
The report, from a working group comprising several federal agencies, identifies $37.9 billion in currently available funding across a wide variety of departments that can help support job creation, rural infrastructure and reclaiming abandoned mine lands.
“President Biden is committed to providing federal leadership in partnership with coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities to create good-paying union jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation, and support energy workers,” the report says.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/environment-and-nature-business-government-and-politics-joe-biden-climate-change-4384bc4e6c09fee9185ef089e65537e3
US Department of Energy report, Initial Report to the President on Empowering Workers Through Revitalizing Energy Communities:
On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” establishing an Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. The Interagency Working Group is co-chaired by the Director of the National Economic Council (NEC) and the National Climate Advisor, and administered by the Secretary of Energy.
As a first step, the Executive Order directs the Interagency Working Group to prepare an initial Report describing, “mechanisms, consistent with applicable law, to prioritize grantmaking, federal loan programs, technical assistance, financing, procurement, or other existing programs to support and revitalize the economies of coal and power plant communities.”
This initial Report represents the Interagency Working Group’s first steps toward advancing the mandate set out in Executive Order 14008. The Interagency Working Group drew upon the direction of the President’s Executive Order, reviewed domestic and international models for economic revitalization, compiled recommendations from advocacy groups and academics, and sought guidance from representatives of Energy Communities. Stakeholders included labor unions; community development organizations; local, regional, and tribal governments; the private sector; and philanthropic interests.
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