Staff Reports
President Biden is planning to celebrate Earth Day by announcing some big moves to help the environment. He is going to reveal $7 billion in federal grants to pay for solar projects and expanding his American Climate Corps green jobs program to include 2,000 openings. This means more jobs for people who want to help the environment by working in renewable energy and conservation.
The solar power grants will help over 900,000 households in low- and middle-income communities and will be given out by the Environmental Protection Agency. The White House says these grants will reduce emissions by the same as taking 6.3 million cars off the road. Plus, they could save households $350 million each year.\
Biden to mark Earth Day with $7 billion in federal grants for solar powerhttps://t.co/L0r9VYxebg pic.twitter.com/g7fqcofL6a
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 22, 2024
The green jobs program is going to offer 2,000 openings at first, and eventually they plan to have 20,000 federally funded jobs available for young people to join in environmental work. These jobs will be in partnership with labor unions and will be in 36 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.
The funding for the solar grants will come from the Solar for All program, which was paid for by a $27 billion “green bank” that was part of Mr. Biden’s big climate, tax, and health care law passed in 2002. With this money, federal agencies can help lower air pollution in places affected by climate change, especially those in need and low-income areas.
These announcements will be made at an Earth Day event at Prince William Forest Park in Virginia. The park was started in 1936 as a summer camp for kids from Washington who didn’t have much. This was part of a program started by President Franklin Roosevelt to make jobs during a tough time in history.
Though these moves are meant to win over young people who care about climate change, some of those same young people are upset with some of President Biden’s other decisions. They don’t like that the U.S. is supporting Israel in its fight against the Palestinian group Hamas. This is making it hard for President Biden to keep his promise of being the “climate president” and win over young voters who care about the environment.
Some young environmentalists were already unhappy with President Biden for allowing big oil projects and more natural gas drilling, which they think is bad for the environment. They want him to do more to stop these projects and focus on renewable energy like solar power.
Solar power is becoming more popular as a way to make energy without using fossil fuels. It’s not only clean, but it can help power grids work better. However, it’s very expensive to set up, so not all Americans can afford it.
President Biden wants to make big changes to help the environment, but he’s facing some challenges from young people who want even more done to fight climate change.
