The Biden administration is trying to spend billions on clean energy as the election approaches

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is spending billions of dollars on clean energy and approving large offshore wind projects as officials race to secure key climate initiatives before President Joe Biden’s term ends.

Biden wants to create a climate legacy that includes charting a path to reducing the country’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to withdraw unspent funds Biden’s landmark climate and health care law And Stop the development of offshore wind energy when he returns to the White House in January.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after Biden left the race this summer, has said she will pursue a similar climate agenda to Biden. The focus is on reducing emissions, using renewable energy and creating clean energy jobs.

Announcements of major environmental grants and project approvals have accelerated in recent months as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian said Biden is “sprinting to the finish line” and keeping his promises to boost clean energy and slow climate change:

The Environmental Protection Agency did 20 billion US dollars from a “green Bundesbank” Available this summer for clean energy projects such as residential heat pumps, electric vehicle charging stations and community cooling centers.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in September approved the nation’s 10th major offshore wind farm, the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, reaching the halfway point Biden’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. On October 1st The agency issued a key permit to an offshore wind farm project in New Jersey.

In the last month alone, the Department of Energy has made six announcements worth a billion dollars or more, including more than a billion dollars $3 billion for battery manufacturing projects and a $1.5 billion loan Restarting a nuclear power plant in Michigan. And just last week, Biden set a deadline of ten years To help cities replace their lead pipes, the EPA is providing $2.6 billion to help communities comply.

In addition to the climate law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden wants to spend billions on projects approved under that law the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021 and in 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The $1 trillion infrastructure bill provides cash for roads, bridges, ports and more, while the CHIPS Act aims to revitalize the computer chip sector in the United States through tens of billions of dollars in government support.

Energy experts say the rush of announcements is not surprising.

“I’m sure the prospect of a change in the White House and a change in leadership at the agency increases the sense of urgency to get these programs off the ground and implemented,” said Trevor Houser, partner at the Rhodium Group research firm .

“There is undeniable pressure to secure as many benefits of the energy transition as possible before the end of the year,” said Matt Lockwood, vice president of strategic markets and accounts at DNV, a firm that advises companies on energy issues. It’s been two years since the climate law was passed, so federal agencies are starting to process these transactions more quickly, he said.

The climate legislation puts the country on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The investments are expected to reduce U.S. emissions by about 40% by 2030.

A new analysis from global consultant Baringa noted that Trump would stall the transition from fossil fuels. However, the extent to which climate declines could be mitigated would depend on whether the House or Senate is controlled by Democrats. Trump could, if he doesn’t hold back, permanently alter the course of the energy transition by repealing climate laws, significantly slowing renewable energy development and keeping the U.S. tied to coal and gas for much longer, said Caspian Conran, an economist at Baringa Co-author of the book is Analysis published on Wednesday.

As vice president, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote Inflation Reduction Actwhich was only approved with Democratic support. As a senator from California, she was an early sponsor of the Green New Dealsweeping proposals aimed at quickly transitioning the United States entirely to green energy.

At a presidential debate last month, however, Harris boasted that the government had overseen “the largest increase in domestic oil production in history.” based on an approach that recognizes that we cannot rely too heavily on foreign oil.”

Trump’s policies, meanwhile, could increase emissions by about 12% by 2030 compared to measures favored by Harris or Biden, Baringa’s report said, equivalent to about 660 million tons of carbon dioxide.

“It’s kind of a race against time,” Conran said in an interview. “So even if you say we are delaying the transition (to clean energy) by five years, that might not seem like much. But actually it’s pretty profound.”

The United States is the world’s second-largest emitter of planet-warming carbon dioxide. Baringa says Trump’s policies led to a 9% increase in emissions in the first term, while Biden’s policies reduced emissions by 11%.

Companies have announced about 340 large clean energy projects nationwide in the past two years, according to E2, a nonpartisan environmental research group. Sixty percent of that, representing 82% of investments and 69% of jobs, are in Republican congressional districts despite unanimous Republican opposition to the bill, E2 said.

Eighteen House Republicans, including several who were in a tight reelection race, told the House speaker in August that they want to protect job-creating energy tax credits in Biden’s climate legislation. “Energy tax credits have spurred innovation, incentivized investment, and created good jobs in many parts of the country – including in many districts represented by members of our conference,” the lawmakers wrote.

To get the transition to clean energy right, the U.S. must commit to it across election cycles, from one administration to the next and throughout congressional sessions, said Conrad Schneider, executive director of the Clean Air Task Force, an advocacy group.

“We’re trying to get the word out that (clean energy) is really beneficial to communities across the country, regardless of political geography,” he said. “And so we hope that these programs can be sustained through any combination of election outcomes.”

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McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island

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