President Joe Biden continues to make headlines in his fight against climate change with ambitious plans to develop clean energy sources across the United States. Now, his landmark climate law, the Biden Infrastructure Act, includes targeted assistance to help the poorest and most vulnerable communities transition away from fossil fuels and onto cleaner sources of energy.
The Biden Infrastructure Act will invest $413 billion in clean electricity, transportation, and building systems as part of a sweeping 10-year total of $2 trillion dedicated to tackling climate change. However, this commitment will not be dispersed equally across the country. According to a recent report from the Brookings Institution, lower-income areas and New York, California, and Hawaii are set to benefit the most from the allocation of clean energy funds.
The report found that the states of California, New York, and Hawaii will receive the most in terms of clean energy investments given their larger share of overall funding. California is set to receive a massive $77.5 billion to help transition its residents away from fossil fuels while New York and Hawaii will receive $62.9 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively.
The report also revealed that the investment in poorer areas for clean energy was slightly higher than the rest of the nation at 8 percent. This is similar to the phenomenon seen during the Great Recession, when investments in lower-income areas often exceeded those of higher-income areas in cases of government stimulus spending.
This is an encouraging statistic for numerous reasons since the most vulnerable and low-income communities are often the populations hit hardest by the effects of climate change. By devoting a larger portion of clean energy funds to their towns and cities, they can not only transition away from fossil fuels, but gain access to much-needed jobs and new economic opportunities as well.
Given the importance of combating climate change, President Biden’s decision to target poorer areas with his clean energy funds is highly commendable. His plan is set to help numerous communities affected by climate change and provide them with the means to switch over to clean energy sources, creating healthier and more sustainable living environments in the process.