President Joe Biden is expected to highlight his administration’s efforts to fight climate change and announce millions in funding to help communities adapt to extreme weather while delivering remarks in California on Monday.
The president will announce $575 million in federal funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, according to a White House official. The funds, which come from the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August of last year, will be used to aid costal and Great Lakes communities in building infrastructure and preparing for relocation in response severe weather and a changing climate.
California is also set to receive about $67 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve and reinforce the state’s power grid, according to a White House official.
California was battered by a series of atmospheric rivers this winter, causing floods and power outages. Since the beginning of the year, Biden approved multiple disaster declarations for the state, which unlocks federal funding to respond.
The announcement will come as part of Biden’s trip to Palo Alto, Calif., where he will visit Lucy Evan Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve and tour a costal wetland, a White House official said. The president is expected to be joined by state and local leaders.
Biden on Monday will also unveil a plan to bring together leaders for a White House summit later this year, where the group will release a National Climate Resilience Framework, according to a White House official.
The president is also expected to highlight his administration’s efforts to combat negative impacts of extreme weather, such as investments and grant programs to help communities prepare for wildfires, lower cooling costs and improve drought resilience.
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about clean energy in Colorado, where she emphasized the importance of young people taking action and touted the Biden Administration’s investments in thousands of electric school buses and the removal of lead pipes. She noted Biden set a goal when he took office to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
Biden recently faced backlash from environmental activist groups for greenlighting the Willow project, a major oil drilling project on Alaska’s Beaufort Sea, as well as allowing the Mountain Valley Pipeline project to move forward as part of a deal he made with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling. The pipeline, which brings fuel from West Virginia to Virginia, has been a priority of moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
Biden’s trip to California includes multiple fundraisers in the San Francisco area as he ramps up his 2024 reelection campaign.
