The Biden-Harris administration announced $6 billion in investments for communities to strengthen climate resilience, as the United States continues to add to its sustainability initiatives.
The funding was unveiled simultaneously with the publication of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. The report assessed changes in the climate, the impacts of global warming, and opportunities and risks of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The administration said the fresh wave of investments will fund an aging electric grid infrastructure, reduce flood risk to communities, support conservation efforts, and advance environmental justice. Plus, the funding covers new resources to boost climate resilience efforts.
Investments Attributions
Of the $6 billion, $3.9 billion is dedicated to strengthening and modernizing the nation’s electric grid. Some states, such as Vermont, have already taken steps to strengthen their own power grids in the face of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. Green Mountain Energy recently announced its plans to reduce power outages in Vermont by deploying energy storage batteries and microgrids, as well as undergrounding and storm-hardening of power lines.
The new funding stems from the second under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, which targets grid flexibility and improving the resilience of the power system against climate change impacts and has $10.5 billion for the program.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also soon release $2 billion in funding available through its Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program targeting climate justice. The funding will also support community-driven projects around clean energy and climate resilience. The program is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes numerous provisions focused on the environment and has brought about significant investments in renewable energy and climate change mitigation solutions.
Another $300 million was announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities that have been impacted by catastrophic flooding during the 2022-2023 flood season. The funding was outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Plus, the Biden administration said $100 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will go toward water infrastructure upgrades that advance drought resilience in the West, including $50 million in project awards for improving the reliability of water resources and $50 million for water conservation projects.
See the full breakdown of the funding here.