Amplify: Biden Administration’s Environmental Accomplishments (Part 1)
Having campaigned on the most ambitious climate action platform in U.S. history, the Biden Administration has taken a multi-pronged approach to the environment: investing in clean energy infrastructure, fighting for environmental justice, and tackling the urgent threat of climate change, all while creating millions of good paying, union jobs.
The Administration’s environmental achievements have been anchored in two signature pieces of legislation:
The Infrastructure Act of 2021, which provided $550 billion for improving roads and bridges and also included funding for clean energy projects such as mass transit and electric vehicles charging.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which authorized investments of $369 billion to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.
Highlights:
Starting with the Infrastructure Act, the Administration’s environmental achievements include:
Water Infrastructure: From the $50 billion authorized, the Administration has allocated over $11 billion for a wide range of water infrastructure projects from drinking water (350 projects) to sewage systems to lead pipe removal and clean water programs (155 projects).
Lead Pipes: An EPA survey has projected that lead is present in more than 9.2 million service lines across the U.S. So far, $6.5 billion has been allocated to identify and replace contaminated pipes, and the EPA has issued a proposed rule that would require (subject to certain exceptions) that all such pipes be removed within the next 10 years.
Superfund Clean-Up: The EPA has funded 70 toxic waste-riddled Superfund sites in 28 states and expedited work on another 100 clean-up projects that had been delayed for years due to insufficient funding.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Of the $7.5 billion authorized for EV charging, a total of $2.4 billion has been allocated. The Administration’s goal is to have 500,000 chargers available to the public by 2030,which is the Administration’s deadline for having EVs account for 50% of new car sales.
Energy Production & Security: The law provides $62 billion to expand and upgrade the U.S. electric grid and provide clean energy — representing the largest single investment in electric transmission and distribution infrastructure in the history of the United States. In November, the Administration announced $7.3 billion in funding to enhance grid flexibility and resilience against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change, and to ensure clean, efficient energy transmission and the creation of well-paying jobs.
Resilience: The Infrastructure Act also provided over $50 billion to protect U.S. infrastructure and local communities from physical, climate, and cybersecurity-related threats. To date, the Administration has funded over 2,300 projects to build resilience to these threats, such as wildfires and drought and to protect roads and bridges from climate events.
Part 2: In our next post, we’ll examine the Administration’s progress under the Inflation Reduction Act – the largest investment in the environment and climate change in U.S. history.
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