Biden marks Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in solar energy grants

President Joe Biden marks Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving more than 900,000 homes in low- and middle-income communities. He also plans to expand his New Deal-style American Climate Corps green jobs training program.

The grants will be awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency, which announced the 60 recipients on Monday. Over time, the projects are expected to reduce emissions by the equivalent of 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and save households $350 million a year, according to senior administration officials.

Biden's latest environmental ads come as he works to energize young voters for his re-election campaign. Young people were a key part of a broad but potentially fragile coalition that helped him defeat then-President Donald Trump in 2020. Some have joined nationwide protests over the administration's handling of the Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Senior administration officials said young Americans are very interested in Biden's climate agenda and want to help implement it. The Climate Corps initiative is one way to do that, officials said.

Solar energy is gaining ground as a key source of renewable energy that could reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels, which emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. Not only is it clean, but solar energy can also increase the reliability of the electrical grid.

But solar power can have high initial installation costs, making it unaffordable for many Americans, and potentially meaning a mix of environmental politics with election-year politics.

Forty-nine of the new grants are state-level grants, six serve Native American tribes, and five are multi-state grants. They can be used for investments such as community solar gardens and rooftop solar.

Biden will make the announcement at Prince William Forest Park in northern Virginia, about 30 miles away. [48 km] southwest of Washington. The park was established in 1936 as a summer camp for disadvantaged Washington youth, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps to help create jobs during the Great Depression.

Biden used executive action last year to create the American Climate Corps inspired by Roosevelt's New Deal. On Monday he will announce that nearly 2,000 positions are offered in 36 states, including jobs offered in partnership with the Construction Unions of North America.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.