Vice President Harris announces $20 billion in federal grants for climate and clean energy programs

Charlotte

Vice President Kamala Harris announced $20 billion in federal grants for climate and clean energy programs Thursday in Charlotte. Most of the funding will go to historically underserved communities.

Harris prioritizes community empowerment

Vice President Kamala Harris was in Charlotte on Thursday to announce the selection of recipients for $20 billion in federal funding for climate and clean energy projects across the country. Most of the grant money, Harris said, will go to communities that have been historically underserved.

“For the first time in history, we are providing tens of billions of dollars directly to community lenders to finance local climate projects,” she said.

Harris described this as a novel approach that will empower communities to determine which projects will have the greatest impact in their hometowns.

“We can invest in those projects in a way that will actually have value for the people who live there,” Harris said. “Instead of us from Washington, D.C. telling you what you need.”

Investment in climate and clean energy projects

The investment will support a wide range of climate and clean energy projects, including distributed clean power generation and storage, net-zero retrofits of homes and small businesses, and zero-emission transportation, according to a White House press release.

Harris announced that the administration has selected eight nonprofits to establish a national financing network that will help fund tens of thousands of climate and clean energy projects.

Focusing on disadvantaged communities

At least 70% of the funds announced—over $14 billion of capital—will be invested in low-income and disadvantaged communities, including historic energy communities, communities with environmental justice concerns, communities of color, low-income communities, rural communities, Tribal communities, and more.

“This is just one of the funds bringing billions of dollars to North Carolina thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s affordable clean energy plan,” said Michelle Carter, clean energy campaigns director at the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters in a statement.

Conclusion by Vice President Harris

“This investment demonstrates an important point: When we invest in climate, we create jobs, we lower costs and we invest in families,” Harris said in her concluding remarks. “When we expand access to capital and give every person in our nation the opportunity to pursue their dreams, we build a cleaner, healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous future for everyone.”