NewDEAL Forum Urges Officials to Boldly Address Climate Change through Leveraging Federal Funds
For Immediate Release:
February 14, 2024
Contact: Jonathon Dworkin (NewDEAL), 202-660-1340 x5, jonathon@newdealleaders.org
NewDEAL Forum Urges Officials to Boldly Address Climate Change through Leveraging Federal Funds
Climate Policy Group sees a unique opportunity to implement both established and innovative climate policies.
Washington, D.C. – Today, the NewDEAL Forum’s Climate Policy Group released a guide highlighting how state and local officials can capitalize on historic federal funding to both advance climate solutions and expand a robust clean economy with high-quality jobs.
The “Guide to Leveraging Federal Funding for Sustainable Climate Solutions” is a result of virtual and in-person meetings with elected leaders, other government officials, and climate experts, led by the co-chairs of the NewDEAL Forum’s Climate Policy Group. The guide equips state and local policymakers with essential information and resources to take advantage of federal funding available through the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and other Biden-era laws that contain funding for expanding established climate-related programs and investing in new technologies and solutions.
The guide emphasizes that these investments are a win for the climate as well as states and communities. In addition to focusing on ways to maximize carbon pollution reductions, the report notes opportunities for economic benefits, exemplified in the Domestic Content provision of the IRA, which focuses on bolstering domestic manufacturing in the clean energy sector. That provision has already “spurred new investments in every state,” including announcements from companies with “plans to build or expand 83 clean energy manufacturing facilities nationwide.”
"To dramatically reduce dirty emissions and achieve clean energy goals, state and local leaders now have new opportunities to pursue new technologies and innovations, drive sustainable practices, and enhance climate resilience." Sen. Ben Allen (CA); Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (NH); and Mayor Phillip Jones (Newport News, VA), co-chairs of the NewDEAL Forum’s Climate Policy Group, wrote in the report. “By investing in various sectors, including energy, transportation, and infrastructure, policymakers can drive sustainable economic growth, especially in underserved communities.”
“This is a make-or-break moment for combating the extreme weather and other harmful results of rising temperatures, and state and local leaders are uniquely positioned to make a huge impact,” said NewDEAL Forum CEO Debbie Cox Bultan. “Now is the time to combine smart policies, new technologies, and opportunities from federal funding to ensure clean air and water, safer communities, and a clean energy economy that benefits everyone for generations to come.”
The “Guide to Leveraging Federal Funding for Sustainable Climate Solutions” contains suggestions in five key areas, each with specific recommendations and concrete policy examples from members of the NewDEAL network of state and local leaders from around the country. The five sections are:
Seize the Moment to Harness Federal Funding and New Programs to Advance Climate Goals;
Harnessing Innovation and Emerging Technology;
Cleaner Transportation and Accelerating the Transition to Electric Vehicles;
Cleaner, Cheaper, and More Reliable Energy; and
Developing a Strong Workforce for the Green Economy.
With historic levels of investment from the federal government, state and local leaders “have a plethora of opportunities to advance an ‘all of the above’ strategy to implement a blend of established and innovative policies,” the report states.
About NewDEAL Forum
The NewDEAL Forum is a Washington-DC based non-profit organization which identifies and promotes innovative, future-oriented state and local pro-growth progressive policies that can improve the lives of all Americans. By facilitating the identification and spread of policy ideas, the NewDEAL Forum seeks to foster economic growth, reduce barriers to opportunity, and promote good government in communities throughout the country.
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