The Obama administration will announce a $120 million solar energy initiative on Wednesday to help states ramp up renewable energy as part of the president’s climate change agenda.
Vice President Joe Biden will announce the multi-million dollar plan at a solar energy industry conference in Anaheim, Calif., called Solar Power International.
The White House says the plan demonstrates President Obama’s commitment “to promoting smart, simple, low-cost technologies to help America transition to cleaner and more distributed energy sources, help households save on their energy bills, and to address climate change.”
The $120 million initiative will be used “to scale up clean energy in 15 states across the country,” according to a fact sheet. Biden is expected to announce the states that will receive the money at the conference. The White House said the solar energy industry grew more than any other sector last year. Wednesday’s announcement follows the release of $5 million by the Energy Department on Tuesday to support clean energy development in 11 states.
The White House says the solar initiative builds upon regulations the administration finalized last month called the Clean Power Plan. The plan places states on the hook to reduce greenhouse gas emissions a third by 2030. Many states are planning to challenge the rule in federal court once it is published in the Federal Register.
The plan is the linchpin in the president’s climate change agenda, in which curbing fossil fuel use is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many scientists say the emissions are causing the Earth’s climate to warm, resulting in more droughts, floods and wildfires.
