Last week, Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm published an op-ed in City & State New York highlighting how President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda will invest in a resilient, clean energy economy in New York that will create jobs, lower energy bills, and strengthen energy security. DOE also released a video recapping Secretary Granholm’s visit to Albany, New York earlier this month.
Key excerpts:
“After my visit to New York’s Capital Region earlier this month, it’s clear to me that the Empire State is becoming an empire of clean energy. With President Biden’s agenda to build a better America, this empire will deliver good-paying jobs, cheaper energy bills, cleaner air, and greater resilience to New Yorkers.
“As I saw on my second visit to the state as Secretary of Energy, clean energy is already helping New Yorkers save money, grow their local economies, and make their communities healthier and more resilient in the face of climate change. Nearly 163,000 New Yorkers work clean energy jobs – and more will soon join them. Equinor is constructing new offshore wind manufacturing hubs at the Port of Albany and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal – both of which will employ hundreds of New Yorkers to assemble turbines for wind projects up and down the coast, including in the waters off New York.
“This is only the beginning. In her State of the State address three weeks ago, Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined an impressive range of new clean energy plans, including developing enough offshore wind capacity to power nearly three million New York households, electrifying and decarbonizing two million homes, and investing $1 billion in electric vehicle infrastructure. She also announced efforts to increase climate resilience in communities across the state, grow the state’s clean hydrogen industry, and build a battery research and manufacturing center at Binghamton University.
“President Biden is giving these efforts a massive boost. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is deepening research and development for wind energy. It’s allowed the Department of Energy to launch our new Building a Better Grid Initiative to speed transmission deployment – so that we can get more clean energy sources like offshore wind online and keep the power on during natural disasters and cyber attacks. There’s $8 billion for clean hydrogen demonstration projects up for grabs. The $3.5 billion investment in the Weatherization Assistance Program – which has improved energy efficiency in over 94,000 low-income New York households – will help us lower energy bills for thousands of New Yorkers. Some of them may currently depend on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which has more than $875 million available for New York households this winter. And there’s funding to support a national network of electric vehicle charging stations and shore up our domestic battery supply chains.
“America saw a record 6.4 million new jobs added to the economy in 2021 – the most under any U.S. president in one year. There’s more to come. The President’s full economic agenda will add 1.5 million jobs a year over the next decade, and the vast majority won’t require an advanced degree. Many of those jobs will be right here, thanks to a flourishing clean energy empire that builds a healthier, wealthier future for every New Yorker.”
