Biden's DOE commits $6B to climate projects advancing DEI

The Biden administration's Department of Energy announced Monday that it would distribute $6 billion in grant funds to a number of climate projects, according to a department press release.

The funds will be dispersed to 33 projects across the country as part of Biden's "Investing in America Agenda." The grant program aims to "decarbonize energy-intensive industries, reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions, support good-paying union jobs, revitalize industrial communities, and strengthen the nation's manufacturing competitiveness."

Only projects that demonstrate a commitment to an "equitable and inclusive clean energy future" by "develop[ing] and ultimately implement[ing] a comprehensive Community Benefits Plan" are eligible. The projects must provide "meaningful community and labor engagement." The DOE will continue to evaluate the progress of the projects and may revoke eligibility for those that do not ensure adequate community benefits.

"CBPs are based on a set of four core interdependent policy priorities: engaging communities and labor; investing in America's workforce; advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and implementing the Justice40 Initiative," according to the DOE's website.

The department's press release noted that roughly 80% of the projects "are located in a disadvantaged community, as defined by President Biden's Justice40 Initiative." The DOE argued that the investments will provide "a significant opportunity to invest in good jobs and clean air in communities that have experienced years of divestment."

The administration's Justice40 initiative requires that 40% of the overall benefit of federal climate investments goes to "disadvantaged communities."

"The quality of CBPs will impact a project's selection and ongoing evaluation throughout its lifecycle," the DOE said. "[The] phased project management approach allows the office to assess a project's viability for continuation at major project milestones."

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm stated, "Spurring on the next generation of decarbonization technologies in key industries like steel, paper, concrete, and glass will keep America the most competitive nation on Earth."

"Thanks to President Biden's industrial strategy, DOE is making the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in the history of the United States. These investments will slash emissions from these difficult-to-decarbonize sectors and ensure American businesses and American workers remain at the forefront of the global economy," she added.

A top official for the DOE's science office, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, stepped down last week, Blaze News previously reported. During her time with the department, Berhe advanced DEI initiatives by implementing a policy requiring grant applicants to submit a plan describing how they would "promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their research projects."

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