Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States and Vice President Kamala Harris has conceded the race. Following the news, the BlueGreen Alliance released a statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) today held an offshore wind lease auction on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Maine. The lease areas sold include four locations off the coasts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. These areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announcedinvestments from the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act to lower energy costs and grow clean power across nine states. The $3 billion funding from the New Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program will go to rural energy cooperatives in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Minnesota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. 

Midwest water infrastructure leaders today touted Biden-Harris administration advancements made in lead service line replacement during a webinar hosted by the BlueGreen Alliance and the Great Lakes and St. Lawerence Cities Initiative.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced strengthened lead dust rules to protect more than a million people in the United States, including young children. The United States substantially lowered the allowable level of lead in paint in 1978. But in buildings constructed before 1978—including homes, schools, and day care centers—the lead in older paint is released when it chips or during sanding or other renovation procedures.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the final rule on the 45X tax credit, a production tax credit meant to grow domestic manufacturing for solar, wind, batteries, and critical materials. Federal investments and tax credits in manufacturing and climate action—made possible by the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act—have the potential to create 900,000 jobs by 2032. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of 14 projects to address critical clean energy supply chain vulnerabilities and grow domestic clean energy manufacturing in 12 states. The funding from the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program will help revitalize communities affected by coal mine or coal power plant closures.   

We welcome responsible development of offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico and are supportive of U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) leasing Wind Energy Area (WEA) options C and D, as described in the public notice. Whatever leasing path BOEM pursues must meet high labor and environmental standards. This includes bid credits or lease stipulations related to workforce development, supply chain plans, project labor agreements (PLAs), and environmental mitigation and monitoring, in addition to other criteria laid out in this comment. You can read our recommendations to BOEM in these comments.

We are encouraged by the Biden-Harris administration’s plan to hold a lease sale in the Central Atlantic in 2025. The states in this region will require more offshore wind leasing to meet their clean energy goals and we are happy to see this next step towards identifying new wind energy areas. States like Maryland are poised to be an offshore wind supply chain hub and more leases will help support the growing offshore wind industry and the resulting job creation in the region. As U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) considers the future lease areas in the central Atlantic, many factors should be considered, including creating high-quality, union jobs; training and employment benefits; domestic supply chains; ensuring environmental justice; and environmental protection. You can read our recommendations to BOEM in these comments.

The offshore wind industry in the United States can become a model for building the clean energy economy the right way. Read our fact sheet on how offshore wind is a win for workers and a win for our environment.

October 8, 2024 The BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) today announced Eric Steen as the organization’s new Executive Vice President (EVP) of Strategy and Impact.   Steen has been with BGA for 15 years, elevating the organization’s policy platform and vision through external communications. He most recently served as the organization’s Communications Director and has been a leader in environmental and labor…

President Biden traveled to Milwaukee today to announce the finalization of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s improvements to the nation’s Lead and Copper Rule. The new rule will build on the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to replace lead pipes around the country, including a $15 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in 2021.