Solar Industry Commends Biden’s Climate Executive Actions

WASHINGTON D.C.—President Biden announced key actions on several climate issues today, including clean energy jobs, infrastructure, and environmental justice.

Following is a statement on these executive orders from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA):

“The president has outlined a clear and carefully thought-out vision for addressing the range of climate challenges we face, and I commend and thank him for taking swift action on many of those challenges during the first week of this administration.

“President Biden’s order addresses several solar industry priorities, including a boost to federal procurement of clean energy, and investments in manufacturing, transmission, and siting and permitting.

“The order’s focus on environmental justice is also particularly important in this moment of climate reckoning. This challenge presents an opportunity for economic growth and prosperity, but we must ensure that growth is felt in communities that have been impacted by environmental racism and have historically been shut out from those benefits. The president’s order will ensure that 40% of the overall benefits from federal climate investments go to disadvantaged communities and establishes key benchmarks and tracking tools to make that happen.

“I’ve always said that clean energy growth is inevitable, but the speed, scale and equity of that growth is driven by policy investment. These actions are a promising start, and the solar industry is ready to put in the work to build a robust clean energy economy that will address the climate crisis, uplift communities that have been left behind and create jobs for Americans across the country.”

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About SEIA®: 

The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy, creating the framework for solar to achieve 20% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power. Founded in 1974, SEIA is a national trade association building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org and follow @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

Media Contact: 

Morgan Lyons, SEIA’s Senior Communications Manager, mlyons@seia.org (202) 556-2872