The White House is touting its decision to buy air conditioners as a part of a plan to promote “equity and environmental justice” during a historic heat wave that it attributes to climate change.
A Tuesday memo from the Biden administration said that heat wave included record-high daily high temperatures in several areas of the country. The plan cited its $3.85 billion Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that it said helped lower cooling costs and will provide air conditioning units for low-income households for over 6 million households.
“The situation is alarming, and it requires an all-of-society response to ensure that communities have the support they need to plan, prepare, and recover from these extreme weather events, which are costing the U.S. billions of dollars every year,” the memo stated.
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The White House announced several new elements in its plan. It will establish two “virtual research centers” at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aimed at improving resilience to extreme heat, and a National Heat Strategy will be created to establish “equity and environmental justice.”
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The White House also said it will soon host a meeting with local leaders to ensure federal funds and private relief groups improve efforts to address extreme temperatures. A “Summit on Climate Resilience and Sustainability in Affordable Housing” will be hosted to explore how the Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act can counter the heat wave they say is caused by climate change.
The announcement included criticisms of Republican efforts to cut back on the billion-dollar climate plans.
“Meanwhile, many Republicans in Congress continue to deny the very existence of climate change and remain committed to repealing the President’s Inflation Reduction Act — the biggest climate protection bill ever — which would undermine the health and safety of their own constituents,” the memo stated.