Sixty million dollars. of funding will come to coastal communities and territories in the Great Lakes–California, Samoa, Alaska, Washington, Texas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Island. The U.S. government has allocated these funds to address the consequences of rising temperatures, including “sea level rise, flooding, water quality problems, and the need for solutions such as renewable energy.” The investment comes at a critical time for the country, which is facing several extreme weather phenomena across multiple states at once.
The goal is to train “workers from our shores” and help them “find good-paying jobs that will strengthen climate resilience and local economies,” reads a statement from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
California, in particular, will receive an additional $9.5 million from this collaboration between the federal Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These funds will be specifically used for the training of climate experts in the (fast-growing) water and solar sectors within the Los Angeles County Climate Ready Employment Council program at Long Beach City College. The new recruits will add to the 270,000 “green” jobs already unlocked across the country by the Biden administration. The Golden State has set very ambitious goals: cutting greenhouse emissions in half by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
The funding package is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, and the nine territories selected came from a total pool of 95 applications received by federal agencies; the funding totals $615 million in investments. “The demand for adaptation and resilience solutions is increasing and is a clear reminder of the growing risks we are facing,” said Jainey Bavishi, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA deputy administrator.
