Where Did Billions in Climate and Infrastructure Funding Go?

Look no further than this interactive map on Grist.org to learn about clean energy projects to bridges. This tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.  Arizona has thousands of projects listed on the map. Add your zip code in the search location box to see a list of funded projects. Some are completed, some are underway, and others have been announced but not started. The current administration recently froze the funding for these.

In the past few years, lawmakers have announced nearly $700 billion in funding for infrastructure and climate-related projects under two bills passed during the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 

The Climate Power research team recently created a resource titled ‘Cuts to Clean Energy Threaten Arizona’s Economy’ highlighting how clean energy expansion saves Arizonans money. Below are some key points. Read the full document here.

• Since the passage of the IRA, new clean energy projects have spurred $12.75 billion in investment and helped create 18,703 new clean energy jobs in the Copper State.
• Arizonaproduces 2.8 times as much solar and wind energy as it did in 2014.
• Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Arizonareceived over $153 million for consumer home energy rebate programs.
• In 2023, more than 88,000 Arizona familiesbenefited from more than $285 million in tax credits to lower the costs of clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. 

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• Federal hiring freeze could worsen wildfire season in Arizona (azcentral)
• Nearly everyone in the world breathes bad air. This is what you can do to lower your risk (AP)
• Op-Ed: A threat to Arizona public health (Arizona Daily Star)
• ‘C’ is for Climate: How the force that built Arizona’s ‘sunshiny’ frontier turned deadly (azcentral)
• Boiling Point: Want to fight climate change? Then talk about climate change (LATimes)
• BP to ramp up oil and gas output in major shift away from green goals (theguardian.com)
• An EPA Rule Will Reduce Lead in Drinking Water – Unless This Effort to Block It Succeeds (Inside Climate News)
• Clean Energy Boom – Arizona’s list of projects and jobs created under the IRA and BIL. (ClimatePower)

Join Us: Webinars & Events

• March 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Achieving Energy Independence in a Healthcare Setting Register
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• April 15^th – April 17^th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET): Save the Date.The 4^th Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Meeting. Virtual sessions are free to attend.Update: 2/24: Website states meeting postponed.
• April 22^nd Earth Day
• May 5^th – 9^th Arizona Heat Preparedness Week
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

   

  Recordings

• February 5^th: Region 9 Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health: Heat Surveillance, Preparedness Strategies and Community Response Webinar featuring LA County and Maricopa County Recording
• Recording: Webinar with author and Pediatrician Debra Hendrickson on her new book The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Recording.
• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifecycle Series: Plastics Use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• Recording from 3^rd Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting 2024 Here

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!