The Biden administration will provide $13 billion to assist low and moderate-income American households in offsetting the costs of energy bills. The aid will include grants to pay electric bills and incentivize upgrading their homes to be more energy-efficient.
A senior administration official told reporters on a call that Vice President Kamala Harris will announce the plan on Wednesday while visiting a Boston training facility and union hall for sheet metal workers, per CNBC. The pending announcement aligns with the administration's goals to address climbing energy costs and temperature changes due to climate change.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We know that winter heating bills account for the largest share of low-income households' home energy needs. So it is imperative that the funds reach households as efficiently and effectively as possible," the official said.
The remaining funds, approximately $9 billion allocated per the Inflation Reduction Act, will be provided by the administration for qualifying households to make energy-efficient home upgrades to lower energy costs. This funding will help upwards of 1.6 million households. In a statement, the White House says the plan will "complement tax credits that families and building owners can use under the Inflation Reduction Act to install energy-saving equipment and to make building upgrades."
-
Why does Donald Trump keeping showing up at major sporting events?Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Job hugging: the growing trend of clinging to your jobIn the Spotlight People are staying in their jobs longer than ever
-
Earth's seasons are out of whackUnder the radar The seasons' unfixed nature in different regions of the planet may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
How 'freakosystems' are becoming the normThe explainer Ecosystems are changing permanently
-
Cloudbursts: what are the 'rain bombs' hitting India and Pakistan?The Explainer The sudden and intense weather event is almost impossible to forecast and often leads to deadly flash-flooding and landslides
-
What do heatwaves mean for Scandinavia?Under the Radar A record-breaking run of sweltering days and tropical nights is changing the way people – and animals – live in typically cool Nordic countries
-
Blue whales have gone silent and it's posing troubling questionsUnder the radar Warming oceans are the answer
-
Acid rain is back: the sequel nobody wantedUnder The Radar A 'forever chemical' in rainwater is reviving a largely forgotten environmental issue
