President Joe Biden announced new actions on climate change on Wednesday days after Sen. Joe Manchin quashed hopes for a sweeping legislative package of new environmental programs this year.
"Since Congress is not acting as it should...we're not getting many Republican votes, this is an emergency," Biden said. "I will look at it that way."
Biden said he will direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide $2.3 billion to help communities increase resilience to heat waves, drought, wildfires, flood, hurricanes, and other hazards by preparing before disaster strikes.
Biden also said he will direct the Interior Department to expand offshore wind energy areas. The area for review covers over 700,000 acres, with the potential to power over 3 million homes with “clean energy,” the White House said.
Biden announced his plan as he visited a former coal-fired power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, which is shifting to offshore wind manufacturing. It’s the embodiment of the transition to clean energy that Biden is seeking but has struggled to realize in the first 18 months of his presidency.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.