[Music] hello hello [Applause] hello thank you zah for sharing your story that embodies the spirit of Earth Day on this day 54 years ago with literally toxic Rivers burning air fill pollution millions of Americans from every age and background rallied together to stand for our environment and for future Generations I got to know Senator Gordon Nelson or Gaylord Nelson excuse me from Wisconsin when I got to the Senate and he organized the first Earth Day I later introduced the first climate bill in the United States Senate and all these years later as president I was able to sign in the law of the inflation reduction act the most s the most significant investment ever anywhere in the history of the world and we're just getting started Earth Day pushed the country forward leading to Environmental Protection Agency and we're fortunate enough to have with the CPA administrator Michael ran here where are you Michael stand up get up get up I stole him from Carolina we're not letting him go back and we're joined by our great secretary of interior Deb Holland Deb stand up first Native American ever to serve in a cabinet and americ cor CEO Michael Smith Michael where are you joined by members of the Congress including Ed Mary of Massachusetts who by the way thought this was an important idea a long time ago and talked about dealing with the climate Corp one needed one Ed we owe you a lot pal we owe you a lot and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont who understands what beautiful territory looks like up in Vermont and done everything in its power to protect it Bernie you're the best and uh representative Casio Cortez of New York you know uh I learned a long time ago listen to that lady listen to that lady we're going to talk more about another part of the world too real quickly look joined by all of your Advocates and Community leaders that's this is a good day it's fitting to be here in PR Prince William Forest Park on March 31 1933 during the Great Depression President Franklin D Ros Roso created the climate Conservation Corps which has talked about a little bit to put Americans to work to conserve our country's natural resources thousands thousands of Young Americans from the Civilian Conservation Corps built this park providing jobs Recreation hope and healing at the time we know today we Face another kind of existential threat requires equally bold and clear action as president I've seen the devastating toll of climate firsthand since I've been president I've flown over all the major fires and the thousands upon thousands of Acres that have burned flat by Will wildfires more Acres than the entire state of Maryland combined I met with families arms are wiped off the map by devastating hurricanes floods and storms last last year was Earth day's hottest day on record and over the last two years natural disasters and extreme weather in America have caused $270 billion dollar $270 billion dollar in Damages and the impacts we're seeing decades in the making because of inaction are only going to get worse more frequent ferocious and costly but since K and I took office we've been acting and today I'm proud toing announced two major steps forward First Energy costs are among the biggest costs for families to budget particularly poor middle inome families in fact lowincome families can spend up to 30% of their paychecks on their energy bills it's outrageous to reduce family energy costs for folks with low and modern incomes today Environmental Protection agent will invest $7 billion from my inflation reduction Act and the new program call solar for [Music] all the reward grants 60 grants across the country to States territories tribal governments municipalities nonprofits to develop programs to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from residential solar power and it's a big deal this new solar for all program means that 900,000 households 900,000 will have solar on the rooftops for the first time and soon millions of families will save over $400 a year in utility bills and that's $350 million Nationwide my dad said it matters what's there at the end of the end of the paycheck but the month is out you have anything left it means we'll cut more than 5 million metric tons of carbon pollution annually and folks solar for all will give us more breathing room and cleaner breathing room it's going to also create 200,000 good pain and jobs over the five over the five years in communities that need them most fence line communities you know as I always say I think about climate when I think about it I think not only about health and safety but I think about jobs and that brings me my second announcement last fall I talked about historic new program that my Administration was launching with the help of my colleagues on my right here call the CL the American CL climate Corp as I said and I'm not being solicitous Ed Ed Mary talked about that long before long before it's patterned after the Civilian Conservation Corp and the Peace Corp and America Corp like them it brings out the best and young people to do what's best for America and will put tens of thousands of young people to work at the Forefront of our climate resilience and Energy Future Clean Energy Future today I'm proud to announce that Americans across the country now apply now apply to become the first members of the American climate Court we're [Applause] recruit we're recruiting for over 2,000 positions in 36 states to start with in Washington DC Puerto Rico with many on the way just go to climate core as mentioned already climate cor.gov to apply you'll get paid to fight climate change learning how to install solar panels fight wildfires rebuild Wetlands weatherized homes and so much more that's going to protect the environment and build a clean energy economy to ensure a pathway to good union jobs and careers you'll have access to pre-apprenticeship training through a new partnership we're announcing today with the North American Building trade unions and when as you may remember when I announced in 2020 I initially didn't announce my climate position until I talked to the unions because unions were all again they thought climate cost them jobs well guess what ibw stepped up and they all stepped up and now our strongest support come from you when you finish your service you finish your term of service you'll also be eligible for streamline path of federal government jobs related to climate and clean energy we're also announcing a new collaboration with Bloomberg philanthropies that puts American climate Corps members in energy communities like former coal mining and communities power plan communities that have powered our nation but have been fence line communities and hurt very badly for Generations today today's announcement builds upon an unprecedented historic action we've already taken to tackle the climate crisis deliver environmental justice and build a clean energy future just look at the last few weeks alone to ensure clean energy we issued new standards for chemical plants that emit toxic pollution now it's ending because of the Clean Air Act we're going to reduce the number of people at risk for cancer in fence line communities who have been smothered for decades by pollution by 96% according to the studies by the way parenthetically you know my state of Delaware which everybody thinks is a wealthy State out live in a place called Claymont Delaware it's in that Arc that goes up in Philadelphia into Pennsylvania into the Delaware River more more energy plants more oil F refineries than anywhere including Houston Texas and I lived just literally the school I went to was literally a quarter mile from that border and the prevailing winds were Southeast where we live so there was never any incenter for the pennsylvanians to move to do something but it affected Delaware we had the highest cancer rate in the 1970s of Any Nation any St the nation and guess what a lot of us from me included ended up with bronchial uh asthma and many other disease fence line communities are the ones we have to help first because they've been taking the brunt of all this to ensure clean drinking water we isue the first ever National drinking water standard that will protect people from exposure to harmful substance known as forever chemicals and after 30 years of adequate protections we finally are going to put a b and on asbest which we know causes cancer it's all part of a plan to reassert America's climate leadership we rejoin the Paris agreement and sparked a domestic clean energy manufacturing boom providing incentives for 80,000 Farmers to implement climate smart agricultural practice so plant what absorbs carbon from the air and get them pay them for doing it we've quadrupled the number of electric vehicles sold and 11,000 dealerships have now signed up to sell more we're modernizing infrastructure with better roads and highways energy grids and more so they can withstand and recover from extreme weather already underway we're replacing every single lead pipe in America so everyone can turn on a faucet home or at school and drink clean water doesn't contain lead well also ruing flood risk for communities improving drought resilience and conserving 41 million Acres of most precious and sacred lands in water I committed that I'm going to try to reserve take of all non-developed land and Waters we're going to take 30% of it by 2030 and make sure it is conserved period we're well on our way we've already attracted nearly $700 billion doll in private sector investments in advanced manufacturing and clean energy creating tens of thousands of jobs here in America and all across the board we're lifting up communities and workers too often left out in urban rural suburban tribal communities all across the country but folks despite the overwhelming Devastation in red and blue States there's still those who deny climate is in crisis my magger Republican friends don't seem to think it's crisis they don't they don't want to they actually want to repeal the inflation reduction act which provides the funding for a vast majority of these projects and roll back clean air protections for clean air and clean water and I'm not going to go into it now but I'm not making it up it's real just listen to what they say anyone in or out of government who willfully denies the impacts of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future in the world I might add they want to take us backwards sideline our workers let China and others lead the race for clean energy I'm determined absolutely determin that we move forward we move forward let me close with this in 1933 and it was referenced by the Congress lady that when Roosevelt outlined the Civilian Conservation Corps he said quote and I'm quoted more important than the material gain will be the moral and spiritual value of such work he always put it in the context that went beyond just what the immediate need was I'd say the same holds true for what we're doing here today it has a moral imperative and I've never been more optimistic about America's future we just have to remember who we are we're the United States of America and there's nothing nothing beyond our capacity we work together so happy Earth Day folks God bless you all and may God protect our troops we're going to get this done I promise you come H high water thank you thank you thank you
