Happy Friday! We’re sharing the exciting news of President-elect Joe Biden’s new Cabinet appointees.

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Hi John,

This week, the country began its COVID-19 vaccine rollout for frontline health care workers, an essential first step towards stabilizing the country. And just 33 days remain until the Biden-Harris Administration begins and our national recovery can start in earnest.

Happy Friday! We’re sharing the exciting news of President-elect Joe Biden’s new Cabinet appointees; why the energy package teed up in Congress would be a win for climate and for jobs; and a backgrounder on a key Recovery Act tax credit that lawmakers should bring back to give a boost to US clean energy manufacturing.

Biden’s Stellar Climate Team

President-elect Biden announced a fantastic line-up of advisors and nominees to his Cabinet this week. He’s tapped:
* Pete Buttigieg, former Mayor of South Bend, Iowa and Democratic presidential candidate, to lead the US Transportation Department. Biden explicitly pointed to Mayor Pete’s climate bona fides, which we tracked during the campaign ([link removed]) : As a candidate, Buttigieg very clearly linked transportation to addressing climate change AND making the United States more competitive globally, with policies including improvements to fuel economy standards and expanding electric vehicle charging.
* Jennifer M. Granholm, former governor of Michigan, for the Department of Energy. During her two terms as governor, she helped ([link removed]) scale renewables and collaborated with the Obama Administration to ensure the auto industry recovery encouraged investments in battery storage and other clean technologies. She’s given a TED Talk ([link removed]) on the role states can and should play in leading on clean energy while creating new jobs—right in line with Biden’s climate plan.
* Gina McCarthy as his senior advisor on climate change. One of President Barack Obama’s EPA administrators, McCarthy spearheaded the Clean Power Plan and negotiations to strengthen our national fuel economy standards. She knows how to regulate effectively ([link removed]) , a crucial skill in this advisory role.
* Michael S. Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, for EPA administrator. As secretary, Regan led a huge settlement with Duke Energy ([link removed]) over coal ash clean-up and emphasized the importance of environmental justice. Asthmatic, he knows first-hand the impacts of pollution on frontline communities.
* US Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) as Interior secretary. This is a critical climate position that oversees energy development on federal lands, including oil and gas exploration and the siting of renewables. A member of Congress since 2019, Rep. Haaland is Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Committee and would be the first ([link removed]) Native American Interior secretary if confirmed by the Senate.

Talking Points:
* The United States faces multiple crises, and we need a government that can address them simultaneously, including economic recovery and addressing climate change. President-elect Biden is naming a Cabinet that has deep experience to do both things at the same time.
* Biden’s nominees reflect a whole-of-government approach that makes clear the incoming administration will be building climate and clean energy action into every relevant policy and decision.

Omnibus Energy Package

After months of negotiations, Congress looks likely to pass an important bipartisan energy package through its omnibus spending bill that includes ([link removed]) more than $35 billion in research funding for clean energy technologies like advanced nuclear, long-term storage, and carbon capture. The plan would authorize critical clean energy demonstration projects and prepare us against future extreme weather events.

“The last four years have been brutal for the economy, for climate, emissions reductions and everything,” Josh Freed, senior vice president of the Third Way Climate and Energy Program, told E&E News ([link removed]) this week. “The one small bright spot in that time was emergence of consensus around funding for innovation that seems to have cracked open some real serious legislation by a Republican-controlled Senate and a Democratic-controlled House."

Is the package everything we need to solve climate change? No. But it would give the Biden Administration a running start on addressing the climate crisis.

Manufacturing the Future of Clean Energy with 48C

During the Great Recession, the 48C advanced energy manufacturing tax credit spurred investment in American manufacturing facilities right when it was needed most. In the midst of the COVID-19 recession, we need tools like 48C once again to put Americans back to work, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and help in the fight against climate change.

READ: ([link removed]) Manufacturing the Future of Clean Energy with 48C ([link removed])

This week, we hosted a webinar on this important tax credit, featuring:
* Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
* Roxanne Brown, International Vice President at Large for the United Steelworkers
* Josh Freed, Senior Vice President of the Climate and Energy Program at Third Way
* Laurie Holmes, Senior Director of Environmental Policy for the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association
* Derek Walker, Vice President for US Climate at Environmental Defense Fund
* Jason Walsh, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance
* James Young, Director of Government Relations at Ford

WATCH: Manufacturing the Future of Clean Energy with 48C ([link removed])
Let’s keep the conversation going,
T.J.

T.J. Osborne
Climate and Energy Press Coordinator | Third Way
202.775.5163 :: @tjosborne_ ([link removed])

Jackie Toth
Advisor for Policy and Content, Climate and Energy | Third Way
202.775.5167 :: @JackieTothDC ([link removed])

Jared DeWese
Senior Communications Advisor | Third Way
202.384.1737 :: @jareddewese ([link removed])

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