Can you believe it’s already been more than 100 days since President Biden and Vice President Harris assumed office?

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Hi John,

Can you believe it’s already been more than 100 days since President Biden and Vice President Harris assumed office? With an approval rating well above 50% ([link removed]) , and the support of Democrats and Republicans on his American Rescue Plan and American Jobs Plan, Biden is off to a running start to get the country and workers back on track. As Biden told Congress on Wednesday night, America is back in business and already building back better.

BLUE-COLLAR BLUEPRINT TO BUILD AMERICA

At his address to a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, President Biden made clear that while he’s proud of the progress the Biden-Harris Administration has made so far, the White House isn’t slowing down on its bold, ambitious approach to building a more resilient and equitable country.

Already, the administration has:
* Passed the American Rescue Plan to deliver relief to 85% of all American households
* Administered over 220 million vaccine shots
* Rejoined the Paris Agreement and increased the ambition of our emissions reductions target to 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.

President Biden reiterated how the American Jobs Plan will put millions of Americans to work with good-paying, union jobs that rebuild our country’s infrastructure while tackling the climate crisis and providing relief to frontline communities.
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President Biden also had a message for Americans who’ve felt abandoned in the face of economic recessions and the pandemic:

“Now – I know some of you at home are wondering whether these jobs are for you. You feel left behind and forgotten in an economy that’s rapidly changing.

Let me speak directly to you.

Independent experts estimate the American Jobs Plan will add millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in economic growth for years to come. These are good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. Nearly 90% of the infrastructure jobs created in the American Jobs Plan do not require a college degree. 75% do not require an associate’s degree. The American Jobs Plan is a blue-collar blueprint to build America.”

We’ve found that a $754 billion investment in infrastructure could support over a million jobs annually through 2026. Some of the policies included in our research are included in the American Jobs Plan. Read our memo here ([link removed]) .

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

The Biden-Harris Administration is also prioritizing solutions to improve tackling racial and gender equity in business and the sciences, including in clean energy innovation.

At a time when technological innovation and ingenuity are desperately needed to develop the next generation of clean energy technologies, we need to make sure we’re utilizing all of the entrepreneurial talent this country has to offer. But startups led by women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) historically haven’t had a seat at the table. In fact, a study ([link removed]) of venture-backed startups between 1990–2016 found fewer women (92% male, 7% female) and Hispanic (86% white, 10% Asian, 3% Hispanic) entrepreneurs in the energy and utility sector relative to other industries, and no Black founders at all.

That’s why we released a new memo which outlines a set of recommendations for the DOE to level the playing field for women- and minority-owned clean energy startups.

READ: Breaking Down Barriers: How the Department of Energy Can Immediately Advance Racial and Gender Equity for Entrepreneurs ([link removed])

Talking Points:
* To fully harness the power of technological innovation in this country, we must uplift underrepresented entrepreneurs who’ve been left out and left behind for far too long. We need to shift public and private financing models to ensure a more diverse array of clean energy startups have the opportunity to develop the clean energy technologies that will help us reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
* To combat this inequity, the Energy Department (DOE) can hire dedicated program managers whose sole focus is distributing SBIR awards and who are committed to embedding racial and gender equity into the program. The DOE can also provide technical assistance to women- and minority-owned businesses applying for SBIR grants.
* The venture capital industry itself severely lacks diversity, but by empowering more women and BIPOC to become funders, we’ll increase the likelihood that more women- and minority-led startups receive venture capital funding.

THE FASTEST PATH TO ZERO

Yesterday, we hosted our first Fastest Path To Zero event of the year, which convened experts, policymakers, and labor and clean energy advocates to discuss President Biden’s first 100 days in office and how the American Jobs Plan will get Americans working while moving us closer to our climate goals.

The event kicked off with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who discussed how the DOE is advancing President Biden’s goals by supporting clean energy innovation and investing in the development and deployment of new clean energy technologies.

She also addressed the importance of supporting communities most impacted by the transition to a net-zero economy and explained how the DOE is working to uplift the rural and industrial communities who stand to benefit from the investments in the American Jobs Plan.

“I completely understand why there is such anguish out there, because it's difficult to see yourself in a position that doesn't exist yet in your community. We’re laser-focused on researching and developing and demonstrating and deploying the kind of clean energy technologies and sustainable building methods that are going to work everywhere…

The most transformative, effective solutions are the ones that are grounded in community. This administration’s approach is inclusive. We’re going to give these folks a seat at the table as for their input about guiding decisions based on place-based strategies.”

Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Susan Wild (D-PA) also joined the conversation and expressed enthusiasm about Biden’s plans for jobs and clean energy, and the positive impacts that these investments would have on the communities they represent.

WATCH: Fastest Path To Zero: The First 100 Days ([link removed])

Let’s keep the conversation going,
Jared

Jared DeWese
Senior Communications Advisor | Third Way
202.427.3709 :: @jareddewese ([link removed])

Carly Berke
Climate and Energy Press Coordinator | Third Way
818.422.2759 :: @ThirdWayEnergy ([link removed])

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

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