Daily on Energy: GOP climate hawks Rooney and Graves face off on offshore drilling
By Josh Siegel & Abby Smith
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CAUCUS DEMOCRATS UNVEIL NEW SOLAR BILL: Democratic environmental justice caucus leaders in the Senate and House want to expand low-income access to solar energy. New legislation — introduced by Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Cory Booker of New Jersey — would work to break down financial barriers low-income households face installing solar energy on their homes.
That would include expanding the federal government’s Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, by increasing the percentage of solar covered under the program and boosting investments in the program more broadly. The measure also would direct the Energy Department to create new financing programs to help low-income families absorb the cost of solar installation.
Duckworth and Booker, who is running for president, lead the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, which they created with Democratic Senator Tom Carper of Delaware in April.
The senators introduced the solar bill alongside their environmental justice colleagues in the House: Democratic Congressmen Donald McEachin of Virginia, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Nanette Diaz Barragan of California, and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. McEachin, Jayapal, and Barragan lead the House United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force.
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