Ireland Trip Tweets
From Friday…
Remarks by President Biden to the Houses of the Oireachtas (04/13/2023).
President Biden:
And we’re called to this work just as every generation before us has been. In this moment, the world needs Ireland, and the United States, and our limitless imaginations.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
The video snip is 29 seconds long.
President Biden:
I say all this not to wax poetic about bygone days but because of the story of my family’s journey — and those who left and those who stayed — is emblematic of the stories of so many Irish and American families, not just Irish American families.
And these stories are the very heart of what binds Ireland and America together.
They speak to a history defined by our dreams. They speak to a present written by our shared responsibility. And they speak to a future poised for unlimited, shared possibilities.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
The YouTube is 29 minutes and 44 seconds long. President Biden is introduced at the 8 minute and 8 second mark. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden:
Well, I tell you what. It means the world to me. It meant the world to me and my entire family to be embraced as “Mayo Joe,” son of Ballina. (Applause.)
[snip]
And I can tell you what: That song speaks to me. It goes like: “Oh, the feeling [that came] over me to stay… forever more, forever more. Stay forever more. [And on] the Green and Red of Mayo, oh the Green and Red of Mayo, oh the Green and Red of Mayo.” (Applause.)
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
The video clip is 41 seconds long.
President Biden:
So, let me end where I began: with the bricks of this Cathedral. Nearly 200 years ago, the bricks touched by my great-great-great-grandfather and his hands still hold up this soaring nave and hold it aloft.
Like the Irish American story itself, it’s a testament to our shared past, present, and our future.
[snip]
My friends, people of Mayo: This is a moment to recommit our hearts, our minds, our ardent souls to the march of progress; to lay the foundations, brick by brick by brick, for a better future for our kids and our grandkids — one of greater liberty, opportunity, and dignity, just like our an- — ancestors did for us.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
The video clip is 25 seconds long.
President Biden:
Everything between Ireland and America runs deep: our history, our heritage, our sorrows, our future, our friendship, our joys.
But more than anything, hope is what beats in the hearts
of all of our people.For centuries, even during times of darkness and despair, hope has kept us marching forward toward a better future, one of greater liberty, greater dignity, and greater possibilities.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
From Saturday…
The video snip is 44 seconds long. It’s the introduction to his remarks.
Narrator: Please welcome a son of Ballina, and the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.
President Biden: Hello, Mayo!
The video clip is 34 seconds long. There is no voice over only music.
President Biden mentioned both his visit to Knock Shrine and his encounter with the priest who gave his son Beau his last rites.
President Biden:
My son Hunter and my sister Valerie and I made several stops across Mayo today. We visited Knock Shrine, where I was hosted by Father Richard Gibbons.
We also met out of the blue — we didn’t know he was there — a former military chaplain, Father O’Grady, who gave my son the last rites in Walter Reed Medical Hospital in Washington. It was incredible to see him. It seemed like a sign.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
Everything from the White House regarding President Biden’s trip to Ireland:
04/11/2023: Remarks by President Biden Before Air Force One Departure
04/11/2023: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby En Route Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The YouTube is 22 minutes and 8 seconds long. It’s audio only.
04/12/2023: On-the-Record Press Gaggle by NSC Senior Director for Europe Amanda Sloat Previewing the President’s Trip to Northern Ireland. Via teleconference.
04/12/2023: Remarks by President Biden Marking the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The YouTube is 25 minutes and 23 seconds long.
04/12/2023: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom.
04/12/2023: Remarks by President Biden in Meet-and-Greet with Embassy Families and Firefighters. There is no White House provided YouTube. I searched YouTube and fell short.
04/12/2023: Remarks by President Biden Participating in a Community Gathering. The YouTube is 16 minutes and 35 seconds long.
04/13/2023: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Senior Director for Europe Amanda Sloat on the President’s Trip to Ireland. The YouTube is 28 minutes and 24 seconds long.
04/13/2023: Remarks by President Biden During Guestbook Signing and Remarks by President Biden After Tree Planting and Ringing of the Peace Bell. The YouTube is 1 hour and 12 minutes long.
04/13/2023: Remarks by President Biden and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of the Republic of Ireland Before Bilateral Meeting. The YouTube is 2 minutes and 31 seconds long.
04/13/2023: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President Michael Higgins of Ireland.
04/13/2023: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Leo Varadkar, the Taoiseach of Ireland.
04/13/2023: Remarks by President Biden to the Houses of the Oireachtas. The YouTube is 43 minutes and 57 seconds long.
04/13/2023: Remarks by President Biden at Banquet Dinner. The YouTube is 23 minutes and 7 seconds long.
04/14/2023: Remarks by President Biden to the People of County Mayo. The YouTube is 29 minutes and 44 seconds long.
04/14/2023: Remarks by President Biden and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of the Republic of Ireland Before Air Force One Departure.
04/15/2023: Remarks by President Biden After Air Force One Arrival.
From Monday…
The Economy Tweets
From Saturday…
The White House posted on 04/13/2023; BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW INVESTMENTS REPAIRING BRIDGES ACROSS AMERICA.
Nearly $300 Million in Funding for Nine Projects, Serving 230,000 Vehicles Daily
Over 4,600 Bridge Repair or Replacement Projects Already in ProgressPresident Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out, not top-down, and as part of that is rebuilding our nation’s bridges in cities and towns across America. Today, to close out the Investing in America tour, Vice President Harris and senior administration officials will announce nearly $300 million for nine bridge projects in both rural and urban areas in eight states and the District of Columbia, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program. These bridges serve over 230,000 vehicles combined per day, and the investments will save taxpayers time and money by reducing congestion and making long-overdue improvements.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
To highlight this important announcement, Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., Transportation Secretary Buttigieg will visit upstate New York, Senior Advisor and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu will visit Madison, Wisconsin, and other senior Biden-Harris Administration officials will fan out across the country to highlight additional bridge projects receiving grant funds today.
Bridges are lifelines for communities, connecting families to their loved ones, students to school, workers to their jobs, goods to stores, and providing critical access and evacuation routes in case of an emergency. Bridge projects also create good-paying construction jobs. That is why the Biden-Harris Administration has hit the ground running to rebuild bridges across the country. To date, the Administration has funded over 4,600 bridge repair and replacement projects across the country.
Over the course of the three-week Investing in America tour, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and twenty senior Administration Officials traveled to over 50 cities and towns in 25 states and territories across the country that are benefiting directly from the President’s Investing in America agenda – including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the American Rescue Plan. During the tour, Administration officials have touted how the Investing in America agenda has unleashed over $435 billion in private sector manufacturing investments, funded 23,000 infrastructure projects across 4,500 cities and towns, spurred record small business starts, and has helped create over 12 million jobs since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office.
BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM GRANTS
The nearly $300 million announced today will go to nine bridge projects that serve over 230,000 vehicles combined per day. The projects include the repair, rehabilitation, and/or replacement of the following bridge projects:
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
- Palm Avenue Overcrossing Bridge in San Diego, California will receive $24 million to make improvements that will reduce traffic delays and increase freight movements, while reducing long-term maintenance costs. Over 38,000 vehicles cross this bridge every day and it is estimated that this project will create over $30 million in benefits from reduced congestion and traffic delays on this critical route.
- Lafayette Avenue Bascule Bridge in Bay City, Michigan will receive $73 million to replace the 85-year-old bridge that serves 16,000 vehicles per day in the Great Lakes Bay Region. The project is expected to save tens of millions of dollars in costs associated with travel time and safety improvements.
- Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge near Albany, New York will receive $21 million to repair the bridge connecting I-87 in Albany County to the New York State/Massachusetts State line, which serves an estimated 17,000 vehicles per day. The improvements are projected to save tens of millions of dollars in travel time and maintenance costs.
- Rural bridges in Northwest Oklahoma will receive $11.5 million to replace seven bridges that serve 3,000 vehicles per day, improving reliability and capacity for the region’s farmers, ranchers and energy workers.
- Burgard Bridge in Portland, Oregon will receive $13.9 million to replace a 93-year-old viaduct in the St. John’s neighborhood of Portland, which 8,000 vehicles cross every day.
- Rural bridges in Northwest South Carolina, will receive $51.2 million to replace six bridges ranging from 68 to 101 years old that serve an estimated 13,000 vehicles per day and communities that heavily rely on these bridges to travel to work and school and transport goods across the region. Without the project, these bridges would have to close to traffic, causing long delays, detours, and travel costs.
- The US-59 San Antonio River Bridge in San Antonio, Texas will receive $14 million to replace a bridge that serves over 4,200 vehicles per day, including many traveling to and from major water ports in the area. Without the project the bridge would have to close for at least 9 months, leading to a 50-mile detour.
- Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge which carries the northbound lanes of I-395 will receive $72 million to rehabilitate the bridge that serves over 88,000 vehicles per day and connects people and goods from Arlington, Virginia to Washington, D.C.
- The John Nolen Drive Bridges in Madison, Wisconsin will receive $15.1 million to replace six bridges that serve 45,000 vehicles per day along a major artery into downtown Madison.
This competitive grant program was limited to bridge projects with eligible costs of up to $100 million.
BUILDING BRIDGES FROM COAST TO COAST
There are more than 43,000 bridges in poor condition across the United States in need of repair. For decades, American presidents have promised to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure but did not deliver. President Biden and Vice President Harris brought together Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to pass the most transformative investment in transportation infrastructure since passage of the Eisenhower-era Interstate Highway Act of 1956. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic $40 billion in dedicated investment to repair or replace bridges across the country, with additional funding streams to advance major and rural-focused bridge repair. This funding will help us fix some of the nation’s most significant bridges and at least 15,000 smaller bridges across the country.
Today’s grant announcements come on top of billions of dollars in other bridge and highway funding already flowing to every U.S. state and territory that is helping communities rebuild, repair, and replace thousands of bridges across the nation and restoring connections that are vital to commuters, emergency responders, truck drivers, public transit riders, and more.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
- In January 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOT) launched the new Bridge Formula Program, which provides funding for states, tribes, and territories to repair bridges over five years, including $5.5 billion in 2022. Another $5.5 billion was released for 2023. Several projects already benefitting from this funding include:
- Rehabilitation of the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge in San Diego, California, which Infrastructure Coordinator Landrieu and Federal Highways Administrator Shailen Bhatt cut a ribbon on last week;
- Repair of the I-270 Bridge over the Mississippi River which connects St. Louis, Missouri and Madison County, Illinois;
- Repair of the Dare Country Bridge in North Carolina which connects Roanoke Island to the mainland of North Carolina and is one of the longest bridges in the state; and,
- Repair of the I-65 Bridge over the Sepulga River in Alabama which was built in 1960 and is an important transportation route for this rural community.
- In October 2022, FHWA announced $20 million in bridge planning grants for 24 projects in 24 states. Those grants were designed to create a pipeline of construction-ready bridge projects that are now in the early stages of project development.
- In January 2023, FHWA announced $2.1 billion in large-bridge project grants to make critical improvements to four nationally significant bridges: the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio; the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California; the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in New London, Connecticut; and the Calumet River Bridges in Chicago, Illinois. These bridges serve as a vital link for local residents, communities, and both the regional and national economy. In addition to the four FY22 large-bridge project grants, FHWA also announced an additional bridge planning grant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the amount of $1.6 million to advance critical planning work in support of replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges over the Cape Cod Canal.
- Regionally or nationally significant bridges have also received funding under other Department of Transportation grant programs, including the “RAISE”, “INFRA”, “RURAL”, and “MEGA” programs including:
- Replacement of the Calcasieu River I-10 Bridge Replacement in Louisiana;
- Replacement of the Alligator River Bridge on U.S. Highway 64 with a modern high-rise fixed span bridge along the primary east-west route in northeastern North Carolina between I-95 and the Outer Banks;
- Replacement of the existing I-39/90/94 Wisconsin River Bridge with two new bridge spans;
- Rehabilitation of the Newport Pell Bridge, a 4-lane suspension bridge that carries Route 138 over the Narragansett Bay and connects mainland Rhode Island to Newport;
- Replacement of the Winooski River Bridge that carries US Routes 2 and 7 between Winooski and Burlington, Vermont; and,
- Reconstruction of the Stillwater River Bridge on West Reserve Drive in Kalispell, Montana.
In his first State of the Union Address in 2022, President Biden highlighted how our historic federal investments in infrastructure would create a visible impact in the lives of American families by committing to start repair on 1,500 bridges. In his 2023 State of the Union, he was able to outline how the Administration surpassed these goals, launching over 3,700 bridge repair and replacement projects across the country. Today, the number of bridge repair and replacement projects started through support from the Biden-Harris Administration has passed 4,600.
White House.gov. 04/13/2023.
We covered the White House fact-sheet; Biden-Harris Administration Proposes New Standards to Protect Public Health that Will Save Consumers Money, and Increase Energy Security in Thursday’s Biden Bits.
On Monday the White House posted the following fact-sheet; Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Private and Public Sector Investments for Affordable Electric Vehicles.
President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is Unleashing a Manufacturing and Clean Energy Boom and Accelerating the Production of Affordable Electric Vehicles
As part of President Biden’s goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030, the White House is announcing public and private commitments to support America’s historic transition to electric vehicles (EV) under the EV Acceleration Challenge. These commitments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to spur domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, boost U.S. competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. Because of President Biden’s leadership and historic investments, electric vehicle sales have tripled and the number of publicly available charging ports has grown by over 40 percent since he took office. There are now more than three million EVs on the road and over 135,000 public EV chargers across the country.
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act adds and expands tax credits for purchases of new and used EVs—helping bring the benefits of clean energy to communities across the nation. The law also provides incentives to electrify heavy-duty vehicles like school buses, and includes support for the installation of residential, commercial, and municipal EV charging infrastructure. These incentives complement investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other federal initiatives that are spurring the domestic manufacturing of EVs and batteries and the development of a national EV charging network that provides access to low income and disadvantaged communities.
These incentives will lower the cost of EVs and EV charging infrastructure; increase consumer demand and competition; promote equity and inclusion; and accelerate the growth of the EV market. They are creating good-paying manufacturing jobs in America building EVs, bringing supply chains home, and unleashing unprecedented private sector investments—with more than $100 billion already announced for battery manufacturing alone. The White House announced the EV Acceleration Challenge to bring a clean, safe, affordable, and reliable transportation future to Americans even faster.
Today companies and nonprofits including Blink Charging, the National Automobile Dealers Association, Pacific Gas & Electric, Uber, Zipcar and others, are announcing new commitments to expand EV fleets, increase consumer education, and grow the availability of EV charging.
White House.gov. 04/17/2023.
ACCELERATING THE EV TRANSITION
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda has spurred public and private sector commitments to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. State and local governments are also leveraging federal funds to expand electrification of their vehicle fleets. These announcements build on the EV charging network expansion and manufacturing announcements highlighted by the White House in February, which will add more than 100,000 public chargers across the country. Announcements being spotlighted today fall into four categories: Consumer Education and Support, Tools and Resources, EV Fleet Expansion, and Community Charging: Commercial and Multifamily:
White House.gov. 04/17/2023.
Fleet Expansion
- Uber is committing to reach 400 million EV miles driven on its platform in the U.S. by the end of 2023 by distributing resources through its Green Future program to help hundreds of thousands of drivers transition to EVs and through its partnerships with automakers, rental companies, and charging companies.
- Zipcar is committing to allocate 25% of its electric vehicles to disadvantaged communities in 2023.
- Redwood Materials is committed to scaling production of critical battery components in the U.S., with the goal of powering 5 million EVs by 2030 and will use recycled content from end-of-life batteries to achieve this target, including end-of-life EVs and consumer rechargeable lithium-ion devices and batteries.
- Highland Electric Fleets, a full-service fleet electrification company, is committing to help 1,000 North American school districts, including those in historically underserved communities, improve student and community health by electrifying their school bus fleets by 2030.
- Xcel Energy and Colorado Car Share are committing to launch an electric car sharing program for underserved and high emissions communities in Colorado by the end of 2023.
- Ceres is committing to support the 32+ major global and U.S. member companies of its Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance in transitioning to EVs by: 1) developing a resource for companies to promote sustainable EV supply chain practices and 2) providing a platform for peer-to-peer dialogue on commercial fleet electrification best practices by the end of 2023.
- World Resources Institute‘s Electric School Bus Initiative is committing to expand its toolkit in May with the launch of a Total Cost of Ownership tool designed to help estimate the lifetime cost of electric school bus ownership, and an updated Market Report & Buyer’s Guide for fleet owners transitioning to electric school buses.
- Revel is committing to expand its all-electric, all-employee rideshare fleet from 200 to 500 EVs by June 2023 and to open the first public fast charging site in Harlem, as part of the company’s goal to triple public fast charging access for all New Yorkers over the next year.
- The City of Madison is committing to convert 100% of the gas vehicles (900) in its fleet to electric vehicles by 2030.
- Broken Arrow Neighbors (BAN) is committing to replace 100% of its cargo vehicles (4) which pickup 52 times per week the food given to BAN’s neighbors in need with EV cargo vans by 2023.
Community Charging: Commercial and Multifamily
- Blink Charging is committing to invest $49 million to increase its manufacturing capacity in Bowie, Maryland from 10,000 to 40,000 chargers per year by 2024.
- Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Ecology Action are committing to directly install approximately 2,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports at no cost to customers at approximately 450 multifamily properties and small businesses in underserved communities by 2025 to increase access to charging and EV adoption
- We Realize Inc. is committing to add over 200,000 electric semi-truck Level 2 and DC Fast charging stations to its to its nationwide network by 2030.
- The National EV Charging Initiative, a coalition of business, labor, government and non-profits organized by the Natural Resources Defense Council, is committing to launch its Energize! campaign on May 15 to stretch federal funding for EV charging further by securing complementary state, utility, and private investments and policies that also speed the energization of charging stations for cars, trucks, and buses.
- This June, EPRI is committing to launch “EVs2Scale2030”, a new three-year initiative to mobilize 500 industry stakeholders including, utilities, vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, and charging providers, to ready the grid and accelerate the charging infrastructure needed to support the large-scale electrification of transportation.
- itselectric is committing to install 100 curbside Level 2 chargers in cities across the U.S. to focus on charging infrastructure for drivers without dedicated off-street parking by the end of 2023.
- TeraWatt Infrastructure is developing a network of high-powered charging centers for electric fleets and committing to deliver one terawatt-hour of charging for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2025, which is equivalent to powering over 160,000 homes for a year.
- Smart Charge America is committing to install over 140,000 Level 2 chargers by 2030.
- Span.IO, Inc., a climate technology company enabling consumer electrification through its products and services commits to tripling the number of EV home charger installs by 2024.
- Sustainable CT is committing to provide matching funds for a dozen community-led EV infrastructure and EV procurement projects in 2023 across Connecticut through its Community Match Fund.
- Virginia Clean Cities’ Mid-Atlantic Partnership is committing to deploying 375 public charging stations in Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia by the end of 2024, including public charging in rural and underserved communities.
- Qmerit is committing to aid 100 companies in electrifying their fleets through installation of home and workplace charging and to help 500 companies deploy EV charging for their employees or customers by the end of 2023.
Consumer Education and Support
- Generation180, a clean energy nonprofit organization, and REVERB.org will partner on Dave Matthews Band’s Summer Tour in a commitment to launch the National Going Electric Pledge campaign to inspire all Americans to make their next vehicle electric.
- Lucid is committing over the next 8 months to demonstrate the Lucid Air’s 500+ mile range in the 42-city Dream Ahead Tour to show Americans how efficient electric vehicles can provide consumers the range they need while using less energy and reducing costs.
- Avanza EV, a new national initiative by Citizen Energy, is committing to deploy chargers and bilingual EV education in at least 1,500 low-income majority Latino multifamily housing communities and engage at least 400,000 families by 2028.
- Climate Power is committing to educate over 1 million people about EVs through its influencer network by June 2024.
- Sierra Club, a grassroots environmental organization with millions of members and supporters, is committing to empower its network of advocates with campaign resources to leverage new federal and state investments for accelerating the adoption of electric cars, trucks, transit buses, school buses, bikes and more, with a focus on the communities most harmed by air pollution.
- The Electric Vehicle Association is committing to host over 500 EV Events in 2023, with events in every state providing information from actual EV owners on how easy, economical, and amazing it is to drive electric.
- Drive Clean Colorado, a Clean Cities Coalition, is committing to deliver EV ride & drives to 5,000 Coloradans in 2023, with a focus on underserved and disproportionately affected communities.
- Drive Clean Indiana, in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and eight state utility partners, is committing to launch GoEVIN, a new statewide education, outreach, and marketing campaign that will reach Hoosiers to support deployment of EV Charging Infrastructure in late-Spring to early-Summer 2023.
Tools and Resources
- National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and Center for Sustainable Energy are committing to launch online dealer training in 2023 that will be available to over 180,000 salespeople at NADA’s 16,000+ member dealers to help them master the nuances of selling electric vehicles and accelerate mass-market EV adoption.
- Exelon, the nation’s largest utility serving over 10 million customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, is committing to expand its customer-facing tools and resources in the second half of 2023 by offering a comprehensive fleet electrification assessment service through its EVsmart Program designed to help customers and businesses navigate vehicle electrification, create fleet electrification plans, and estimate total costs of ownership savings.
- WEX, payment solution provider for more than a half of a million commercial fleet operators in the U.S., is committing to launch a free tool to predict savings generated by converting to electric vehicles as well as an innovative solution to reimburse employees who charge their commercial fleet vehicles at home.
- The County of Los Angeles is committing to accelerate equitable EV adoption by expanding multi-lingual access to its Electrifyze.la EV education platform to support underserved communities in conjunction with an infrastructure goal of 10,000 charging stations at County facilities by 2030 including in the near term, 150 stations at public housing sites and 120 at multi-family housing sites by 2024.
- Southeast Electric Transportation Regional Initiative (Duke University, Georgia Tech, and partner organizations) is committing to launch a public-facing web portal this spring that will identify, aggregate, and increase visibility of active federal, state, university, and other private and public sector funding, business, and engagement opportunities for electric vehicles and charging stations in the region.
Today’s announcements build on previous commitments that have been announced since March 8, 2023. These announcements include:
Federal Government
- Federal agencies have already acquired 13,000 light- and medium-duty zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in FY23—about four times the number of ZEVs acquired in FY22. President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan requires federal agencies to transition the largest fleet in the world to all electric by acquiring 100 percent light-duty ZEVs annually by 2027 and acquiring 100 percent medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs annually by 2035.
- Federal agencies are committing to deploy an additional 24,000 charging stations at Federal facilities by the next fiscal year, adding to the more than 5,000 charging stations already installed at Federal facilities nationwide.
- Station Locator Tool that will help consumers charge their EVs quickly, affordably and conveniently. The tool will soon offer:
Fleet Expansion
- First Student, a major supplier of school bus services, is committing to transition 30,000 fossil fuel-powered school buses to electric school buses by 2035.
- Cirba Solutions, a battery materials and management company, is committing to process end-of-life batteries and Gigafactory manufacturing scrap, creating enough battery-materials to equip 1,000,000 EVs by 2028.
- Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company, is committing to deploy the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE across all of its ride-hailing service territories this spring and retire its previous generation platform.
- Amazon is announcing it has rolled out over 3,000 electric delivery vehicles as part of its commitment to bring 100,000 electric delivery vehicles to the road by 2030.
- Trane Technologies, a company focused on efficient and sustainable climate solutions for buildings, homes and transportation, is committing to transition 100 percent of its global fleet of more than 8,000 vehicles, including service vans and trucks, to all electric vehicles by 2030.
Community Charging: Commercial and Multifamily
- Enel X Way is committing to sell over 2,000,000 EV chargers in North America by 2030, including over 10,000 public DC fast charging stations, and is also committing to enter the North American EV public charging station market in 2023.
- Walmart is committing to install new electric vehicle fast-charging stations at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the country by 2030.
- Prologis, a major global developer and owner of logistics real estate with more than 3,400 properties in the US, is committing to make every new eligible Prologis development ready for EV charging and transition its U.S. maintenance vehicle fleet to 100 percent alternative fuel vehicles by 2030.
- Siemens is committing to install charging stations across the U.S. at its facilities and employees’ homes to support the electric conversion of its 10,000-vehicle fleet by 2030 and to set a requirement that 10% of parking spaces include EV charging stations at all new company facility construction projects.
- CALSTART, Forth, the Electrification Coalition, EVHybridNoire and peer national implementation partners are committing to launch the Charge@Work campaign and Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL) certification program in Fall 2023 which will engage over 50,000 employers\workplaces, representing hundreds of thousands of employees, with the end goal of catalyzing over 100,000 electric vehicle workplace charging stations.
- SWTCH, an EV charging provider,is committing to expand equitable access to EV charging in underserved communities by deploying over 20,000 EV chargers, the majority of which will serve multi-family buildings, by 2024.
- Rocky Mountain Institute is committing to launch a multi-family charging accelerator pilot in three states to scale multi-unit dwelling charging infrastructure financing and deployment nationwide in 2024.
Consumer Education and Support
- Hertz is committing to substantially increase its electric vehicle rentals this year forecasting nearly two million EV rentals in 2023, approximately five times the number of EV rentals in 2022, and extending the electric vehicle experience to leisure and business travelers and rideshare drivers across the country.
- Consumer Reports is committing to delivering expert advice and unbiased information for people who are considering whether to make the shift to an electric vehicle through its new online tool called the Electric Vehicle Savings Finder. It provides detailed, up-to-date information about federal, state, and local EV purchase incentives available to consumers, specific to where they live.
- GreenLatinos, Hip Hop Caucus, Sierra Club, Clean Energy for America, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Electric Transportation Community Development Corporation, National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Plug in America, Public Citizen, Union of Concerned Scientists, Electric Vehicle Association, League of Conservation Voters, Coltura, and the Natural Resources Defense Council are committing to launch Route Zero in April – a cross-country, relay style campaign highlighting the investments made in EV infrastructure and EV manufacturing around the country, focusing on how equitable EV deployment helps mitigate pollution harms.
- Sierra Club, Plug in America, the Electric Vehicle Association and EVHybridNoire are committing to host more than 300 events in 2023 to celebrate the shift to electric vehicles, including the opportunity to connect with EV drivers in their own communities, ask questions, and get behind the wheel to try EVs out.
- Mercedes-Benz is committing to launch “Electric Dream Days,” a new EV marketing campaign with retail events at dealerships and EV test drives in April 2023.
Tools and Resources
- Rewiring America, a non-profit organization, is committing to launch an online personal electrification planner in 2023 with the initial goal of helping 100,000 homeowners and renters create roadmaps to electrify their homes and to choose electric vehicles and home chargers.
- Google is committing to provide up-to-date information about availability and coverage of tax credits across eligible passenger vehicles, through a new Search tool that incorporates federal guidance to surface eligible EV tax credits, alongside other critical information.
- Plug in America, a non-profit organization, iscommitting to reach 250,000 consumers over the next year with PlugStar.com, its online EV information and shopping tool.
- Wells Fargo is releasing a new tool to support business leaders transitioning to electric vehicle fleets by modeling deployment that incorporates the cost of electrification, tax credits, cost savings, and environmental benefits.
- The American Public Transportation Association and the Edison Electric Institute are committing to develop and distribute a new resource for transit agencies to streamline their efforts to electrify their bus fleets.
The EV Acceleration Challenge is accepting submissions on a rolling basis. The White House will be highlighting additional commitments. Organizations can submit a commitment on the EV Acceleration Challenge
White House.gov. 04/17/2023.
From Sunday…
Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
His Other Tweets
From Sunday…
His full statement:
Jill and I send warm wishes to all those in the Orthodox Christian community who are celebrating Easter, and rejoice with you in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the triumph of light over darkness.
White House.gov. 04/16/2023.
Today, as we pray for all those suffering from war and persecution, we also give thanks for people around the world who are binding up the wounds of the injured and working to protect the dignity of all—including by welcoming refugees and standing up for human rights. Together, let us all recommit to this work and to forging a better future—one where there is security, liberty, and justice for everyone.
Orthodox Christians continue to strengthen communities across our country and around the world—from fostering understanding across different faiths, to advocating responsible stewardship of the environment, to serving others with dignity and respect. During this sacred season and the years ahead, we look forward to continuing to work together to build a more just and compassionate world for all God’s children.
Vice President Harris hosted the event while President Biden was in Ireland. The YouTube his 14 minutes and 27 seconds long. Her full remarks can be found here.
From Monday…
His full statement:
This morning, our nation is once again grieving for at least four Americans tragically killed at a teen’s birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama as well as two others killed last night in a crowded public park in Louisville. Jill and I are praying for their families, and for the many others injured and fighting for their lives in the wake of this weekend’s gun violence.
White House.gov. 04/16/2023.
What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park?
Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising – not declining.
This is outrageous and unacceptable. Americans agree and want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms. Instead, this past week Americans saw national Republican elected leaders stand alongside the NRA in a race to the bottom on dangerous laws that further erode gun safety. Our communities need and deserve better.
I commend Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for signing an Executive Order to expand background checks and calling on the Tennessee statehouse to pass a red flag law. I hope more Republican officials will follow suit and take action.
I stand ready, as I always have been, to work across the aisle in good faith on federal legislation that will save lives. It is within Congress’ power to require safe storage of firearms, require background checks for all gun sales, eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines – and this should happen without delay.
President Biden’s public schedule for Monday 04/17/2023:
| 9:30 AM | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing The White House Closed Press |
| 10:00 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time The White House In-Town Pool |
This is an Open Thread.
