From two lobstermen to the President
At Brayton Point on Mt. Hope Bay in Somerset, President Biden stood out in the blistering heat on the debris field of what once was the largest coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts to meet the existential threat of climate change. Protected only by his aviator glasses, Biden pledged to address extreme heat with $2.3 billion assistance to help communities increase resilience and prepare for heat waves, drought, wildfires, flood, hurricanes, and other hazards.
Biden's actions demonstrate the power of local activists. In 2014, Ken Ward (fellow Hampshire College alum) and Jay O'Hara blockaded with a lobster boat a delivery by The Energy Enterprise, a 700-foot-long freighter, hauling about 40,000 tons of coal. Their actions nearly caused a hiccup in the 1,528-megawatt Brayton Point power plant energy production.
The two lobstermen were made to pay $4,000 to the local police for their nautical escapade. However, Bristol District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter eventually dropped all charges, saying:
"I do believe they're right, that we're at a crisis point with climate change. Climate change is one of the gravest crises our planet has ever faced. In my humble opinion, the political leadership on this issue has been sorely lacking."
President Biden leadership demonstrated that leadership with alacrity Wednesday when he took on the challenges of climate change.
Biden will invest in environmental justice communities with $385 million to expand home energy assistance programs. This will address home heating issues, promote the delivery of efficient air conditioning equipment, community cooling centers, and other measures to beat the heat at the local level.
To speed up the development of offshore wind in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where almost 100 windmills with 2,500 tons of steel foundations are to be installed, a new facility at Brayton Point will manufacture 248 miles of high-tech cable. The facility will employ 250 workers, the same number that were employed at the old power plant at its peak.
Biden is taking this opportunity to create jobs like never before. For example, $4 billion in Federal assistance will go to the 25 hardest hit coal communities from West Virginia to Wyoming to New Mexico, and $16 billion will help clean up abandoned mines and wells protecting communities.
Additionally, Biden will dispel the "uncertainty" cast by the prior administration by directing wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's western shore. This is a first for the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore wind power will also be developed off the mid- and southern Atlantic Coast.
This is a step in the right direction. From lobstermen to the President, local actions make a difference.
