DNC Night One: Clean Energy Boom & Climate Action Take Center Stage  | Climate Power (2024)

Washington, D.C. — On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, leaders from every corner of the party touted our clean energy progress – which is lowering pollution, bringing energy costs down, and creating over 330,000 good-paying clean energy jobs. President Biden is the most accomplished climate president in history – and Kamala Harris will continue this legacy by protecting our air and water, lowering energy costs, and strengthening the middle class by creating good jobs.

“On the first night of the DNC, our nation’s climate and clean energy progress was a central focus, highlighting how important it is we continue to talk to Americans about how Democrats are protecting our air and water, bringing energy costs down, and creating good-paying clean energy jobs,” said Lori Lodes, Executive Director of Climate Power. “Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to triple our clean energy production, and as the next President of the United States, she will continue working to bring costs down and to hold Big Oil accountable for profiteering and polluting. Democrats are fired up to stop Donald Trump and his dangerous, oil-backed Project 2025 agenda. We will not go back. ”

What Democratic National Convention speakers had to say about our climate and clean energy progress:

• President Joe Biden: “With your support, we passed the most significant climate law in the history of mankind. Over $370 billion, cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030, launching a Climate Corps, similar to AmeriCorps or Peace Corps, creating tens of thousands of jobs for young people of the future, who are going to make sure this continues. Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy for American workers, including the IBEW installing 500,000 charging stations all across America.”

• Senator Chris Coons: “Using the incredible skills he developed in many years in the U.S. Senate, Joe got passed and signed into law the most consequential legislation of any president in 60 years. Helping our veterans, advancing gun safety, cutting prescription drug prices, fighting climate change, rebuilding bridges and broadband, bringing manufacturing back to America, together Joe and Kamala helped rebuild our economy, from the bottom up and middle out.”

• Senator Dick Durbin: “Today more roads are getting fixed, more factories are being built, more Americans are working construction, and more auto workers are making cars than on any month when Trump was president. And we know behind every job is a person or community forever changed: data centers in Wisconsin, semiconductors in Pennsylvania, electric vehicles in Michigan.”

• Governor Kathy Hochul: “Trump talked about bringing back manufacturing jobs. But you know who actually did it? President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Kamala. And look no further than the city of Syracuse, where a company called Micron is building a $100 billion microchip factory with union labor. It’s the largest private investment in American history, and it’s going to create 50,000 good-paying jobs. The Biden-Harris administration have made the most significant investments in our economy in generations. And as president, Kamala Harris will continue to build an opportunity economy for all.”

• Lt. Governor Austin Davis: “When I think about the future, I think about my daughter Harper and all of America’s children. Investing in them means investing in our infrastructure. It means replacing millions of lead pipes. It means providing clean air, clean water, safe roads, and bridges, not just for us but for generations to come. That’s the legacy that President Biden is leaving our children. Let’s keep building bridges to the future with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”

• IBEW President Kenneth Cooper: “The IBEW powers America – from fire alarms to solar farms, nuclear plants, the battery plants, storm restoration of power lines, and we’ve been doing it for over 130 years. Today we’re building a new energy future while providing great-paying jobs and a stable retirement for all working families every step of the way. Kamala Harris has been there for us. She’s bringing back American manufacturing to forgotten places throughout our country. She cast the deciding vote to save our pension plans. She’s lifted our apprentices up all over the nation.”