The secret ingredient in Biden’s climate law: City trees

By Matt Simon
LAist
September 30, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

You’ve probably heard that the Biden administration’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, gives people big rebates and tax credits to switch to a heat pump or electric vehicle. But the law also contains a much-less-talked-about provision that could save lives: $1.5 billion for planting and maintaining trees that would turn down the temperature in many American cities. That money goes to the U.S. Forest Service, which has been doling out the money to hundreds of applicants, including nonprofits and cities themselves. The $1.5 billion is nearly 40 times bigger than what the Forest Service typically budgets for planting and taking care of trees in cities each year, and it’s earmarked for underserved neighborhoods. So far, the agency has awarded $1.25 billion of the funding.

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