Fairbanks, AK – On Sunday, Secretary Granholm will be in Alaska to tour the Permafrost Research Tunnel and Renewable Energy Fair in Fairbanks and Monday will visit the University of Alaska Center for Energy and Power as well as the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. Her visit will focus on bolstering support for clean energy investments and touring local climate impacts. Alongside her visit, the League of Conservation Voters launched a digital ad campaign in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and surrounding communities to urge Congress to invest in clean energy, high-quality union jobs and environmental justice.

Support for Biden’s Build Back Better agenda

National polls continue to show strong support for making climate change and investing in clean energy infrastructure a top priority. In a recent poll commissioned by Climate Power:

• 67% say the federal government should be doing more to modernize American infrastructure, while 73% say it is time for Congress to make a long-overdue investment in American infrastructure.
• When describing the clean energy provisions of President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan, 70% support the plan, including 51% of Republicans.

At the end of April, 11 Alaska state and local elected officials signed a letter calling on Congress to support President Biden’s plan and ensure our federal infrastructure plan invests in a clean energy future and environmental justice. They joined over 1200 leaders from all 50 states and DC urging Congress to seize this moment as our last best chance to tackle the climate crisis.

The campaign will focus on ensuring climate action is a top national priority. The ads are part of a broader effort to highlight how vital clean energy jobs are to the nation’s recovery, including transformational investments and policies to:

• Set our country on a path to 100% clean energy by 2035
• Ensure that at least 40% of all investments are directed to communities most affected by climate change, pollution and racial injustice, as well as workers transitioning from the fossil fuel industry
• Create high-paying, union jobs and support communities impacted by the shift away from fossil fuels
• Replacing all lead water infrastructure to ensure every community has clean water
• Investing in electric vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure
• Weatherize millions of homes and businesses
• Modernize the nation’s electric grid