Welcome to the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity’s (ED) first-ever newsletter! I am incredibly excited to share the wonderful work that ED has been doing this year and provide a look ahead into the upcoming months.
To begin, 2023 is starting out strong so that we can finish even stronger. In just a few short months, the Department of Energy’s ED hosted its first-ever 2023 Minority Business Enterprise Connect Summit and announced the historic Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program (48(e)) in partnership with Treasury and IRS. The tax credit program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, will deliver much-needed clean energy benefits to low-income and environmental justice communities around the country. ED is proud to serve as the lead DOE office implementing that historic effort.
Since day one of the Biden-Harris Administration, ED has been laser-focused on building the agency’s muscle to advance equity within DOE and increase access to DOE opportunities in underrepresented communities. ED continues to play an instrumental role in leading DOE’s implementation of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility efforts. In the past two years, we have made tremendous strides on equity, hosting DOE’s inaugural Justice Week and releasing the first-ever Equity Action Plan. We are also proud to lead the Federal family in Justice40 implementation, and we are on track to meet the agency’s goals under its first-ever DEIA strategy.
As we forge ahead into 2023, we continue to ensure DOE prioritizes equity and place-based strategies in our investments to model a clean energy transition that will deliver real benefits to frontline communities - especially those historically impacted by the legacy of pollution and environmental injustice.
That’s why we are visiting the Gulf Coast and Southeastern United States to kick off a series of stakeholder engagement workshops. These workshops will convene industry leaders, local governments, community stakeholders and local businesses to explain the DOE initiatives, Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding DOE has available to support disadvantaged frontline communities and advance U.S. energy security in a just and equitable way. Be sure to sign up to stay up to date with our events.
In the pages that follow, you will see that our team has been working hard to bring exciting new programs, resources, and opportunities that support President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative promise to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate investments to disadvantaged communities.
I am confident that with continued effort and support, ED will remain an integral part of fulfilling the President’s vision for a sustainable, more inclusive energy transition. I encourage all of us to keep up the excellent work as we set our eyes upon Q2. Keep reading to learn what we’ve been up to!
Kind Regards,
Shalanda H. Baker
Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity and Secretarial Advisor on Equity
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