A POLITICO deep dive published today pulls back the cloak on one of the most consequential questions coming out of the November election: What happens to President Joe Biden’s massive climate, energy and infrastructure agenda? Biden succeeded in getting Congress to approve $1.6 trillion in spending and tax breaks aimed at greening the economy, rebuilding infrastructure, reviving U.S. manufacturing and outcompeting China. But much of that money remains unspent just six months before Biden’s rematch with former President Donald Trump, according to a monthslong analysis by reporters Jessie Blaeser, Benjamin Storrow, Kelsey Tamborrino, Zack Colman and David Ferris. Trump has said he intends to lay waste to many of Biden’s policies, specifically singling out the many billions of dollars in support for electric vehicles and wind. So there’s a lot at stake if the Biden administration cannot make a bigger dent in the backlog. Now for the details: According to the POLITICO review, the administration has spent less than 17 percent of the total $1.1 trillion in direct investments that Congress provided for these priorities in Biden’s climate, infrastructure, semiconductor and pandemic-relief laws. Administration officials like to focus on much larger numbers — such as the $583 billion of this funding that agencies have either announced or obligated. As the story notes, even the promise of federal dollars or tax breaks has jump-started domestic manufacturing and fueled a boom in clean energy projects. In Georgia, for example, Hyundai is stepping up its efforts to finish an EV and battery factory to qualify for federal tax credits. But for many projects, the real-world progress has lagged the grand announcements. A $7.5 billion effort to expand the supply of EV chargers has led to only eight charging plazas being installed to date, because states first had to submit plans for using the money. Many clean hydrogen projects won’t be able to claim a new tax credit worth billions of dollars until federal guidance is finished. Other EV, battery, solar and wind projects have been delayed or canceled amid uncertain markets or worries about inexpensive Chinese imports. Then there’s Trump: The former president hasn’t made it clear how far he might go to shred Biden’s energy, infrastructure and climate programs, including all the projects being planned in red states. Trump has argued he should have the right to “impound” congressional appropriations he considers wasteful, and that a 1974 law that says otherwise is unconstitutional. Biden’s biggest chance at a durable legacy may rest with getting as much progress made on the ground as possible in the months or years he has left in the White House. “When those projects are built, they're very hard to rip back,” White House senior clean energy adviser John Podesta told our reporters in an interview.
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