Today on 2 Degrees Out West we'll be learning what federal funding is available to address climate change, how it's distributed, how WRA has helped our region Over the past 4 years there's been something unprecedented happening in the federal government, and it's impacted our work at WRA for the better.

The United States government has been investing in climate solutions.

In 2022, with the help of the Biden Administration, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA. It calls for an investment of over $783 billion dollars in climate change related infrastructure.

It's also the largest investment in infrastructure in general in the United States since the Eisenhower Administration. To put that into context, The Eisenhower Administration was largely responsible for the Interstate Highway system as we know it today. The Inflation Reduction Act was and is a landmark legislation.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act also passed with the help of the Biden Administration in 2021 set aside $550 billion to help with climate resilient infrastructure projects.

The combined spending of 1.3 trillion dollars on climate infrastructure from just those two pieces of legislation is unprecedented in US history. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, it can't come soon enough.

It has promised jobs but also a future where we consider climate change and what’s best for the natural world when we build our infrastructure.

So, where is all that money going? More importantly - how does it affect you and how will it help us address climate change and its effects?

2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

Want to be part of 2 Degrees Out West?

• Email us with thoughts, suggestions, and interviewees at dave.papineau@westernresources.org.
• Follow us @westernresourceadvocates on Instagram.
• Create a clip sharing "our Bright Climate Future for the West" and send it to us at dave.papineau@westernresources.org. to be included in one of our next episodes.
• Join our email list to stay updated on when new episodes are released and calls to action on how you can help the West.
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Of all the states in our region, Arizona is particularly affected by climate change. It's hotter and drier than ever. Arizona is at the center of a battle when it comes to energy regulation. It's a battle happening behind the scenes hidden by regulatory language and process. But it is one of WRA's top clean energy priorities.

Arizona is falling behind the rest of the West with its progress on decarbonizing its economy, but it's not for lack of natural resources. Arizona receives an incredible amount of sunshine - over 330 days per year. It could easily be the solar capital of the country.

It's due to issues in a little known, but unbelievably important, actor in Arizona's regulatory and energy planning process: The Arizona Corporation Commission.

Energy regulation is a key element in the process of decarbonizing our region, and a lot of meaningful change happens in places like the Arizona Corporation Commission.

This podcast explores some of the recent issues at the Arizona Corporation Commission (or the ACC). It is one of the institutions that has the most power and ability to implement climate positive energy regulation in Arizona.

On this episode of 2 Degrees Out West learn what a public utility commission does, why you should care, how Arizona’s public utility commission, the Arizona Corporation Commission, is hurting Arizonans, and what WRA is doing about it.

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Tell Arizona utilities to transition to clean energy! - Western Resource Advocates

2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

Want to be part of 2 Degrees Out West?

• Email us with thoughts, suggestions, and interviewees at dave.papineau@westernresources.org.
• Follow us @westernresourceadvocates on Instagram.
• Create a clip sharing "our Bright Climate Future for the West" and send it to us at dave.papineau@westernresources.org. to be included in one of our next episodes.
• Join our email list to stay updated on when new episodes are released and calls to action on how you can help the West.
• ...

Climate change is a large scale problem. It’s bigger than any one of us, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the issue. How can we make a difference? In the West where we can watch the winters get shorter and increasingly the effects of wildfire and drought are harder to ignore, it’s difficult not to be overwhelmed.

But, there’s hope. It doesn’t have to be this way. The best science says we haven’t missed our opportunity to do something.

At WRA we believe the opposite of climate despair is climate action.

In this episode of Two Degrees Out West, we explore some of the tangible things we can do to address climate change and its impacts. We talk with a variety of the WRA experts who help advance those goals.

You'll hear about WRA's work to decarbonize the economy and transportation of the West, our work with the White Mountain Apache Tribe to save water, and our efforts to develop new management guidelines for the Colorado River.

If you want to find more detailed information about our work in 2023, check out our 2023 impact report where we detail the different layers of our work in the West.
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(00:24:00) Kim Mitchel's Podcast with the White Mountain Apache Tribe: Find out more about WRA's work with the White Mountain Apache Tribe here.

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2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

Want to be part of 2 Degrees Out West?

• Email us with thoughts, suggestions, and interviewees at dave.papineau@westernresources.org.
• Follow us @westernresourceadvocates on Instagram.
• Create a clip sharing "our Bright Climate Future for the West" and send it to us at dave.papineau@westernresources.org. to be included in one of our next episodes.
• Join our email list to stay updated on when new episodes are released and calls to action on how you can help the West.
• ...