President Biden pushes for clean energy during Philadelphia visit; announces project for city workers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- President Joe Biden was in Philadelphia Thursday afternoon with a push for clean energy and a project for city workers.
President Biden made a push for clean energy, specifically offshore wind generation. And at the Philly Shipyard, Biden announced that it will mean key jobs for workers in our city.
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President Biden announced the Philly Shipyard will build a first-of-its-kind ship – The Acadia – to support offshore wind generation.
"It's gonna place heavy rocks at the base of offshore wind projects to stabilize when they put these down, and it's going to protect it against erosion," President Biden said.
The move is part of Biden's push to build 30 gigawatts of offshore wind generation by 2030 – enough to power 10 million homes, according to the White House.
Shipyard leaders say it's also helping them recover from the pandemic when they had mass layoffs with almost no demand.
"I have nine ships to deliver in the next five years, and I can have 1,500 smiling faces inside the shipyard every day," Steinar Nerbøvik, the President & CEO of Philly Shipyard, said.
Biden got a tour of the shipyard ahead of Thursday's remarks.
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Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon accompanied the president and says this latest investment will be big for the area.
"We can advance the ball with respect to clean energy and create new jobs while doing it, and they're good jobs," Scanlon said.
But Biden says his offshore wind plan goes beyond Philly – and is a bigger part of his pledge to bring jobs back to the U.S.
"It'll be the first vessel of its kind, made in America," Biden said. "American owned. American operated."