bad. and for those who do get it bad, it may be because they have a high-risk factor - such as heart disease, diabetes, being overweight, asthma, or smoking. even if symptoms feel mild, these factors can increase your risk of covid-19 turning severe. so, if you're at high risk and test positive - don't wait - ask your healthcare provider right away if an authorized oral treatment is right for you. good to be with you. i'm katy tur. europe is on fire, texas is melting, hundreds of millions are under heat warnings or watches from california to turkey. it seems pretty clear we're living through a climate

emergency. the question is what will our leaders do about it? here at home president biden is in somerset, massachusetts today at a former coal-fired power plant that now manufactures parts for offshore wind energy. the white house says the president will announce moves to bolster the offshore wind industry, home assistance for low-income residents. excessive heat records are at stake in dozens the states, straining power grids as people crank up the a.c. to stay cool. but do these moves go far enough? democrats blocked by republicans and joe manchin in the senate have turned to the president, upping the pressure to declare a state of emergency, unlocking the power of executive orders to fight climate change, the without would not say if he will do so.

across the atlantic there are big out of control and deadly fires across multiple countries. tens of thousands of people in france have been displaced and many of them are at risk of permanently losing their homes. firefighters in london saw their busiest day since world war ii. more than a dozen fires burning across the city. an entire neighborhood burned to the ground in wennington, east london. nearly 500 firefighters are fighting a single fire in a town just north of athens. a pediatric hospital there had to be evacuated. and italy is in a state of emergency as well because of drought. entire river beds are drying you. european leaders are taking this as a call of action. the german chancellor promised

his country will do everything in its power to fight the climate crisis. joining me is senior national correspondent jay gray, who is in dallas, where temperatures are a scorching 101 degrees and climbing still, meteorologist bill karins and david wells, columnist to are the the "new york times" magazine and author of the book "the uninhabitable earth, life after warming." jay, 101 degrees in texas. they're worried about the power grid. what can you tell us? >> reporter: i can tell you it's 101 on the way to 108 today. that's coming after two days that topped out at 109. we talked to a 10-year-old here who says it's like living on the surface of the sun. i haven't been there but it's hard to argue with the guy. it is just blistering here and it's going to tun to be. here's the issues. first of all, a severe fire

hazard. we've had multiple wildfires in the north texas area, including one still building next to fort worth, 500 acres burned there. water is becoming an issue, the ground shifting because of all of this heat, water mains breaking across this entire region. we've had more emergency calls for heat-related problems this year than last, double the amount according to first responders. a lot of people overcome with all of this. and the problem is when you talk to texans they'll tell you, yeah, of course it's hot, it's texas. it's not supposed to be this hot this early, and a lot of people, katy, really worry about what august, the hottest month traditionally is going to bring here. >> certainly not looking too great out there right now. bill karins. it's not just here in the states, it's overseas as well. tell us what we're looking at across the world. >> portugal and spain are

extremely hot. they're a little warmer than they should be. we've had extreme that's been going on for about six weeks at least. dallas, fort worth has had 23 days above the record. we're likely going to see more summers like this in the years ahead. not likely, we will. we're not going to stop using fossil fuels fast enough. as far as what we're dealing with out there currently, yesterday was 110 in oklahoma city. it was 115 degrees in wichita fall. at one point yesterday for the first time ever, a recording system in oklahoma recovers the temperatures throughout almost the entire state, it was the first time ever anywhere you went in the state it was 102 degrees. peaked at 115 but that had never happened before. we're seeing things like that. currently out there it's already up to 108 heat index in dallas,

106 in houston, the drought's getting worst, the water problems are getting worse, the rio grande river doesn't even flow all the way down, no rafting, no canoeing, a huge issue there. it's a dry heat in texas and oklahoma. now the humidity and heat wave has reached the east coast. usually when it gets up there above 100, it's very uncomfortable. when we get to 110 to 120, it's life threatening. we have a chance to get there this weekend in areas of the east coast. this heat wave is going to head to the weekend and then it looks like it's going to settle down and come right back, maybe even worse for the southeast next week. for tomorrow we're going to do 99 in dallas, maybe a chance of rain, you'd love that if it happens. new york 100, raleigh, d.c. we have a chance in d.c. of

hitting 100 since 2016. it will be an exceptionally hot weekend for everyone on the east coast. europe has cooled back down to where they should. here in the lower eight, we're still on record for the hottest summer on record in numerous locations. >> david, maybe i'd reading into this but just watching your face as bill did his report, as jay gray did his report, you know, you've written about this for year now you wrote a whole book about it, "the uninhabitable earth." seems to me you're in a state of surrender. you've been writing about this and warning about this and here it is. >> i think we're seeing this from people deep in the climate movement. there's a lot of alarm, especially what we're seeing in europe. things are happening a little faster than we feared and the impacts are pretty intense because we haven't prepared in the way that we could but this is not shocking. the really worrying thing is we know as the baseline goes up

over the next few years, extreme events are going to be more extreme. and we didn't mention in china 30 days of intensity and india and china, they make up about a third of the world's population and they've been dealing with intense heat now for a couple months. >> so we're experiencing it. we can't say, no, climate change doesn't exist or it's a tomorrow problem. we're experiencing it right now with this extraordinarily hot weather we're seeing all over the world as you mentioned, we've been seeing it with crazy wildfires, overactive hurricane seasons, we are seeing the effects of climate change. why don't people care? why don't they vote on the issue? why is it not being treated as an emergency by our lawmakers? and i'm not just saying here in the united states but around the world. >> well, there are some places where they're doing better. in europe they have -- >> doing better, true emergency

as climate scientists warn. >> i think the short answer is we have an incredible capacity for normalization as humans we see suffering every day around the world and we treat it as norm and we don't take the amount of action we would like to if we were, you know, looking at ourselves in the mirror really clearly. but, as you mention, even the ambitious countries, the countries moving fastest are not moving anywhere near fast enough to meet targets they've set for themselves. no country in the world is on track to honor the paris climate commitments right now, not a single one of the 187 that signed them over a decade ago. >> the president will talk in a few minutes and announce executive orders. democrats want him to announce a national emergency to combat this. even if he did that, what would you expect if he was to end up doing that, declaring a national intelligent? >> i think it's a rhetorical

move that might have some value in signaling alarm but it's going to have an impact much smaller than passing bills we've been passing over the last six, nine months. most will think that joe biden ends his term by falling short of 50% of the country's targets by 2030. when the u.s. is not moving relatively quickly, the world will have a hard time, too. we're by far the biggest emitter and have the biggest responsibility to move most quickly and we're moving much slower than peer countries and signaling we're not going to be moving any faster any time soon. >> always good to see you. thanks for being here. jay gray, good luck out there. i hope you find a way to stay cool. joining me is democratic senator from new mexico, martin

heinrich. the president has a big climate speech later this hour. senator, what are you expecting, what are you hoping for? >> well, i'm hoping that today's announcement is just the beginning of a long roll out of executive actions. this is an opportunity for the president to really engage his administration across the board to take every action they can. it's not a substitute for what they should be doing here in the congress, but i think given the developments of the last week he is doing right thing and i hope he ramps it up over time. >> i just had a conversation with david wells, "new york times," wrote "the uninhabitable earth," even if biden does make change, it's not going to do much to actually solve the

problems we are facing. >> i disagree. i think there are a whole suite of tools the president can use and every one of those signals leadership to the population and to the world. they can release more offshore wind and eliminate things like methane that are super heating in the sort term. taking those actions build momentum. i think it's incredibly important for the president to do that and signal to the world we should all be doing that. >> he said it was more of a signal if there is an emergency. you think if it starts now we can build momentum. we are on a really tight deadline to fight the increase in degrees around the world and the impact of that, what we're seeing. aren't you worried that we're not moving fast enough? >> absolutely. >> that our normalization factor is too strong and that we're going to, i don't know -- something bad is going to happen? >> doing nothing makes that that

much worse. action and leadership is always better than apathy. and my concern now is that there are so many young people who are going to give up on these things, i think we need to build on that momentum. i think we need to show leadership at the state and local level where they have the majorities to really do the things that we know how to do. the thing that i understand as an engineer, when you break down complex problems into smaller problems and figure out how to solve those, you can solve the global problem. and we know how to clean up our emissions. we know how to transition to a clean, electric future and away from all these fossil commodities. and it's not unrelated to the inflation that we're seeing in the country. 41% of the inflation that is hurting consumers everywhere comes from the increase in commodities like gasoline. so we have the solutions. what we lack is the political will and the majority to be able

to do those things and lacking that, i think the president should lean in as far as he can. >> so he should declare a national emergency. i asked that because when you look at the "new york times" recent article just 1% of americans think climate change is the most important problem facing the country. >> i think one of the things we're seeing right now is those inflationary pressures hurting people across the political spectrum. i will tell you when i talk to young people in my state, i can't imagine that figure is accurate because the issue they come back to again and again and again is climate. >> young people value it in a slightly higher number but still not enough, 3%, still not enough to change things. >> i saw that poll and it doesn't track with my experience at home. >> is there a change in the way the democrats can package or lawmakers that care can package

the fight against climate change, make it more of a jobs issue as opposed to a big earth issue? >> well, i think that's a great opportunity and i've seen it drive jobs in my state. we are doing more and more large wind scale projects. once again, we have the solutions to do this. electrifying our economy is an enormous jobs opportunity but it also really insulates people from these crazy commodity price swings we see in oil and natural gas. >> thank you so much for joining us today. i'm sorry to be a negative nancy on this. i'm just trying to figure out how in the world we get to people to care about climate change when we're facing the effects of it and facing all of that suffering that will come along with it. senator, thank you very much for being here. as we have been talking about, the president does have a big

climate speech. it's going to happen later this hour. how far is he going to go? what exactly will these executive orders do and is there a national emergency declaration on the horizon? also, coming up, nearly a dozen fake electors in georgia are subpoenaed to appear before a fulton county special grand jury. what that dramatic escalation about the investigation into the 2020 election. and after the reversal of roe, doctors are saying they are seeing more women who want a permanent solution to prevent pregnancy. >> i didn't want children and i didn't want to be in a position where i didn't want children and would lack access to contraception as well. s to s to contraception as well. siding, plain-ing. debunk the inglorious. one shape's victorious. kraft singles. square it. it's the all-new subway series menu!

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news on the investigation into the january 6 committee and the effort to overturn the

election. the secret service was told at least once to back up their records including data and text messages before their phones were wiped. the court wants those messages. a january 6th staffer has been testifying about the justification for subpoenaing him. and prosecutors in georgia indicated the fake 2020 electors are now targets of the state's investigation. joining me now from outside fulton county courthouse, ali vitali, i want to begin with you. the committee only got one?

>> reporter: according to the january 6 committee they only found one session recording text messages around the period of january 6th but we know there have been deleted and missing messages around january 5th and 6th specifically. it's important, katy, to put this in the contest of the timeline. the secret service in this letter to the committee doing a lot of work to establish an idea that the system they were trying to implement and the reason those tex messages may be missing, that this was a long-planned thing they were talking about from the fall of 2020 really. nevertheless, the fact that they were planning this migration for many months, the committee started asking them for document presentation january 16th of 2021, so ten days after january 6th and the secret service went

forward with migration and are in a position of having to defend why these text messages are missing. >> steve bannon, he was supposed to testify and defied the subpoena. what's been happening? >> the chief council said they wanted to hear from him because members understood he talked to president trump in the weeks leading up to january 6th and wanted to know more about that and it asked for communication he with the proud boys, the 3% and as well as some of the advisers who were advising. his lawyer said bannon would not comply because he asserted

privilege and he said that a few other letters were sent warning him if he failed to comply, he could be criminally prosecuted. she said the committee repeatedly asked for an explanation of why he wasn't complying, such as was he confused about it? but she said bannon never presented any such explanation before the house voted to find him in contempt. she's now being examined by the judge and the judge has warned them they cannot use the questioning to suggest that the prosecution was in any way politically motivated. he said he didn't want the trial to become a political circus, katy. >> so, blaine, let's talk about these 2020 electors, the fake slate of electors. what's happening in georgia with this investigation? >> reporter: well, 16 of those so-called fake electors have been notified according to the fulton district attorney in a filing that they are officially targets for investigation. a couple of very notable things

to point out about that, one, is the fact that their status according to their attorneys has changed. initially they were told they were simply witnesses. but according to their attorneys that flipped and they're told they are targets. this is one of the first bits of insight that we're getting into how wide the scope is of the investigation and it shows who exactly she is targeting. she told me in our interview not long ago that she wants to hear from everybody who had knowledge. president's thoughts or actions when it comes to the alleged election meddling here in the state of georgia, people who are in his sinner circle and around him and she wants to perform a robust investigation and it's clear she's doing that. as for who comprises the 16 fake electorates. we're talking about the chairman of the georgia republicans, a state senator who is now the republican nominee for lieutenant governor. so we're talking about some

people who do wield significant power here in at least georgia state politics. >> and rudy giuliani has to testify? >> yeah, absolutely. so that's the other part. he has been ordered by a new york judge that he has to come, he has to testify. according to the judge, he was basically supposed to show up at what hearing and argue why he didn't comply with the subpoena. that prompted the judge to say you have to go down and testify in georgia on august the 9th. >> blaine alexander, pete williams, ali vitali, thank you everyone. and 47 house republicans have voted yes to protect same-sex marriage. what they told us coming up. and a permanent fix on the heel of the roe decision. doctors in texas say more women are asking about sterilization. >> ethey want something

permanent because they want no other action. >> how many were calling? >> one to two a week. the weekend after there were 200 messages by sunday night. weeken0 moderate to severe eczema still disrupts my skin. despite treatment it disrupts my skin with itch. messages by sunday night or inj. it's one pill, once a day, that's effective without topical steroids. many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin while some saw up to 100% clear skin. plus, they felt fast itch relief some as early as 2 days. that's rinvoq relief. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers including lymphoma and skin cancer, death,

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court's decision to overturn roe, doctors in texas are reporting more women are asking about sterilization. morgan, this is an extreme measure, is it not? >> it's an extreme measure and it's a permanent one. doctors are saying the demand for sterilization is like nothing they've seen before. they say although they don't track data on the number of sterilization procedures, they are hearing anecdotes of members nationwide of more women asking about these procedures and then scheduling them. we spoke to three women who say the timing of their appointment is without a doubt tied directly to state abortion laws and the supreme court. here at this clinic in austin, texas, dr. tyler hancock says his team has been fielding more calls than ever. >> they're asking for permanent

sterilization. >> so tubes removed? >> yes. >> reporter: all since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. >> they want something permanent because they fear tomorrow there will be no more option. >> how many were calling before? >> one to two a week would be average. the weekend after, there are 200 calls a night. >> reporter: in fact, he receives so many requests, he and the co-owner hold weekly group sessions. >> how many people are in this room? >> a little over 20 at a time. >> reporter: perception? >> perception. >> reporter: a decision this 27-year-old, who is pregnant with her fourth child says she is planning to make soon, influenced by the supreme court's ruling. >> i don't want any more. i'll be 27 in october and i'm done.

>> reporter: you're done? >> and are you sure it's something you want to do? >> i'm sure it's certainly i want to do. >> reporter: and she's not alone. members in some facebook support groups for women seeking sterilization has nearly doubled with one group growing by 2,50 members since the ruling came down. >> you already had your tubes removed? >> yes. >> i'm under consultation. >> what was the timing of your decision? >> after the draft decision was leaked, i scheduled the procedure sooner than i and anticipated. i knew i didn't want children.

>> like megan, i also knew i didn't want kid and when we saw restrictions coming through, i scheduled my appointment. you're told that you are too young to make this decision or what if your significant other wants children someday? >> what if you change your mind? >> what if you change your mind? what if you regret this someday? >> reporter: let's be honest. there's a lot of judgment around the decision to have this procedure. what do you say to people who doesn't understand? >> sterilization or permanent contraception is as permanent as choosing to have a child. you could say the same thing about having a kid. >> reporter: it's a choice they expect to see even more women making in the days ahead. >> nobody wants to be put in a situation where they have to make a choice between, you know, the medical health of whoever is having that kid and the kid itself. so a lot of people are just

saying okay, we're not going to. we're going to go for sterilization instead. >> morgan radford, nbc news, austin, texas. >> katy, the question that a lot of people have is what comes next, right? the supreme court decision did not specifically address the issue of contraception, justice thomas did bring up the issue in his opinion. the most popular searches for both forms of sterilization were in states like ohio, missouri, indiana, all places where current or likely bans on abortion, katy. >> i'm not surprised by that. listen, just clarence thomas, he made it clear he wants the court to look at it.

there was a time not too long ago where everybody said row have. >> -- roe v. wade was not going to change and look what happened. morgan, thank you for bringing us that report. it was very interesting. >> senate majority said he would like to see the bill come to a vote. he's tasked senator tammy baldwin with feeling out the republican support in that chamber. the bill would need at least ten republicans. here is what some of them told us. >> i have also made clear my support for gay marriage years ago. >> it's a pure messaging bill. i mean, it's obviously settled law right now. >> i support same-sex marriage. i have for a few years now, several years. >> in is about creating drama,

not about creating policy. >> there's very little that passes the democratic house that i'd be interested in supporting. >> joining me now from capitol hill is jake sherman. just like contraception, justice clarence thomas mentioned same-sex marriage, which is why this bill is coming up in congress. we heard some mixed reaction from republicans. what's your sense of things? >> so, katy, we at punch bowl news spoke to 37 senate republicans today between the hours of about 10:00 and 1:00 and found four lean or solid yes votes, which is about what i expected we would find, but a whole host of people were interested in reading the bill and expressed either measured support or just an openness to considering the issue. i'd say a few things there. that's more than i expect, than i could tell you in private conversations i've had with republicans, a lot of them have said we need to just vote for this because this is where

society is and this is where the majority of the american people are and get this, quote unquote, issue of the table. i would not be surprised to see this pass the senate. could i say today for sure it would pass the senate? no, absolutely not. but it needs ten votes. the one thing i was interested in as i caught up with mitch mcconnell this morning and mitch mcconnell is very likely to not answer questions he does not want to answer, he oftentimes ignores me and other reporters. i asked him about this bill. he said he's going to talk about it when it comes over from the house and when the senate is going to take it up. so i don't know if mcconnell's going to vote for it but he clearly wanted to say something because he didn't ignore me, which is what he oftentimes does when he doesn't want to answer a question. so all of that said, this is a very live issue and there's not

a lot of calendar time but the senate democratic leadership is intent on taking this up in the next couple of days. >> let talk about the other issue that is making headlines today, the one that we're leading with and that is climate change. the president is going to come out and announce some executive action. does this mean that any climate change solution is dead in the senate? is there no wiggle room for joe manchin? is it even insane to ask whether anybody can ask joe manchin to vote yes for something having to do with climate change right now. >> reporter: i would never call you insane katy but i would say it is exceedingly unlikely bordering on impossible to imagine that joe manchin is going to vote for anything besides letting medicare negotiate drug prices in this reconciliation package and maybe

if the democratic leadership is lucky some sort of covid aid for therapeutic, vaccines and tests for a potential next wave. i would just add one thing to that. manchin basically told the leadership they can roll the dice, wait until august and is he where inflation is and then maybe if they're lucky then, manchin would consider some climate provisions at that point. of course they'll be nowhere near what democrats want but that's not really a risk that democrats are willing to take. i would say at this point it is dead in the water. that doesn't mean something can't happen but based on talking to joe manchin every day for the last two years i would say it unlikely. >> jake sherman, thank you very much. just so you know, i was referring to insanely cool. that's what people say about me. >> i would say you're insanely cool. i think so. >> jake, thank you very much. the president is about to announce executive actions on climate change. we're going to go there. and just a moment ago, the first

lady of ukraine spoke to congress. what she asked for in her emotional plea. and why europe support for ukraine is under threat. l plea l plea and why europe support for i literally just said that. i like her better than you the new subway series. what's your pick? we're here today to set the record straight about dupuytren's contracture. ukraine is under threat. but it doesn't. visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started.

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boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. using its crimea play book, russia is laying the groundwork to annex even more of ukraine. the white house says russia is installing illegitimate proxy officials in multiple regions, including kherson, donetsk and luhansk. putin is planning to establish the russian ruble as the official currency and force ukrainian citizens to apply for russian citizens. the ukrainian first lady called for more support.

>>. >> translator: i am asking for something now i would never be asking for. i am asking for weapons, weapons that would not be used to wage war on somebody else's land but to protect one's home and wake up alive in that home. i'm asking for air defense systems, in order for rockets not to kill children this their strollers. the answer is right here in washington, d.c. america unfortunately knows from its own experience what terrorist attacks are and has always sought to defeat terror. help us to stop this terror against ukrainians. now let's go to president biden, who is in somerset, massachusetts. >> instead of every hundred years. wildfires out west that have burned and destroyed more than 5 million acres, everything in its path. that is more land than the entire state of new jersey from new york down to the tip of delaware.

it's amazing. five million acres. our national security is at stake as well. extreme weather is already damaging our military installations here in the states and our economy is at risk, so we have to act. extreme weather disrupts supply chain, causes delays and shortages for consumers and businesses. climate change is an existential threat to our nation and to the world. so since congress is not acting as it should and these guys are but we're in the getting many republican votes, this is an imagine and i will -- i will look at it that way. i said last week and i'll say it again loud and clear. as president i'll use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis in the absence of congressional action, notwithstanding their incredible action. [ applause ] in the coming days my administration will announce the executive actions we have

developed to combat this emergency. we need to act. just take a look around. right now 100 million americans are under heat alert. 100 million americans. 90 communities across america set records for high temperatures just this year, including here in new england as we speak. and, by the way, records have been set in the arctic and antarctic, temperatures that are unbelievable, and it's astounding the damage that's being done. this crisis impacts every aspect of our every day life. that's why today i'm making the largest investment ever, $2.3 billion to help communities across the country build infrastructure that's designed to withstand the full range of disasters we've been seeing up to today, extreme heat, drought, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes. right now there are millions of people suffering from extreme heat at home. my team is also working with the

states to deploy $385 million right now. for the first time states will be able to use federal funds to pay for air conditioners in homes, set up community cooling centers in schools where people can get through these extreme heat crises and i mean people in crises 100 to 117 degree, an infrastructure law as your members of congress have delivered includes $3.1 billion to weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient, which will lower energy costs and keeping america cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and not using too much energy. my department of labor led by a guy name marty walsh, he talks funny. all kidding aside, he's a great guy. the secretary of labor, he's developing the first ever

workplace standard for extreme heat saying under these conditions, you cannot do the following, you cannot ask people to do certain things. second, he's sending folks out from the labor department to make sure we hold workplaces and to those standards that are being set. they've already completed over 500 heat-related inspections of workplaces across 43 states. let me tell you why we're here at braden point. five years ago this towering power plant which one stood with cooling towers 500 feet high cooled down. . 500 mega watts of power. over 50 years this plant supported this economy through the electricity they supply, the good jobs they provided and the local taxes they paid.

folks used to get a rag out and wipe the gunk out off of their wind shields. all the prevailing winds were our way. i just lived up the road in an apartment complex. we moved to delaware. and just up the road a little school i went to, holy rosary grade school. because it was a four-lane and because it was a four-lane highway that was accessible, my mother drove us. and rather than us being able to walk. and guess what? the first frost, you know what

was happening? had to put on windshield pipers to get literally the oil slick off the window. that's why and so many other people growing up have had cancer and why they had the highest cancer rate in the nation. but that's the past. and we're going to get -- we're going to build a different future. with one -- one with clean energy, good-paying jobs. just 15 years ago, america generated more than half its electricity from coal, coal fired plants. today that's down to 20% because there's a big transition happening. many of these fossil fuel plants are becoming sites for new clean energy construction. others are switching to new clean energy technologies. look at brayton point. today brayton is one of the frontiers on the frontier of clean energy in america. on this site, they'll manufacture 248 miles of high-tech, heavy-duty cables.

those specialized subsea cables are necessary to tie offsea wind farms to the existing grid. manufacturing these cables will mean good paying jobs for 250 workers, as many planters at the old plant had at its peak. and the port here, 34 feet deep, was used to carry coal into the power plant. now we're going to use that port to carry components for wind power into the sea. the converter station here and the substation nearby are the assets that move energy across the power lines. they'll now move clean electricity generated offshore by the wind, enough power to power hundreds of thousand of homes onto the grid, putting all assets to work delivering clean energy. this didn't happen by accident. it happened because we believed and invested in america's innovation and ingenuity.

one of the companies investing in the factory here joined me at the white house this month, vineyard winds, whose ceo told me about the groundbreaking project labor agreements they've negotiated with good-paying union jobs. and i want to compliment congressman bill keenny for his work in this area. i'm also proud to point out that my administration approved the first commercial project for offshore wind in america, which is being constructed by vineyard winds. folks, elsewhere in the country, we are -- we are propelling retrofits and ensuring that even where fossil fuel plants retires, they still have a role of powering the future. in illinois, for example, the state has launched the broad effort to invest in converting oil power plants to solar farms. in california, the committee members have turned a former oil plant in the world's largest battery storage facility, the world's largest facility.

in wyoming, innovators are chosen as the next site of the next generation nuclear plant. and my administration is a partner in that progress, driving federal resources and funding to the communities that have powered this country for generations. and that's why they need to be taken care of as well. i want to thank cecil roberts, a friend and president of united mine workers of america, and so many other labor unions who work on these initiatives. since i took office, we've invested more than $4 billion in federal funding, the 25 hardest hit coal communities in the country, from west virginia to kentucky to wyoming to new mexico. through the infrastructure law, we're investing in clean hydrogen, nuclear, and carbon capture and the largest grid investments in american history. we've secured $16 billion to clean up abandoned mines and wells, protecting thousands of communities from toxins and waste, particularly methane.

and we still -- and we're going to seal leaky methane pollution, a powerful gas that's 40 times more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide. and folks, the american leadership, back on climate, i was able to bring more world leaders together than -- we got 100 nations together to agree that the major conference in glasgow england -- i mean scotland -- to change the emissions policies we had. we've made real progress. but there's an enormous task ahead. we have to keep retaining and recruiting building trades and union electricians for jobs in wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear, create even more and better jobs. we have to revitalize communities, especially those fenceline communities that are smothered by the legacy of pollution. we have to out-compete china in the world and make these

technologies here in the united states and not have to import them. folks, when i think about climate change, i've been saying this for three years, i think jobs. climate change, i think jobs. almost 100 wind turbines going up off the coast of massachusetts and rhode island, ground broken and work underway. jobs manufacturing, 2,500-ton steel foundations that anchor these off-shore wind farms to the sea's floor, jobs manufacturing a jones act vessel in texas to service these off-shore wind farms. we're going to make sure that the ocean is open for the clean energy of our future and everything we can do to give a green light to wind power on the atlantic coast from our predecessor's actions only created confusion. and today we began the process

to develop wind power in the gulf of mexico as well for the first time, a real opportunity to power millions of additional homes from wind. let's clear the way. let's clear the way for clean energy and connect these projects to the grid. i've directed my administration to clear every federal hurdle and streamline federal permitting that brings these clean energy projects on line right now and right away. and some of you have already come up and talked to me about it. and while so many governors and mayors have been strong partners in this fight to tackle climate change, we need all governors and mayors. we need public utility commissioners and state agency hits. we need electric utilities and developers to stand up and be part of the solution. don't be a road block. we all have a duty right now to our economy, to our competitiveness in the world, to the young people in this nation and to future generations.

that sounds like hyperbole, but it's not. it's real. attack boldly on climate. and so does congress, not withstanding the leadership of the men and women that are here today, has failed in its duty. not a single republican in congress stepped up to support my climate plan, not one. so, let me be clear, climate change is an emergency. and in the coming weeks i'm going to use the power i have as president to turn these words into formal, official government actions through the appropriate proclamations, executive orders, and regulatory power that a president possesses. when it comes to fighting for climate change, i will not take no for an answer. i will do everything in my power to clean our air and water, protect our people's health, and win the clean energy future. this, again, sounds like hyperbole. our children and grandchildren

are counting on us. not a joke. not a joke. if we don't keep it below 1.5 degrees centigrade, we lose it all. we don't get to turn it around. and the world is counting on us. as this, the united states of america, when we put our hearts and minds to it, there's not a single thing beyond our capacity -- i mean it -- when we contact together. and of all things we should be acting together on, it's climate. it's climate. and by the way, my dear mother, god rest her soul, said, joey, everything bad, something good will come if you look hard enough. look what's happening. we're going to be able to create as many or more good-paying jobs. we're going to make environments and where people live safer. we're going to make the air safer. i really mean that. we have an opportunity here. i bet you when you see what's happened here in this cable