To help make President Biden’s climate goals a reality, some clean energy advocates have called for the creation of a green bank to support and accelerate clean energy investments.
While the concept hasn’t taken center stage in the Biden administration so far, one new member of the Biden administration’s climate team helped develop the blueprint for what such an institution could look like.
Last month, Biden tapped Jahi Wise as a senior adviser for climate policy and finance on the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, which is led by former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Wise was previously policy director at the Coalition for Green Capital (GCC), a U.S.-based nonprofit that works with cities, states and international governments to set up green banks.
At the White House, Wise’s background and expertise could help ensure that federal dollars under Biden are leveraged effectively and in a way that benefits all communities, said Eli Hopson, CEO of DC Green Bank in Washington, which works closely with the CGC.
“Jahi has an ideal range of professional experiences — from complex legal transactions and green finance to supporting small clean energy projects at Black churches here in DC — to understand first-hand how to accelerate the country’s transition to a clean economy,” Hopson said in an email.