The Biden Administration has recently announced a new $90 million commitment in the form of competitive awards meant to help states and cities in their myriad attempts at mustering updated building codes into the country's patchwork response to climate change.

The funds are being taken from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports 27 projects that are all aimed at increasing the energy efficiency, resiliency, and overall performance of buildings in different parts of the country.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Cutting emissions from buildings across America and ensuring they’re more energy efficient are critical components of President Biden’s plan to tackle the climate crisis and create cleaner and healthier communities. With unprecedented support from the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is providing new funding to help cities and states modernize their building codes — lowering energy costs for American families and businesses while improving public health.” 

The Washington Post recently took a deeper dive into the source of the new funding, declaring that it “reflects the policy limitations that Biden faces” in states like Louisiana, where the costs of code updates in the wake of Hurricanes Ida and Katrina have spurred a “burgeoning insurance crisis.”

The announcement builds on a previous initiative aimed at enhancing building codes nationwide at a time when two-thirds of all American municipalities are falling behind in terms of adapting more responsive modern building codes, according to the administration.

The funding also covers a range of key areas which, beyond codes, are critical to the implementation of workforces that can enable new modern standards at the state and local levels. 

Each of the projects funded was selected by the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which reserved the right to rescind the money during the still forthcoming negotiations process. The D.C.-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy was the biggest individual awardee at $9.6 million. A full list of projects to be funded through the new initiative can be found here.