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
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.