In Wisconsin, Biden touts $7.3 billion energy investment and addresses Georgia school shooting
WESTBY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- President Joe Biden touted a sweeping federal energy investment and addressed the Georgia school shooting in Westby, about 30 miles from La Crosse, during his first visit back to the swing state since exiting the presidential race.
Biden announced a $7.3 million investment geared towards boosting clean energy projects in rural communities, including nearly 600 million to a Wisconsin company that provides services to three additional midwestern states.
The funding marks the largest investment in rural electrification since the 1930's, according to the White House.
Dairyland Power Cooperative in La Crosse will receive nearly $573 million to produce renewable energy through wind and solar installments across rural areas in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Illinois.
The funding comes from the New ERA program in the Inflation Reduction Act.
"That means clean electricity, affordable electricity, for 5 million rural households across 23 states," Biden said. "It means covering upfront costs of clean energy so rural families can save on their energy bill and just get a little more breathing room at the end of the month."
It's part of Biden's plan to visit smaller cities to highlight his administration's policies to try and gain an edge in November.
His remarks come exactly two months after he held an event in Madison vowing to stay in the presidential race, then days later decided to drop out after a shaky debate performance.
In Vernon County, Westby is part of Wisconsin's third Congressional District. The western region of the state has grown more competitive in recent years with some counties that used to be reliable red, turning bluer.
La Crosse County flipped blue for Biden in 2020 after it was a GOP stronghold for years.
Meanwhile, Vernon County has turned more red. In 2008 and 2012, the county went for former President Barack Obama, then to former President Donald Trump in 2016 and again in 2020.
Four years ago, Trump won the county by less than 800 votes.
William Gracia, the Democratic chair of the third congressional district, said new legislative maps implemented by the state Supreme Court earlier this year have motivated voters to a new level than past elections.
"Two years ago, the map for Vernon County was extraordinarily red, so red that Democrats didn't even bother voting," said Gracia. "This year votes are going to count and that's going to motivate a lot of Democrats who felt disenfranchised by these unfair maps."
Biden's visit comes a week after Trump held a town hall in La Crosse. The former president will return to Wisconsin on Saturday to hold a rally in Mosinee, just south of Wausau.
Biden Responds to Georgia School Shooting
At the beginning of his speech, Biden called for "common sense" gun control measures in wake of Monday's school shooting in Georgia.
The president said "we have to do something" when referring to the AR-style rifle used by the 14-year-old suspect who is accused of killing four people and injuring nine others at Apalachee High School.
Biden called for an assault style weapons ban, safe storage of firearms and universal background checks.
"We cannot continue to accept the carnage of gun violence," Biden said.