The Inflation Reduction Act was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday and will now go to the Senate. The bill would be signed by the president this week.
The shift from dependence on fossil fuels to a clean energy future is a landmark moment for the climate movement. The bill is expected to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2005 levels by the year 2030.
In an interview with the Guardian on Friday, former Vice President Al Gore said that they had changed history and would never go back. This will be a turning point in the fight to confront the climate crisis.
Gore co-chaired the first congressional hearing on climate change in 1981 when he was a member of congress. "Earth in the Balance" was his first book. Climate change proposals from Democratic presidents have failed to pass Congress because of the influence of the energy industry. George W. Bush was an oil man from Texas. One would think that Gore would see the obstacles to future climate action as formidable and the risk of backsliding as significant.
Gore pointed out that the incentives for wind and solar energy production, home energy efficiency upgrades and electric vehicles will save consumers thousands of dollars, and predicted that the electorate would demand future lawmakers to keep the ball rolling.
Gore believes that this will be unstoppable. People won't support politicians who want to take us backwards because of the huge savings to consumers. We are not returning again.
The heads of environmental advocacy organizations agreed with Gore.
The president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council stated that a great tide has turned. It's the strongest U.S. climate action ever when we need it most. We are on our way to a clean energy future. The gains will be profound.
The co- founder of Moms Clean Air Force said that this is a stunning achievement.
People underestimate our power. Now, here we are, she said. When you get what you want, the hard part starts.
We are at another starting point with this investment. The beginning of building out a massive clean energy grid with all the tricky issues of permitting and siting of industrial scale technologies Our transportation system is being changed. The EPA's mission is to protect human health.
The measure was passed on a party-line vote. Nancy Pelosi told the Washington Post that it was not something that anyone three months ago would have said was possible. She said on the floor of congress that the IRA is the most consequential climate action in the history of congress.
Other provisions, such as tax increases on corporations and increased enforcement of tax laws, were the focus of the Republicans' criticism.
To the extent that they talked about the clean energy subsidies in the bill, it was to oppose government spending and its effect on inflation.
Kevin McCarthy said that your pocketbook was their plan to fund more inflationary spending. Democrats say that the IRA will reduce inflation because it will raise tax revenue more than it will spend.
McCarthy said that wind and solar power are treated better than fossil fuels.
McCarthy said that it gave out tax credits with no accountability. Natural gas raises taxes when it's used to cook food.
Natural gas is not subject to a tax in the legislation. Methane is a potent short-term greenhouse gas and is included in the IRA. The methane fee is referred to as a "natural gas tax" by the American petroleum institute.
The climate change and energy components of the bill were criticized by both groups. Provisions that will mandate oil and gas leasing offshore and on federal land, as well as the methane fee, were welcomed by theAPI.
The group believes that higher corporate taxes will cause oil and gas companies to raise prices for consumers. It said that higher taxes will deter investment in future fossil fuel exploration because they will reduce profits from making high-cost investment in oil and gas drilling infrastructure.
The inflation reduction act falls short of addressing America's long-term energy needs and further discourages needed investment in oil and gas.
On the other side of the spectrum, groups focused on environmental issues were upset that oil and gas was included in the bill.
Jade Begay, climate justice director at NDN Collective, said it was a sad moment. The IRA was only possible because of the organizing of frontline and Indigenous communities, young people and climate justice advocates. Indigenous, Black, brown, and low-income communities have been demanding an end to fossil fuel expansion for decades.
The NRDC and Moms Clean Air Force argued that the fossil fuel provisions were necessary to get the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., a moderate and the pivotal swing vote. They hope that future legislation will include measures to reduce fossil fuel production.
Gore argued that this should not be a once-in-a-lifetime event. A lot of hard work lies ahead as we move forward on the path to net zero emissions.
There is a person with the name _____.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
