“A Great Tide Has Turned ...When We Need It Most”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House passed legislation today that contains the strongest U.S. climate action ever.
Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) made the following statement:
“A great tide has turned. This is the strongest U.S. climate action ever in the moment when we need it most. It sets us on course for a clean energy future. The country will never turn back, and the gains will be profound.
“This bill will create jobs, drive innovation and strengthen the economy. It will make the country more secure, reducing our reliance on the fossil fuels that fund belligerent petro states. It will fight inflation by lowering the deficit, reducing health care costs, cutting household electricity bills and speeding the shift away from fossil fuels - the single largest driver of inflation today. It will help the United States deliver on its responsibility to the rest of the world.
“This bill positions the country to cut climate pollution 40 percent, below 2005 levels - a solid down payment on President Biden’s pledge to slash emissions 50-52 percent by 2030. To get there, he must use his existing authority to write rules and standards to help clean up our cars, trucks and dirty power plants; make our homes and offices more efficient; cut methane pollution from oil and gas operations; and keep investors apprised of corporate climate risk.
“The work does not end here. This bill includes provisions that support fossil fuel production in ways that conflict with our climate aims and perpetuate inequities that inflict disproportionate hazard and harm on low-income communities and people of color. That’s why this bill must be a beginning, not an end. We’ll continue to work to break our dependence on fossil fuels, channel investments to the communities that need it most and fight efforts to weaken the commonsense safeguards our families depend on to prosper and thrive.
“Effective leaders face up to challenges, stand up solutions and show up to get the job done. That’s what the Senate did earlier this week, and that’s what the House did today. Now the president and his team must build on this momentum, make the most of these new tools and continue to advance the climate progress we so urgently need.”
NRDC has pulled together deep analyses of the bill at: https://www.nrdc.org/resources/inflation-reduction-act-big-step-toward-climate-safe-future
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.