NRDC President: The Senate Just Made Climate History
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate today passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes about $369 billion in new climate, energy and community investments. Once implemented, it will allow the nation to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 percent by 2030—bringing the U.S. significantly closer to meeting the 50-52 percent cut President Biden has pledged to avert climate catastrophe. This is more than halfway to the U.S. goal in 2030 from where we are projected to be without the bill.
A statement follows from Manish Bapna, President and CEO of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“The Senate just made climate history. This is the most significant action the U.S. has ever taken to combat climate change. It will benefit the people of all 50 states—their health, their wallets, their homes and their future. And it will help the U.S. deliver on its undeniable responsibility to the rest of the world to do its part to address this global crisis. The House needs to come back quickly to cement this essential climate action. There is no time to waste.
“This bill is not perfect, but from a climate pollution perspective, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives—by a factor of 10.
“It could not come soon enough. This law puts the nation’s goals for combatting climate pollution within reach, while millions are suffering through yet another summer of extreme weather disasters.
“It will lower consumer electric bills and make electric vehicles more affordable. It will create hundreds of thousands of new clean energy jobs, while our economy is still building back from the pandemic and resulting downturn. And it will make significant reductions in the federal deficit.
“It is, however, just the beginning. There is more work to do to capture the full potential a clean energy economy has to offer, and build a safer, healthier, more just and prosperous future for all. This includes fighting against the outsized influence that Big Oil has over our politics, as well as fighting for complementary federal investments and safeguards, especially in front-line communities that are already overburdened by pollution from fossil fuels and other industries. The work to tackle the climate crisis and environmental racism must move full speed ahead.
“In the meantime, this bill would represent tremendous progress. It is good for households, for the economy and for our climate. All eyes are now on the House to act.”
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.