By Caitlin Piserchia, Montana Sierra Club Interim Chapter Director
The Inflation Reduction Act is a flawed bill that contains historic provisions to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in climate action on a large scale. Please call Senator Tester's office at (202) 224-2644 and ask him to support the climate and healthcare investments while advocating for amendments to remove these provisions:
-
Coupling lease sales for wind and solar with fossil fuels on public lands
-
Forced additional oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf Coast and off the coast of Alaska
-
Tax breaks for carbon capture and sequestration and nuclear power
This summer, the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act has a real shot at passing Congress. If passed, the Inflation Reduction Act would mark a historic effort by Congress to address the climate crisis; it would become the largest federal investment ever made in climate action.
The mix of good and bad in this bill is also a clear indication that there is a lot more work we need to do in the coming decade. The prospect of passing federal climate legislation was made possible because of years of powerful grassroots activism pushing local concerns to the national level. Unfortunately, this particular version of the former "Build Back Better" bill also represents the outcome of grassroots visions colliding with the interests of fossil fuel-funded coal baron Senator Manchin.
As a movement, we are still battling it out with fossil fuel CEOs, and if this passes, we need to deepen our commitment to that fight. While the Inflation Reduction Act would hopefully set us up for a better overall trajectory while addressing some past environmental harms, it is still, in the words of Lone Star Chapter Director Dave Cortez, “a fossil fuel baron’s climate bill." On the one hand, the bill launches important, large-scale investments and policies that improve the playing field for achieving the rest of the emissions reductions we need; on the other, it contains some substantial fossil fuel handouts that could result in a good deal of harm-- if they aren't taken out or later reversed.
Here’s some of the good: the bill includes billions of dollars for hundreds of programs aimed at reducing emissions and cleaning up pollution, including the majority of the provisions listed in the version of the Build Back Better Act that passed the US House of Representatives last year. Overall, the bill is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. The provisions to reduce methane emissions across the country, including the new methane fee, could have an enormous impact alone. The bill includes massive investments in clean energy projects, with 60% of the funds flowing to disadvantaged communities and added incentives for siting projects in areas with shuttered fossil fuel plants. It would make electric vehicles more affordable and fund electrification of the US Post Office fleet. Also, the Inflation Reduction Act would extend the Affordable Care Act, expand Medicare, and create affordable avenues to electrify and retrofit buildings, making our homes and workplaces less reliant on gas.
Here’s some of the bad: the bill includes provisions supportive of the fossil fuel industry and seems to validate Manchin’s belief that fossil fuels should continue to have a place in our future. The bill includes some big concessions, including tying leasing of renewables to fossil fuels on public lands for the next decade and forcing additional oil and gas lease sales off the Gulf Coast and the coast of Alaska, where communities have been long fighting drilling. These provisions are “a slap in the face to the communities fighting to protect themselves from filthy fossil fuels,” says Brett Hartl with the Center for Biological Diversity.
In light of these issues, we encourage you to call (202) 224-2644 and urge Senator Tester to oppose these harmful provisions while supporting the rest of the bill. Senator Bernie Sanders will likely introduce an amendment aimed at removing the fossil fuel handouts when vote-a-rama starts this Saturday.
We think these provisions should be removed:
-
Coupling lease sales of wind and solar with fossil fuels on public lands
-
Forced additional oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf Coast and off the coast of Alaska
-
Tax breaks for nuclear power and carbon capture and sequestration
There is no one bill that can make all of the changes we need, and the grip of the fossil fuel industry over our politics is still strong. We shouldn’t be forced to choose between business as usual and a mixed bill that pairs historic climate investments with more handouts to the fossil fuel industry.
At the same time, I am encouraged by how grassroots organizing has shifted what’s possible at the national level over the last few years. Hundreds of Montana members and supporters showed up last summer and fall to advocate for a strong climate & justice bill. Thank you for your commitment to a just and livable future! It’s clear that whether or not this bill passes, we need to keep renewing our commitment to each other and to most-impacted communities in the long-term battle against past, current, and future harm from fossil fuels.