Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
The bipartisan infrastructure bill is on the verge of being voted down in the short term due in significant part to its failure to tackle the climate crisis without a companion reconciliation bill. Once again, Capitol Hill is being forced to reckon with “No Climate, No Deal.”
Rep. Jared Huffman made this explicit in citing his reasons for planning to vote against the bill, writing “Achieving critical climate/clean energy investments in the Build Back Better Act is the only way I could justify voting "yes" on a backroom Senate “deal” that underfunds key priorities & makes major concessions to the fossil fuel industry.” Huffman’s message was quickly backed by others.
Washington Post Reporter Congressional reporter Mike Debonis handicapped the legislation on this basis, tweeting, “Huffman is a pretty good proxy for the mainstream non Squad progressive Democrat bloc. Easy to see 50+ Dem infra nays at this point.”
Indeed, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal told PBS this week, “There are a lot of my members who don't like the bipartisan bill. It's not just that they think it's too small and that it doesn't do enough. But they actually think that there are some provisions in there that they would — that would hurt some of our goals around climate justice and climate — taking on climate change. And yet they are willing to be big adults in the room and say, I know I'm not going to love everything, but I need to get the reconciliation bill so that I can address all these other priorities and make transformational changes.”
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE BIPARTISAN BILL:
On its own, the bipartisan bill contains numerous flaws and does not meaningfully tackle the climate crisis, which is the number one need of any infrastructure legislation. While the bill invests in some important programs, it fails to meet this crucial moment. The package provides inadequate funding for climate action, clean air and water, the creation of good jobs, and racial, economic, and environmental justice.
Some provisions in the bipartisan deal would actively cause harm by supporting fossil fuels, harming frontline and Tribal communities, endangering the health of forests and public lands, and undermining hard-fought protections for clean air and water and environmental justice.
Sierra Club’s full analysis of the bipartisan deal can be found here.
Click here for a spreadsheet with a line-by-line comparison of the Build Back Better Act, the bipartisan deal, President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, and the investment levels backed by economic modeling and movement organizations.
WHY IT IS URGENT TO PASS THE BUILD BACK BETTER RECONCILIATION BILL:
Right now we have an opportunity to finally pass the generational climate action bill we desperately need, whereas passage of a flawed bipartisan infrastructure bill by itself would not substantially advance climate action.
The only way to tackle the country’s interconnected crises — climate change, racial injustice, economic insecurity, and public health — at the scale required is for the bipartisan deal and reconciliation package to move in tandem.
The Sierra Club’s priorities for the Build Back Better Act reconciliation bill, including advancing major clean energy tax incentives, a Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), a fee on methane polluters, funding for electric vehicles, environmental justice block grants, and a Civilian Climate Corps, are outlined here.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.