Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- House Democrats have released draft legislative text spelling out the details of President Biden’s transformational Build Back Better Act, which would invest over $500 billion in climate action, clean energy jobs, and environmental justice -- the largest such investment in U.S. history. Yesterday, President Biden unveiled the framework for the Build Back Better plan, followed by the House Rules Committee releasing draft text of the bill.
THE DRAFT BILL INCLUDES NEARLY 100 SPECIFIC INVESTMENTS IN BOLD CLIMATE ACTION spanning scores of policy areas and on a scale never before seen in Congress.
TOP AMONG THE CLIMATE ACTION INVESTMENTS IS A SWEEPING PACKAGE OF CLEAN ENERGY TAX INCENTIVES that are a game changer for the clean energy industry in the United States, and a game changer for climate action at home and abroad. A full 10-year tax incentive package will dramatically expand access to clean electricity, clean vehicles, and clean manufacturing, forming the backbone of the Build Back Better Act’s climate investments and accounting for a major reduction in carbon emissions. Turbocharging investments in clean electricity, and energy efficiency are key to saving the average household $500 annually in lower energy costs.
The framework’s vision for bold investments in CLEAN ENERGY MANUFACTURING would slash industrial pollution, create good manufacturing jobs, and bolster the supply chains we need for a swift transition to 100% clean energy.
ADDITIONAL MAJOR CLIMATE ACTION INVESTMENTS INCLUDE: transportation investments that would expand access to union-built electric vehicles, clean public transit and passenger rail; retrofits of homes and schools to cut pollution and energy costs; protections against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; a methane emissions reduction program; natural climate solutions that provide protection for communities from heat waves and storms while growing carbon sinks; new investments to slash industrial pollution and boost manufacturing of clean energy goods; and a Civilian Climate Corps that would help communities clean up pollution and adapt to the climate crisis.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE INVESTMENTS IN THE BILL WOULD BE EQUALLY HISTORIC, including environmental and climate justice grants, nationwide lead service line replacement, electrification of diesel school buses, funding for cleaning up dirty ports and heavy-duty trucks, community investments to close the nature equity gap, funding for pollution monitoring and cleanup, robust support for equitable and sustainable community development, and increased investments for community engagement under the National Environmental Policy Act.
FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES ABROAD AND AT HOME: Based on estimates from the President’s budget, the Act’s repeal of international fossil fuel subsidies included in the package would represent a potential $86.2 billion in revenue over the next decade. Still, the failure to repeal domestic fossil fuel subsidies is a shortcoming that can and must be addressed by Congress.
EXTREME CARBON CAPTURE SUBSIDY MUST BE FIXED: The draft legislative text of the bill includes an exorbitant subsidy of $85 per ton of carbon captured and sequestered (“CCS”) at coal and gas energy generation facilities, an increase from today’s $50-per-ton level. A subsidy this high could impede some of the otherwise rapid transition to clean energy in the electric sector and delay the retirement of some uneconomic coal plants, estimated at more than a quarter of the remaining fleet, that will never actually use carbon capture for the better part of a decade.
IN RESPONSE, SIERRA CLUB PRESIDENT RAMON CRUZ RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:
“Collectively, the policies in this framework would set the United States along the path we must travel to cut climate pollution in half by 2030, meet our international climate goals, and advance racial, economic, and environmental justice. This will be the strongest action Congress has ever taken to tackle the climate crisis, all while upholding strong labor standards and prioritizing environmental justice communities. This is a bold vision for clean energy and climate action that the President can present at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow to demonstrate that the United States is committed to taking the immediate and bold action necessary to tackle the climate crisis.
“By passing the bold investments in this framework, President Biden and Congressional Democrats will achieve a win worthy of the history books. It is shameful that every single Republican in Washington has refused to even consider voting for this bill, and for the climate action our communities need.
“While no single bill can get the job done, and there are additional investments that should have made the final cut, the Build Back Better Act builds a strong foundation for cutting our climate pollution in half to meet the climate test. Sierra Club, our millions of members and supporters, and environmental advocates nationwide will use this solid foundation to continue to push for action across the board by states, cities, federal agencies, and Congress so that we truly tackle this crisis at the speed and scale that justice and science demand.”
STATEMENT ON PROCESS, TIMING, AND THE BIPARTISAN BILL:
“It’s essential that Congress advance the Build Back Better Act in tandem with the bipartisan infrastructure deal, which on its own does little to drive down emissions or protect frontline communities. To get the historic climate and environmental justice investments in the President’s framework across the finish line, the Sierra Club calls on Congress to pass both bills together. As we have said from the beginning, passing the bipartisan bill without the Build Back Better Act would put the climate and environmental justice investments we need in jeopardy.
“The time for urgent action is now. We have no time to waste as our communities face intensifying storms, fires, droughts, heat waves, and floods. We have no time to waste, as the international community comes together to act collectively over the coming days. We have no time to waste, because the choices we make together now will shape the health of our communities and planet for decades to come.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.