WASHINGTON, D.C. - The EPA announced today that it will reconsider the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone (smog pollution). Under the previous administration, EPA declined to strengthen the standard, leaving in place the weak 2015 standards that were inadequate for protecting public health and the environment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a CNN Town Hall last night, President Biden advanced his position of preserving $150B in climate funding that had been dedicated to a Clean Electricity Performance Program and potentially repurposing the funds for other climate action priorities to reduce emissions as part of his negotiations with Senator Joe Manchin.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - In the wake of a New York Times report on the uncertain fate of a major climate provision of the Build Back Better Act relating to Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the Sierra Club once again urged Senator Sinema today to make her position on funding for climate initiatives in the bill public and clear for her constituents.
Right now Democrats in Congress are looking for a path forward on securing a Clean Electricity Performance Program or NEW investments in other climate priorities to close the emissions gap, deliver on jobs and justice, and meet the President’s international climate goals in the coming days as the U.N climate negotiations near. Sierra Club has pointed toward multiple priorities where climate action could be expanded in the bill, one of which is bold investments to cut industrial carbon pollution and boost manufacturing of clean energy goods. Below we outline the problems in the industrial sector and promising Build Back Better Act solutions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to New York Times reporting on the uncertain fate of a major climate provision of the Build Back Better Act, the Sierra Club released the following statement. In addition, Sierra Club West Virginia Conservation Committee Chair Jim Kotcon released a statement below.
As negotiations on the climate, care, jobs and justice priorities in the Build Back Better Act reach their conclusion, it’s clear that President Biden is the key player who is positioned to bring his agenda across the finish line. Biden campaigned and won on this agenda, and now environmental, family, and justice advocates and communities nationwide are counting on him to deliver. The time for action is now. Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker of the House Pelosi have done a tremendous job leading the way, with 99% of congressional Democrats in support of the Build Back Better Act’s historic climate investments. Now it is down to two senators -- and the President is the only one who can finish the job.
PHOENIX, AZ - The Sierra Club requested clarity from Senator Sinema Tuesday in the wake of denials from a spokesperson in her office that she had called for $100B in cuts to climate action policies in the Build Back Better Act, as reported by the New York Times friday. The Sierra Club requests that Sen. Sinema either affirms her support for full funding of the full suite of climate and clean energy policies in the Build Back Better Act, or publicly makes clear which cuts (or additions) she proposes.
SALEM, OREGON - Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon gave voice to the urgency of the climate crisis in an interview with E&E News yesterday, telling the outlet that “Climate change is, besides COVID, frankly, the biggest threat to Americans and the world at this point in time ... That’s the one thing I probably could support, for sure, in a reconciliation bill.” Despite his statement to E&E, Schrader voted against one of the most essential emissions-reducing policies in the Build Back Better Act, the Clean Electricity Performance Program, from his seat on the House Energy and Commerce committee.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema voiced her strong support for climate action in an interview with the Arizona Republic Thursday which was also amplified by reporting in the New York Times.
As Congress Prepares to Move Forward with Reconciliation Bill, Nonprofits and Legislators in Arizona Urge Electric Sector Decarbonization Through a Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP)
Washington, DC -- Today, the House of Representatives passed the INVEST Act, a five-year surface transportation and water infrastructure bill totaling $715 billion with an additional $44 billion added to the amounts below during the amendment process. Critical items in this bill include:
$343 billion for repair America’s roads, bridges, and safety including:
$4 billion for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
Washington, DC -- Today, President Biden announced a deal on a bipartisan infrastructure package that he said must move in tandem with a larger package that includes Democratic priorities, including on clean energy and the environment. The President specifically referenced hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy tax credits as an essential policy he will fight for.