Legislation represents the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 today, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The combined investments in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 put the U.S. on a path to roughly 40% emissions reduction by 2030, and represent the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history. Importantly, this legislation will ramp up clean energy production in the U.S. and also includes critical investments to advance environmental justice — addressing decades of disproportionate impacts of pollution and climate change on communities of color and low-income communities.
The following statement can be attributed in full or in part to Trish Demeter, Interim President of the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund:
“Today is a historic day in the fight against the climate crisis. We applaud the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. House of Representatives following passage in the U.S. Senate earlier this week. We thank Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-OH 3), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH 9), Shontel Brown (D-OH 11), Tim Ryan (D-OH 13) for supporting this landmark legislation that will speed up our transition to a healthier, more equitable, clean energy future as soon as possible.
“The Inflation Reduction Act will directly benefit Ohioans. The bill will lower consumer energy costs while making historic investments in energy reliability and cleaner energy production — especially Ohio’s growing renewable energy and electric vehicle manufacturing sectors. It will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, including potent methane emissions that exacerbate climate change and severe health impacts on our communities. And importantly, the bill will support critical environmental justice and climate resiliency investments in Black and brown communities as well as rural communities which have been disinvested in time after time.
“While a huge victory for the climate movement, more work is needed to ensure no one is left behind during the energy transition. This legislation includes damaging provisions designed to benefit the still-too-powerful fossil fuel industry that could have particularly harmful impacts on Indigenous communities, people of color, and other front-line communities. Just as we are ready to build the clean energy future this historic bill supports, we are equally ready to support Ohio communities in transitioning away from the polluting fossil fuel industries that perpetuate environmental racism and the climate crisis.”
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Media Inquiries? ebacha<at>theoec.org
The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund, a 501c4 organization, seeks to protect and enhance the environment, economic viability, and health of all Ohio communities by expanding access to public lands, advancing critical environmental priorities, holding policy makers accountable, and electing environmental champions.