IRA Celebration Should Be A Starting Gun For Crucial Implementation Work

Ahead of The White House’s event to celebrate President Biden signing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law earlier this month, Evergreen Action Executive Director Jamal Raad released the following statement:

“The Inflation Reduction Act will set America on a new course of historic climate action and fundamentally change our ability to face the climate crisis head-on. As organizers, staffers, and climate champions gather together at The White House to celebrate this momentous achievement, we know that the essential work to deliver the benefits of this law is still ahead of us. With the more than $370 billion in new climate and clean energy investments leaders at the federal, state, and local levels have an unprecedented opportunity and responsibility to fight the climate crisis with smart investments that will create good-paying jobs, advance environmental justice, and set their states and communities up to lead the clean energy economy of the future.

“It’s no secret that the IRA contains provisions that perpetuate harm in the communities most impacted by toxic fossil fuel extraction and the climate crisis. So as we celebrate all that is good in this law, we know we must keep fighting to expel the parasitic influence of the fossil fuel industry from our politics and to ensure that the next climate bill that we pass delivers for those who have suffered the most. That must begin with defeating the toxic side deal that would fast-track the Mountain Valley Pipeline over the objections of Appalachian frontline communities.

“In order to maximize the full potential of the IRA’s investments, it’s incumbent upon Governors, state legislatures, and leaders at the local level to swiftly mobilize to deploy these federal dollars. And as we marshal in a new era of action at the state level, the Biden administration must continue to lead the way with strong executive action. To meet the demands of this crisis our federal and state leaders must move further, faster in the effort to drive down pollution in the most polluting sectors of our economy. We’ve won the hard-fought battle to secure the consequential investments in the IRA, now we get back to work.”

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