A Victory and the Road Ahead

Guest Opinion

By Cathye Williams | Aug. 13, 2022

Dear Sen. Manchin, I prefer to get my last-minute plot twists while streaming Netflix, thanks very much. Still, I’m completely on board with joining climate activists in celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The bill, passed by the Senate after Mr. Manchin switched once again to supporting the bill, contains what is being touted as the largest federal investment in clean energy in U.S. history—upwards of $369 billion. It is projected to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, which, admittedly, is short of the president’s 50 percent reduction target and also short on what science is telling us is needed to avert the most serious consequences of climate change. But it’s still more than would have been achieved if Joe Manchin were still wringing his hands or anywhere in the vicinity of a coffin with a nail and a hammer. So let’s be happy and get to work making this work.

The significance of this legislative victory cannot be overstated. It is the first meaningful step Congress has taken that will wean us off the fossil fuels that drive climate change and remove air pollution that sickens millions of Americans and inflicts billions in economic damage.

Here are some of the points of the bill that are giving environmentalists hope:

The bill will provide tax credits over 10 years to develop and deploy clean energy infrastructure in manufacturing and transportation.

There will also be individual credits and incentives to help households purchase electric vehicles and make their homes more energy efficient.

Some $60 billion will be used on environmental justice programs in communities that typically bear the greatest burden from climate change and pollution.

While it does not include the carbon tax that many hoped for, the Inflation Reduction Act places a rising fee on the leakage of methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Aside from these climate provisions, the bill has important healthcare and financial support for everyday Americans. Manchin and others are satisfied that the bill will not be overall inflationary and will reduce the deficit by $300 billion. It gives Congress the power to negotiate for lower Medicare prescription drug costs, extends and expands the Affordable Care Act, imposes a minimum tax rate, and closes loopholes for the wealthiest corporations.

We can’t know for certain why Sen. Manchin, who has often thwarted his party’s efforts to pass meaningful climate legislation, suddenly gave his support. Publicly, he credited experts’ assurances about inflation for changing his mind. Some reports mention a compromise that would remove barriers to building a natural gas pipeline that the senator very much wants in his state. But I hope that some small part of Mr. Manchin’s decision to save the Inflation Reduction Act had to do with a rising tide of West Virginians who want to provide for their families and fuel their lives without blowing up mountaintops and poisoning rivers.

Perhaps he just sees the writing on the wall. As the cost of renewable energy continues to fall, manufacturing, transportation, and utility systems based on fossil fuel extraction will become untenable. Coal and oil workers who have provided our energy at great cost to their health for generations will need training and a safety net as they move into new opportunities. Perhaps he sees that without action, the U.S. would likely be left behind as other nations evolve as innovative energy and economic leaders.

In any case, the decades-long efforts of scientists, policy experts, and activists is coming to fruition. Public servants, working tirelessly, have balanced all the data, public outcry, and demands of keeping the world’s largest economy afloat into the most effective legislation that could get passed.

Still, after all that effort, the Inflation Reduction Act passed the Senate with no Republican support. The same is likely to happen in the House. Let that sink in. Not a single Republican. Depending on the poll, anywhere from 28-44 percent of Republicans are concerned about climate change and support some form of government action to address it. How is it then that 0 percent of their Republican senators supported this package chock-full of provisions to do just that?

While we quibble about both parties having their share of problems, keep in mind the number of Senate Republicans (zero) who voted yes on this historic legislation that will lead to healthier, more prosperous lives.

As November approaches, we must hold all leaders to account for what they did or didn’t do and ask what they intend to do in the next term. Show up to talk about climate on doorsteps, in town halls, candidate forums, and the media. Show up to vote.

Supporters of the bill hope that the compromises made for Sen. Manchin and others will help make the policy stick. However, others fear that if Democrats lose the majority, this hard-won victory could be dismantled.

Either way, we will need more members of Congress on board and more than this package to get where we need to be.

Cathye Williams is a social service worker and longtime climate activist. She writes from the woods in the northern corner of Manistee County.