PC: QuickReader

The Senate recently passed a huge climate bill on Sunday, prompting renewed optimism among environmental advocates who have been struggling in recent months due to a climate plan which has been being vetoed by President Joe Biden.

Title of the Act is the Inflation Reduction Act – which will put $369 billion toward American energy security and fighting climate change.

Vice President Kamala Harris provided the vote that determined the fate of the bill after senators voted along party lines. The bill will now head to the House.

PC: CNBC

Climate groups’ reaction to the legislation is as follows:

American Clean Power:


“This is a global milestone for clean energy. It puts America on a path to creating 550,000 new jobs in the sector while reducing economy-wide emissions 40% by 2030. This is a generational opportunity for clean energy after years of uncertainty and delay. An unprecedented investment in clean energy will drive the clean energy sector even harder and bring the United States one step closer to its climate goals.”

Solar Energy Industries Association:

“Today is a monumental day for America’s clean energy progress and global climate leadership. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate, solar and storage companies are one step closer to having the business certainty they need to make the long-term investments that decarbonize the electric grid and create millions of new career opportunities in cities and towns across the country. This legislation is the most transformational investment America has ever made in our climate future, and we are thankful to our members, the clean energy community and every one of our solar champions in Congress for their work to get us to this historic moment.”

Natural Resources Defense Council:

“The Senate just made climate history, with this being the most significant action the U.S. has ever taken in combating climate change. People from all 50 states will benefit: their health, their wallets, their homes and their future. It will also help the U.S. meet its undeniable responsibility to the rest of the world to address the global crisis. The House needs to come back quickly to cement this essential climate action. There is no time to waste. This bill is not perfect, but from a climate pollution perspective, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives—by a factor of 10.”

Rocky Mountain Institute:

“This is a historic moment for American climate and clean energy policy and advances for both the U.S. and the international community. This legislation helps the U.S. reach its climate target from the Paris Agreement- and could have even wider-reaching implications.”

American Council on Renewable Energy:

“The finish line is now clearly within reach. The Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a historic step toward the clean energy future the American people want, and scientists say we desperately need. The legislation’s landmark investment of $369 billion in climate and clean energy programs will help deploy thousands of megawatts of renewable power, create hundreds of thousands of good-paying American jobs, reduce the cost of electric power, and finally put the country on track toward achievement of our climate goals.”
The legislation, some argued, offers too much support for fossil fuel exploration.

“This bill reflects an unjust process, where the voices of communities at the frontlines of fossil fuel production and harm were largely ignored,” Jean Su, Energy Justice program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said ahead of the bill’s passage.

“While it contains important renewable-energy funding, the bill’s commitment to massive federal oil and gas expansion is dangerously at odds with scientific reality,” she added.