Climate Change Solutions - September 13 | Newsletter

Hello and welcome to Climate Change Solutions!

The historic Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law on August 16, provides $369 billion (with a B!) over the next 10 years to confront the climate crisis. Today's newsletter focuses on how the Inflation Reduction Act will help scale up climate solutions.

Coming up! Join us on September 20 for our briefing, What Congress Needs to Know About Corporate Climate Risk, Resilience, and Disclosures, and on September 28 for our briefing, Back to School: Catalyzing Climate Action in K-12 Public Schools.

Have a climate solution or feedback on our new format? Reach out to Savannah Bertrand!

How the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Work Together to Advance Climate Action
[10 min read]

The Inflation Reduction Act represents the boldest action Congress has taken on climate yet—it will put the United States on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. The Inflation Reduction Act coupled with the investments provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could help the United States unleash clean energy, reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, create new jobs, and drive down greenhouse gas emissions. [click for more]

New Climate Law Expands Household Efficiency and Electrification Incentives
[4 min read]

Massive investments in the Inflation Reduction Act are focused on making our homes and vehicles more energy efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels. The expanded focus on beneficial electrification and whole-house energy retrofits will cut energy bills, improve air quality, and drive economic development. [click for more]

Clean Energy Tax Credits Get a Boost in New Climate Law
[9 min read]

The Inflation Reduction Act modifies and extends the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit. These tax credits, estimated at $30 billion over the next 10 years, will help spur the development of clean energy resources while also helping households to save money, reduce energy burdens, and cut greenhouse gas emissions. [click for more]

New Climate Law Jumpstarts Clean Energy Financing
[8 min read]

Included in the Inflation Reduction Act is the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion allocation of funds designed to incentivize clean energy deployment, such as solar energy, battery storage, weatherization projects, electric vehicle charging, and heat pumps. [click for more]

Season 4 of The Climate Conversation!
[35 min listen]

Each day, Boulder Valley School District in Colorado cooks over 15,000 student meals from scratch, while also taking steps to reduce food waste. In this episode, we speak with Mary Rochelle from the school district and Laura Smith from the Chef Ann Foundation about how they are making school meals more sustainable. [click for more]

Welcome back from August recess!

Historic Climate Legislation Passed: On August 16, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law—a package that includes $369 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, the law provides tax credits to scale up clean energy and for household energy efficiency and electrification upgrades.

PFAS Legislation on the Move: The bipartisan Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act (S.3662) would authorize funding for certain equipment to limit perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at airports. The bill unanimously passed the Senate and was sent to the House.

Wildfire Hearings: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a legislative hearing to discuss the Smoke-Ready Communities Act (S.2661) and the Smoke Planning and Research Act of 2021 (S.2421), two bills that address the impacts of wildfire smoke. For more, check out our briefing, Living with Climate Change: Wildfires.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for August 29-September 2 and September 5-9.

What Congress Needs to Know About Corporate Climate Risk, Resilience, and Disclosures

Tuesday, September 20
11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Join us one week from today for a briefing on corporate climate risk, resilience, and disclosures. In March 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule that, if adopted, would require publicly-traded companies to disclose climate-related risks and report their greenhouse gas emissions. Panelists will discuss the role of Congress in designing and overseeing policy for climate risk disclosures, and the benefits and impacts that the proposed rule would have on federal agencies, companies, and shareholders. RSVP here.

Back to School: Catalyzing Climate Action in K-12 Schools

Wednesday, September 28
3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Public K-12 schools in the United States operate 480,000 fossil fuel-powered school buses, produce 530,000 tons of food waste, and are one of the largest public-sector energy consumers—all of which contribute to climate change. Panelists will discuss the federal policy levers needed to scale up climate mitigation and adaptation actions in schools to build a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable education sector. RSVP here.

Working Across the Aisle to Advance Climate Adaptation

Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) sat down at an event co-hosted by EESI to discuss creating a national climate adaptation strategy. [click for more]

Maryland Church Shines a Light on Solar Energy

A church in Maryland built one of the largest solar projects on the property of a faith-based institution. This article is part of series on energy efficiency and nonprofits. [click for more]

Highlight notes are now available for briefings on:

Latest Media Coverage

EESI's Executive Director Daniel Bresette was quoted by the Financial Times in an article about the fossil fuel industry's interest in hydrogen.
EESI's press release on the Inflation Reduction Act was quoted in an RTO Insider article.
E&E News cited EESI's sustainable aviation fuel series in an article about converting wood pellets to jet fuel.
EESI's fact sheet on fossil fuel externalities was cited by The Hollywood Reporter in an article about Jane Fonda's battle with cancer, which she says is fossil fuel-based.
AFRO News published an article about SparkCharge, a mobile electric vehicle charging network, citing EESI's article on the challenges and opportunities of electric vehicles.

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Thanks to all EESI staff, interns, and fellows who contribute to Climate Change Solutions

Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Daniel Bresette, Executive Director

EESI is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus to provide timely information and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path.

Climate Change Solutions - September 13

Breaking down the Inflation Reduction Act

Table Of Contents

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