By Chiara Klein
Come January 20th, 2022, we will officially be a year into Joe Biden’s presidency. It seems like a lifetime and also no time at all. For many of us (I know for myself), a lot has happened in the past year: COVID restrictions have ebbed and flowed, many of us have been vaccinated, Jeff Bezos went to space, and woolly mammoths might stage a genetically engineered comeback (??).
In the midst of all that, the Biden administration has been pushing the “Build Back Better” bill forward, and you’d be forgiven if you missed a lot of the finer points. But this critical piece of legislation has been getting a lot of buzz recently, as has it’s sister bill, the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, just passed on Friday, November 5th. These two measures, while similar and related, are NOT the same, and contain different provisions.
The Build Back Better legislation, described by The Guardian as “a centerpiece of Biden’s domestic agenda,” passed the House on Friday, Nov. 19th with a fairly tight vote of 220 to 213. In order to fully pass, it must be approved by the Senate as well (but more on that later).
The framework contains ambitious plans for a myriad of social services. But where does climate change and the environment fit into this $1.75 (originally $3.5) trillion bill? What might the implications be for a clean energy future? Does Biden’s plan provide any hope for climate change mitigation?
We’ll take a look at some of the specifics of the plan, primarily from an environmental standpoint, to try to better understand what this bill could mean for the fate of the natural world, if passed. It is significant to note that this legislation is being moved forward at the same time that COP26 (The 26th United Nations Climate Change Crisis) is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. Ideally, both milestones will set the tone for truly meaningful action on climate and the environment in the coming years.
Briefly, for the policy aficionados among us, it is of note that the Build Back Better bill is a budget reconciliation bill. This is a special procedure used to expedite budgetary legislation in the United States Senate; as such, it bypasses the need for a 60-vote supermajority, and can be passed by a simple majority. At present, all Senate Democrats are in support of the bill except for two, Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) and Joe Manchin (WV), both of whom object to the high price tag.
What’s in It?
While the general infrastructure bill is primarily focused on updating transportation and utility infrastructure, the Build Back Better bill is the one environmental advocates have their eye on. Along with universal preschool for children, increased college grants, expanded Medicare and Medicaid services, and other social service-related measures, BBB promises:
Tax cuts for electric vehicles
Tax credits and grants for “businesses and communities working towards clean energy initiatives”
A system of fines to put pressure on utility companies to clean up emissions from fossil fuels
Eventually, plans to phase in renewable energy
Of the $1.75 trillion price tag, $550 billion total is slotted for clean energy and climate investments. And the proposed system of fines alone is estimated to cut more than a gigaton of greenhouse gases by 2030, according to CBS News.
Lindsey Griffith of the Clean Air Task Force states that the clean energy tax credits will enable the U.S. to reduce emissions by almost 70% in the energy sector. The plan also seems to include environmental justice efforts in the form of the Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator which will invest in projects across the country and deliver 40% of the investment benefits to disadvantaged communities as part of a larger environmental justice and economic opportunity initiative entitled Justice40.
Additionally, the framework will provide resources to farmers, ranchers, and owners of forestland to enable them to protect their land and reduce their carbon emissions. Part of the financial resources ($105 billion to be exact) allocated to these landowners and caretakers is specifically for preparing for extreme weather events.
As well, the bill includes a $100 million investment in climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience research, provided directly to the Environmental Protection Agency, to be used from now until September 30, 2026.
What’s Not in It?
While this all sounds pretty good, progressive voters will notice that the Green New Deal is NOT part of Biden’s plan. And while many predicted this, there is still pushback against the lack of stronger climate reform.
Greta Thunberg now-famously dismissed Biden’s plan for climate action, saying “This is not about some expensive, politically correct green act of bunny hugging, or blah, blah, blah. Build Back Better, blah, blah, blah.” The climate activist went on to say that she feels world leaders such as Biden are all talk and no action.
Climate scientists are, in part, corroborating Thunberg’s sentiments; based on the most up-to-date climate adaptation research, the level of investment that Biden is proposing is insufficient for truly mitigating the worst impacts of climate change.
It is also important to note that many of the most critical climate actions laid out in the Build Back Better framework can only be moved forward with the help of the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill. For instance, within the infrastructure bill, $65 billion is allocated for “clean energy and grid-related investments.” $7.5 billion will be devoted to building a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles. It is not clear what will come of these investments if the Build Back Better bill is not passed by the Senate.
What Does This Mean Going Forward?
So we know what is on Biden’s environmental agenda if BBB is passed. But what does all of this really mean for climate action in the U.S. in the near future?
The short answer is that we’ll have to wait and see. First, as stated, the bill has to pass the Senate. This will require full support from Senate Democrats, as Senate Republicans are unanimously opposed. With Senator Manchin (D) and Senator Sinema (D) having expressed vocal apprehension of the spending plan, there is concern that there will not be the full consensus required in order to pass the Senate.
However, House Democratic leaders have expressed confidence that amendments will be made to ensure full Senate support.
Still, even with full approval and passage (House and Senate), we will have to pay close attention to see if the provisions promised are actually enacted.
Several major environmental organizations, including Environmental Defense Fund, the Sierra Club, and Earthjustice, have come out in support of the Build Back Better framework, which seems to be a good vote of confidence for its efficacy and impact.
However, it is critical to pay attention not just to the framework and its implementation, but to the other decisions Biden has and will continue to make around climate change mitigation and environmental protection (spoiler alert: there are some major contradictions).
For instance, just on Wednesday, November 17th, President Biden’s administration put up eighty million acres of the Gulf of Mexico to be sold to oil and gas companies—only several days after he returned from the COP26 climate change summit where he made sweeping promises to steeply curb U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Claiming he was under pressure from lawsuits from Republican-led states, which contested the earlier pause on new oil and gas leasing, Biden has defended this action despite public outcry from some of the same environmental organizations that have defended his Build Back Better framework.
While Biden has “been on the right side of the environmental movement more often than not,” based on his track record in Washington, it is clear that he is highly motivated to appease both sides of the aisle and is therefore prone to making some environmentally detrimental concessions. For this reason, it is vitally important to continue advocating for strong climate change measures and to put pressure on the administration to follow through when it comes to environmental protection.
Here at Need for Nature, we are certainly invested in the outcome of this proposed bill, and will be watching carefully over the coming days and weeks to see how these measures are rolled out.
Resources:
https://www.wyff4.com/article/white-house-confident-biden-s-bill-will-pass-house-this-week/38246289#