2022 Inflation Reduction Act Capitalizes On A World In Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – The Green Party of the United States warned today that the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act allows corporations to capitalize on a world in crisis by expanding massive new oil and gas leasing in disproportionately impacted Indigenous, Black and People of Color communities. We need bold action targeted at a just transition, environmental justice, and to immediately halt fossil fuel projects to address the climate emergency by 2030.

Green Party of the United States
gp.org

For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2022

Contact:
Diana Brown, Co-Chair, Media Committee, [email protected], 202-804-2758
Philena Farley, Co-Chair, Media Committee, [email protected], 202-804-2758

On July 27, Senators Manchin and Schumer agreed to reduce carbon emissions 40% by 2030 with $369.75 billion for Energy Security and Climate Change programs over the next ten years and extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for 3 years but this is far lower than the $4.2 trillion per year needed to cut carbon emissions by 2030. This "climate deal" provides a relatively small renewable investment and subsidizes gas, nukes, fossil fuel-sourced hydrogen, and carbon capture while requiring the Interior Department to offer at least 2 million acres of public lands and 60 million acres of offshore waters in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska for oil and gas leasing each year. The bill also doesn't actually address phasing out fossil fuels, and negotiations hint that President Biden has promised to loosen pipeline restrictions in exchange for Manchin's vote.

The Green Party calls for:

The Green Party's original Green New Deal, a rapid ten-year transition to real zero emissions and 100% clean renewable energy; ensures the transition minimizes the impact on workers and communities creating new jobs and guaranteeing compensation to those affected, shifts fossil fuel industry funds toward green businesses and green research, and democratizes the proposed green transition giving communities direct ownership of energy companies.
Single Payer, a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health plan to finance healthcare as a human right and eliminate the administrative waste and profit-seeking of private insurance. #EverybodyInNobodyOut
Biden to declare a climate emergency and take action pursuant to climatepresident.org: keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop fossil fuel exports and infrastructure approvals, shift financial flows from fossil fuels to climate solutions, use the Clean Air Act to set a science-based national pollution cap for greenhouse pollutants, power the electricity sector with 100% clean renewable energy by 2030 and promote energy democracy, launch a just transition to protect our communities, workers, and economy, advance Climate Justice: Direct federal agencies to assess and mitigate environmental harms to disproportionately impacted Indigenous Peoples, People and Communities of Color, and low-wealth communities, and make polluters pay: Investigate and prosecute fossil fuel polluters for the damages they have caused. Commit to veto all legislation that grants legal immunity for polluters, undermines existing environmental laws, or advances false solutions

"This is considered a tradeoff to gain an extension for the Affordable Care Act. We should not have to choose between watered-down environmental policy and inadequate health care," said Green Party Co-Chair Margaret Elisabeth.