Beyond Ukraine: infrastructure, clean energy key components of State of the Union speech
U.S. PIRG
WASHINGTON — In President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address, he urged Congress to adopt a suite of clean energy tax credits and other environmental programs, saying his plan will “cut energy costs for families an average of $500 a year by combating climate change.” He elaborated, “Let’s provide investments and tax credits to weatherize your homes and businesses to be energy efficient and you get a tax credit; double America’s clean energy production in solar, wind, and so much more; lower the price of electric vehicles, saving you another $80 a month because you’ll never have to pay at the gas pump again.”
His speech followed Monday’s new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that warned, “Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”
A legislative package that includes clean energy tax credits has stalled despite broad agreement among key legislators and strong public support for those provisions. Environment America and U.S. PIRG recently sent a letter from more than 250 local and state government officials, health professionals, small business owners, academics and environmental groups from 34 states plus the District of Columbia urging Congress to invest in climate solutions.
In response to the State of the Union address, U.S. PIRG Environment Campaigns Director Matt Casale released the following statement:
“The latest IPCC report rings the warning bells loud and clear: It is time to act on climate. President Biden has laid out a commonsense, impactful and achievable agenda to reduce emissions. In addition to the billions of dollars for electric buses, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and carbon reduction programs included in the bipartisan infrastructure law, the president called for Congress to make it easier and more affordable to switch to an electric vehicle, reduce the amount of energy they use in their homes, and get their power from wind and solar. Congress should rally around the president’s call for action and swiftly pass legislation that puts us on the path to a healthy and safe future for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.”
Environment America’s Washington Legislative Office Executive Director Lisa Frank released the following statement:
“Our union’s infrastructure is on the mend, thanks to new funding for safer roads and bridges, cleaner transportation options and cleaner water coming out of our taps. Our union’s future could be even brighter—or it could be hotter, more polluted and more disrupted by natural disasters. Congress has at its fingertips a package of clean energy and environmental investments that would go a long way toward addressing climate change, including tax credits to make it easier and cheaper for Americans to go solar or buy the electric vehicles that dominated this year’s Super Bowl TV ads. It’s time for Congress to vote for a brighter, better future.”