The Infrastructure Bill Is Not A Climate Bill—House Democrats Must Keep Their Word And Pass BBBA This Week

In response to President Biden signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (aka the bipartisan infrastructure bill), Evergreen Action Executive Director Jamal Raad released the following statement:

 “Today’s bill signing is historic, but President Biden and Democrats in Congress should keep the champagne on ice until their work is done. Last year, voters elected Democrats to deliver on a bold climate action agenda and the infrastructure bill alone isn’t going to cut it. While it includes important investments, it fails to deliver the greenhouse gas pollution reductions necessary to fulfill President Biden’s commitments and prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis—it is simply not a climate bill.

“The Build Back Better Act will deliver 14 times the pollution reductions achieved by the infrastructure bill. Its transformative climate investments will create millions of new good paying clean energy jobs and build the foundation for an equitable and thriving clean energy future. There’s no question: passing the BBBA is the only path for Democrats to deliver meaningful climate action legislation this year.

“Holdouts in the House Democratic caucus have already committed to passing the BBBA this week. It’s time for them to keep their word. It’s time to show the American people that Democrats can deliver. It’s time to pass the Build Back Better Act.”

Last week, Evergreen outlined how the infrastructure bill on its own fails on climate and how the Build Back Better Act delivers 14 times the greenhouse gas pollution reductions achieved by its smaller, bipartisan counterpart. To have a shot at fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to cut climate pollution by 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030, supercharge our clean energy economy, and stave off the worst impacts of climate change, we need the Build Back Better Act.

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