Article Author:
Associated Press
Chris Megerian
WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year, Joe Biden threw some of the domestic agenda overboard in order to stay in office. rice field. Free community his college, childcare funding, expanded preschool—all left behind.
But there was one important part of him that emerged largely intact, if not unscathed. The bill approved by the Senate over the weekend includes his nearly $400 billion for clean energy initiatives.
The bill, which includes other provisions on taxes and prescription drugs, will pass the House on Friday and is expected to pass before Biden's desk is asked to sign it. is. In a statement to the Associated Press, Biden said the bill would help deliver on his campaign promise to "build a clean energy future and create jobs for the American workers who build that future." Stated.
“Our children and grandchildren will remember this for years to come. It will change their lives and secure their future," he said.
For the White House, the end result is a focus on incentives over regulations and penalties, born of the failure to advance climate policy more than a decade ago when Biden was vice president. is evidence of the approach that puts president.
After President Barack Obama took office in 2009, Democrats began pushing legislation to create a cap-and-trade program to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
This proposal would limit emissions, force industries to buy permits to release their emissions, and create financial incentives to operate cleaner.
However, the bill stalled in 2010 as the economy struggled to recover from the recession and Republicans opposed it. West his Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, who was running for Senate at the time, he fired a rifle at a copy of the bill.
Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president of energy and environmental policy at the Center for American Progress, was working on the construction of the Capitol at the time. She said the failure was "absolutely devastating for the climate change community and led to really deep reflection and introspection."
2018, Washington There was another setback when state voters rejected a carbon tax. Mr. Goldfuss wondered what the chances would be nationally if the idea hadn't even gotten the attention it deserved in such a liberal corner. said Biden's experience in 2019 influenced his thinking on climate policy when he began running for the White House in 2019.
I crossed the finish line," she said. "He knew we had to try something different." He said he was helped by the fact that clean energy has become more affordable and perceived in recent years.
he said. "He was able to speak to the American public who specifically knew what this meant, and the economy lined up to drive action."
} Climate policy has become part of Biden's biggest domestic agenda. This includes expanding education and safety net programs. But it all came to a halt when negotiations between the White House and Manchin stalled in his December,[56][57][56][57][56][57][57][56][57] Manchin announced this year that he would be working with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). We started talking at the dinner party. At an Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill.
Schumer admitted in an interview with the Associated Press that "the climate was difficult" in the negotiations.
Manchin succeeded in seeking further government auctions for oil drilling on federal land and waters.
Mr. Schumer said during the negotiations that the "North Star" signifies a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. said to have
"As long as he cuts the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere by 40% — Biden's bill he was 45% — he could swallow the bad stuff," he said. explained.
said Schumer.
Although the final package of climate proposals has been removed from his original $555 billion plan, the financial incentives for clean energy are still abundant.
Companies can receive tax credits for manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines. With more money, Americans could buy electric cars and make their homes more energy efficient.
"This bill gives people the tools to be part of the climate solution, and it makes sense for their pocketbook," Feldman said. rice field.
I still have some sticks to eat with carrots.
A key element of the bill would be to charge oil and gas companies for excessive methane emissions at drilling sites. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a major contributor to global warming and poses a more powerful short-term climate punch than carbon dioxide.
Senator Tom Carper, a close aide to Biden, the Democratic Party's top priority was the methane tax.
"If you want to make real progress on climate change in the short term, methane is the best place to start," Carper said in an interview.
But in a sign of Manchin's key role, the final version of the bill includes a subsidy program to reward energy companies for taking steps to reduce methane emissions at drilling sites. include.
Carper called the clause a compromise and said that he and his staff would work with Manchin on a series of "concerns raised by Joe on behalf of the oil and gas industry." ' was addressed.
Regardless of the compromise, environmental activists were thrilled with the outcome after another setback.
"This is a legacy-defining victory for this administration, and it It is a distinctive achievement for the entire climate community that has contributed," said Nathaniel Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. “After years of congressional inaction, we are now making remarkable and historic progress.”
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Matthew, AP Writer Daly and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.