Chair Castor Statement on Passage of Build Back Better Act

WASHINGTON - Chair Kathy Castor of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released the following statement on Friday after the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act:

"With today's historic vote, we are delivering the single largest clean energy investment in American history, making good on President Biden's promise to act on climate with urgency and ambition," said Chair Castor. "Together, the Build Back Better Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest nearly $1 trillion in clean energy and climate solutions, removing a gigaton of climate pollution by the end of the decade and getting us closer to net zero by no later than 2050.

"These generational investments are a huge win for American families and workers. They will create good-paying jobs, lower costs for consumers, and advance environmental justice and fair labor standards. They will also help us meet our moral obligation to future generations, as we move toward a clean energy economy that gives them their best chance at inheriting a livable planet.

"As we double down on clean energy, we will also position America to lead the global economy and win the 21st century. We are positioning our union workers to build the best-selling electric cars in the world. We are positioning our entrepreneurs to build the most innovative clean technologies right here in America. And we are making investments that will revitalize every sector of our economy: from manufacturing to transportation to agriculture.

"Importantly, all of this progress is fully paid for without raising taxes on working families. President Biden has kept his promise not to raise a penny in taxes for anyone making under $400,000 a year. And independent analysts have shown that these bills will pay for themselves over the next decade - especially when you consider the incredible health and climate savings that come with clean energy. This is what it means to put the health and well-being of American families and workers over the interests and profits of polluters and corporations.

"Finally, I want to make clear that this is by no means the end of our fight for climate action here in Congress. Once we've successfully turned the President's Build Back Better Agenda into law, we will come back the next day and keep working on the legislation needed to urgently reduce pollution and avoid the growing risks and escalating costs of this crisis. We will not take our foot off the pedal. We will not rest until America is squarely on the path to net zero - with good-paying jobs, lower costs, and environmental justice for all."

Background:

• The Build Back Better Act will invest $555 billion in clean energy and climate programs, the largest single such investment in history, with a projected cut of greenhouse gas pollution by well over a gigaton in 2030.
• The Build Back Better Act also bolsters climate resilience and preparedness, enhancing the protective services provided by healthy ecosystems, strengthening community adaptive capabilities, and prioritizing people on the front lines of the climate crisis.
• The Rhodium Group has found that the key climate and clean energy components of the Build Back Better Act are integral parts of the policy pathway to meeting the goal President Biden set for cutting U.S. GHG pollution by 50 percent by 2030.

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More Background:

• Previous statements:
  • Chair Castor Votes To Pass Infrastructure Bill, Calls For Further Action On Climate (Nov. 6, 2021)
  • Chair Castor, Committee Members Highlight U.S. Climate Action at COP26, Bolster Speaker's Congressional Delegation (Nov. 9, 2021)
  • Chair Castor Statement On End Of COP26, Final Glasgow Agreement (Nov. 13, 2021)
• In June of 2020, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Democrats released the majority staff report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. This report provides a roadmap for Congress—a Climate Crisis Action Plan—to build a prosperous, clean energy economy that values workers, advances environmental justice, and is prepared to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
• House Democrats have already passed more than 250 of the recommendations in the Climate Crisis Action Plan, and have successfully worked to turn over 100 of them into law.