What Must Come After the Inflation Reduction Act

Focus must shift to stopping Manchin ‘side deal’ and halting new fossil fuel projects

Published Aug 12, 2022

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Climate and Energy

Focus must shift to stopping Manchin ‘side deal’ and halting new fossil fuel projects

Focus must shift to stopping Manchin ‘side deal’ and halting new fossil fuel projects

Today, the House is poised to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which features billions of dollars in spending that is aimed at bolstering clean energy production. The IRA also devotes enormous additional resources to carbon capture, unproven industry-favored technologies that have thus far done nothing to reduce pollution. The legislation does not include any policies that require emissions reductions, and does not address measures to restrict fossil fuel development. 

In response, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter released the following statement:

“Serious climate action requires serious investments in clean, renewable energy alongside policies to dramatically restrict new fossil fuel development. The Inflation Reduction Act takes important steps to promote clean energy, but utterly fails to rein in toxic, destructive fossil fuel extraction.

“The Inflation Reduction Act can only be seen as the beginning of our response to the climate crisis. Much more is needed, specifically to restrict any and all new fossil fuel projects. Unfortunately the bill aims to actually promote additional drilling and fracking, an unconscionable trade off that will increase pollution in frontline and environmental justice communities.

“Our focus now must shift to stopping Senator Manchin’s awful ‘side deal’ to fast track fossil fuel permitting. This giveaway to big corporate polluters would doom any progress that might result from the passage of this legislation.”

Press Contact: Peter Hart [email protected]

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