The Most Important Climate Legislation Ever

If passed, the proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package would drastically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, mitigate the effects of climate change, and put the U.S. on the path to universal clean energy.

We’re running out of time. The climate crisis is the most critical threat facing humanity — if we don’t act now, we may miss out on the small window we have to reverse course. That’s why we support the proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package being reviewed by Congress.

The budget package includes aggressive clean energy initiatives, and, coupled with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill also making its way through Congress, may be our last, best chance to implement sweeping clean energy infrastructure in the U.S. If Congress fails to pass the proposed legislation, the U.S. will fall short of meeting its climate goals — resulting in more frequent and intense natural disasters and increased economic instability.

A pillar of the legislation is a $150 billion Clean Energy Performance Program (CEPP) that would incentivize coal and gas utilities to switch to clean energy resources like wind and solar by paying them to do so. This is essential. Burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and petroleum, account for 74 percent of the U.S.’s climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions. Once enacted, the CEPP, and other aggressive clean energy initiatives outlined in the bill, would drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, putting the U.S. on the path to 80 percent clean energy by 2030, while reducing toxic air pollution.

Read more: The True Cost of Air Pollution

It has far-reaching implications for our economy as well. If passed, policies like the CEPP would create millions of jobs, reduce electricity costs for both companies and consumers, and pump billions of dollars of investment into the U.S. economy. It would also provide critical climate resilience for our energy infrastructure.

If passed, policies like the CEPP would create millions of jobs, reduce electricity costs for both companies and consumers, and pump billions of dollars of investment into the U.S. economy. Photo courtesy of Twenty20.

From January to June, the U.S. experienced eight separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. A more resilient clean energy system means when climate disasters do hit, fewer communities would be left without vital utilities and less federal and state capital would be required to repair damages.

A healthy climate requires the bold action outlined in the infrastructure bill and budget reconciliation package. Avocado Green Brands strongly supports both bills and wants to see them each passed, signed, and implemented.

Individuals have a role to play in getting these bills passed, too. You can call your district’s congressional representative and tell them you want them to vote in favor of the budget reconciliation package. Call 202-951-7780 to be connected to your local representatives. It only takes a few minutes, and you don’t have to come up with your own words, either. Call4Climate has a script already written for you — so all you have to do is pick up the phone.

It’s time for all of us to step up.

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Meredith is a freelance writer specializing in wellness, sustainability, and the outdoors. When she's not writing or brainstorming new content, you can find her barefoot in her backyard, cooking up a new recipe, and spending time with her husband, her beagle, and her cat.