Washington, D.C. — The Michigan League of Conservation Voters (Michigan LCV) today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act:
“This legislation is a necessary jumpstart to our economic, technological, and cultural transition to a clean energy future. It’s the best tool we have to fight inflation and energy price volatility going forward,” said Hudson Villeneuve, federal government affairs coordinator for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “We share the concerns of environmental justice and low-income communities who will be disproportionately impacted by the fossil fuel giveaways in this bill. Still, we believe the reduction in pollution from the passage of this bill will have incalculable benefits to our state and those who have faced the brunt of toxic pollution the most.”
“In passing this bill we must direct benefits to communities that have historically borne the brunt of pollution’s costs, and we must continue to fight against false solutions, and ensure the mandatory leases in this bill are never drilled. The science is clear, if we build more fossil fuel infrastructure, we will not prevent the most devastating impacts of climate change. Congress must pass this bill and President Biden must fight fossil fuels with every tool at his disposal.”
The Inflation Reduction Act (while imperfect) is the single-largest investment in climate action in U.S. history, creating an estimated 1.4 to 1.5 million jobs by 2030, and reducing pollution to prevent up to 3,900 premature deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks annually by 2030. This package also includes problematic elements like fossil fuel mandatory drill leases that will take us backward in our attempt to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.