Thread by @EvergreenAction

If passed, the Build Back Better Act framework @POTUS announced yesterday would be a transformational down payment to confront the climate crisis and build an equitable, thriving clean energy economy.

33 tweet🧵 on the climate investments in the framework and why they matter 👇

1⃣ The BBBA framework includes roughly $320 billion in tax incentives for

✅ Clean electricity
✅ Electric vehicles
✅ Clean buildings
✅ Clean industries & manufacturing
✅ and more

As Evergreen has explained, clean energy tax credits like these are essential for meeting the president’s climate commitments and for jumpstarting crucial American industries that will form the backbone of a more just and sustainable clean energy economy. collaborative.evergreenaction.com/policy-hub/cle…

Many of these incentives are structured to make them more accessible through a direct pay mechanism or as refundable credits.

Many are designed explicitly to support good-paying union jobs and to drive greater investments into disadvantaged communities.

By supporting a wide range of existing and emerging technologies, these credits can transform the American economy to drive new economic opportunities and reductions in climate pollution from the electricity, transportation, industrial and buildings sectors.

2⃣ The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (aka Clean Energy Accelerator or Green Bank) will provide vital low-cost financing for clean energy projects, as well as state, local and tribal programs that invest in clean energy and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

This fund will build upon the job-creating success of state and local green banks throughout the country.

And crucially, the Fund guarantees at least 40% of the benefits of these investments will flow to disadvantaged communities, in line with @POTUS’ Justice40 commitments.

3⃣ The BBBA includes a 21st-century Civilian Climate Corps to harness New Deal era ambition and put Americans to work tackling the climate crisis in their own communities.

The Civilian Climate Corps in the BBBA framework will help jumpstart nationwide climate workforce mobilization by putting 300,000 Americans to work with a living wage and benefits, and preparing them for good-paying careers in the clean economy. evergreenaction.com/blog/evergreen…

4⃣ @POTUS campaigned on delivering “the most ambitious environmental justice agenda ever” and the BBBA includes important investments to help him deliver on that promise.

For example...

In the BBBA:
✅ $3B for Environmental Justice Block Grants
✅ $9B for lead remediation
✅ $3B to reduce air pollution at ports
✅ $50M for air pollution monitoring
✅ $65M to collect data on which communities face the most harm from environmental injustice and systemic burdens.

In addition to those direct investments, BBBA demonstrates a commitment to @POTUS' Justice40 initiative—driven forward thanks to the work of EJ advocates—to target at least 40% of the benefits of clean investments into disadvantaged communities.

5⃣ Electrifying buildings is a huge opportunity to save Americans money, create jobs, and reduce harmful air pollution in the places we live and work.

The BBBA invests roughly $12 billion in consumer rebates for electric appliances and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits.

The bill also includes $2 billion for electrification and efficiency improvements for affordable housing.

All of these investments will make American homes and businesses cleaner, more affordable, and climate-ready.

6⃣ Cars and trucks are the most climate-polluting part of the transportation sector, which is the most climate-polluting sector in the US economy, responsible for nearly 30% of emissions.

The BBBA makes significant investments to change that.

In addition to the tax credits listed above, the BBBA includes funds to replace polluting heavy-duty vehicles, build charging stations for EVs, kickstart government purchasing of clean vehicles, and further advance innovation and domestic manufacturing of clean vehicles.

These investments include:
✅ $5B to replace heavy-duty vehicles with clean vehicles
✅ $3 billion and $3.5 billion for @ENERGY's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program and Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants program

All of these are vital investments that Evergreen has advocated for. collaborative.evergreenaction.com/policy-hub/5-c…

7⃣ The clean electricity investments in this framework go beyond the tax credits listed above. And they must—transitioning to 100% clean electricity is the linchpin to decarbonizing our economy.

These additional investments include:

✅ >$10B in grants/loans for rural electricity cooperatives use more clean electricity resources
✅ $40B in @ENERGY loan guarantee financing for innovative clean energy projects, unlocked with $3.6B to cover the costs of credit subsidies
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✅ $5 billion for DOE to facilitate low-carbon investments in historically carbon-intensive communities
✅ $2B and $800 million, respectively, for DOE programs that support the construction of new high-capacity transmission lines and interstate siting of transmission

8⃣ Industrial emissions are responsible for nearly a quarter of US climate pollution—and growing. The BBBA makes important investments in decarbonizing the industrial sector and supporting more clean and competitive domestic manufacturing.

This includes:

✅ $4B in @ENERGY's Industrial Facilities Deployment Program and "Buy Clean" procurement program
✅ $ for @EPA programs that support labeling, standardization, and transparency, as well as investments that support low-embodied carbon construction materials

These investments are complemented by important enhancements in the BBBA for how the federal tax code supports advanced energy manufacturing and industrial carbon capture; and by some of the industrial transformation investments in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.

9⃣ The BBBA would support the climate leadership of state, tribal, and municipal governments through:

✅ $ for the DOE State Energy Program
✅ $ for states to demonstrate transportation GHG improvements
✅ $ to help state and local governments adopt modern clean building codes

The BBBA also includes the largest-ever increase in funding for tribal climate programs.

It will build upon and help empower further state, tribal and local climate leadership—especially towards 100% clean electricity—that has led the nation over the past decade and more.

These investments will build upon and help empower further state, tribal and local climate leadership—especially towards 100% clean electricity—that has led the nation over the past decade and more.

🔟 The BBBA would begin making polluters pay for the damage they have caused by:

✅ Reinstating key Superfund taxes
✅ Incentivizing oil and gas companies to reduce their methane pollution
✅ Reforming many federal leasing and royalty programs

The BBBA also includes important requirements for oil and gas companies operating on public lands to cover the costs of cleaning up spills or other negative impacts from their operations, including plugging abandoned wells.

1⃣1⃣ The agricultural sector emits ~10% of US climate pollution, and the BBBA contains major investments in climate-smart agriculture and conservation programs, with an emphasis on improving soil carbon, reducing nitrogen losses, and reducing/capturing GHG pollution.

These investments include:
✅ $9B for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
✅ $4.1B for the Conservation Stewardship Program
✅ $7.5 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program

Together, the investments in @POTUS’ BBBA framework would make a massive contribution to @POTUS' commitment to halve greenhouse gas pollution by 2030.

Though more executive action will be needed, we have no shot without climate investments like the ones listed above.

The Build Back Better Act can be a turning point on climate—but only if we pass it.

Democrats must deliver the BBBA and the bipartisan infrastructure bill to @POTUS' desk—side by side.

This is our moment to take on the climate crisis, and to build a better future. Let's go.