For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021
Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org
RICHMOND – Today, after months of negotiations, President Biden announced a compromise Build Back Better framework that contains a record $555 billion investment in clean energy and climate action – the largest in our nation’s history that, if passed by Congress, will put us on a pathway to cutting carbon pollution in half by 2030.
In response to this historic announcement, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:
“Congress is close to delivering on the strong climate action that Virginians deserve, efforts that will build on the incredible progress we’ve made in Virginia over the past two years, helping us further grow a clean energy economy all while securing cleaner air and a healthier future for all of us who call the Commonwealth home. We are at a critical moment, and it’s time for Congress to finish the job on what, if passed, will be our nation’s most significant effort to-date to address climate change.”
Background:
On top of a number of investments that will help families, boost the middle class, and improve the lives of Virginians and people across the America, the framework announced today contains these specific clean energy and climate action investments:
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Clean Energy Tax Credits ($320 billion): Ten-year expanded tax credits for utility-scale and residential clean energy, transmission and storage, clean passenger and commercial vehicles, and clean energy manufacturing.
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Resilience Investments ($105 billion): Investments and incentives to address extreme weather (wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes, including in forestry, wetlands, and agriculture), legacy pollution in communities, and a Civilian Climate Corps.
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Investments and Incentives for Clean Energy Technology, Manufacturing, and Supply Chains ($110 billion): Targeted incentives to spur new domestic supply chains and technologies, like solar, batteries, and advanced materials, while boosting the competitiveness of existing industries, like steel, cement, and aluminum.
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Clean Energy procurement ($20 billion): Provide incentives for government to be a purchaser of next-generation technologies, including long-duration storage, small modular reactors, and clean construction materials.
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Advance Environmental Justice: A new Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator that will invest in projects around the country, while delivering 40% of the benefits of investment to disadvantaged communities, as part of the President’s Justice40 initiative.
About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.
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