For decades, environmentalists have pleaded with the federal government to address the climate crisis. Recently, Congress has found a way to do so through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Passed in early August, the act intends to cut consumer energy costs and increase American energy security while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In U.S history, the bill is said to be the biggest federal investment in climate action.  The process of passing the bill was far from easy. In a 50-50 vote in the Senate, Vice President Harris exercised her role as a tiebreaker. President Biden officially signed the act, verifying its creation and future influences.

The budget of the bill is over $370 billion dollars. Hundreds of billions of revenue will be collected by newly implemented tax provisions. Most of the revenue will directly come from large and private corporations. The same companies are advised to follow new guidelines to produce more renewable energy. $10 billion dollars of the tax credit will be invested in building cleaner and safer technology manufacturing companies. From there, funds will be used to create wind turbines, electric vehicles, and solar panels.

On a state level, the distribution of over $60 billion dollars in block grants will occur. The money will be administered to community-led projects that target low-income communities. Similarly, funds will also be allocated to rural communities. Practicing climate-smart agriculture develops a bright future for clean energy usage. Additionally, tax credits will be used to support electric utility companies to smoothly transition into using clean electricity. Subsequently, the bill intends to cut greenhouse gasses by 40% by 2030.

Finally, America is on its way to combating climate change. President Biden addressed the historical moment after signing the bill, “It is the most aggressive class action ever to confront the climate crisis.” With government support and leadership, we are coming closer to looking after our one-of-a-kind planet.