August 17, 2022
Categories: Inflation Reduction Act
The Biden administration has made it a priority to target environmental justice issues as part of the administration's broader economic agenda. On August 7, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Act), which would provide about $369 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below their 2005 levels by 2030 as well as reduce carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy. A small but potentially mighty component of the Act focuses on strengthening environmental justice. The Act offers benefits to environmentally burdened communities and developers of projects that advance environmental justice. Most of the environmental justice components can be broken down into the following three categories:
While there are several provisions focused on environmental justice, the Act leans heavily on federal grant programs to provide opportunities for creative and novel solutions to reduce negative climate impacts equitably across communities.