How It Started, How It's Going: A Letter from Our Executive Director on the IRA

A letter from our executive director, Jamal Raad.

A little over two years ago, we launched Evergreen Action with a mission to create an all-out mobilization to defeat the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to a just and equitable economy run on 100% clean energy.

Now we can celebrate a major milestone in that effort: the first significant climate legislation in U.S. history, with America’s largest-ever investments in climate and clean energy. The path to passing the Inflation Reduction Act was not easy. It was daunting, at times it felt impossible. And now it is law.

This extraordinary achievement was only possible because of the power built over decades of climate activism. Every voter, volunteer, and activist in our movement helped get this bill across the finish line. Evergreen followers made 6,377 calls, sent 47,517 letters, and contributed 131,678 signatures to help get this bill passed. At Evergreen, we were proud to play an important role in developing critical climate policy in the IRA, and moved by the outpouring of support from this community that helped get the bill across the finish line.

The climate provisions I sign into law today are a big deal. Let me explain why: pic.twitter.com/b4QTqXGSaz
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2022

The benefits of the bill are immense.

The IRA is a carbon-pollution-cutting, job-creating, inflation-fighting machine that will help America lead the world in the transition to the clean energy economy of the future. It directs billions of dollars of investments to disadvantaged communities which will help to address decades of environmental racism that has forced Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities to bear the brunt of the impacts of deadly pollution and climate change. And by putting us on track to cut carbon pollution 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, this law will finally put America within striking distance of our climate targets and save countless lives.

But even as we celebrate all that is good in this law, we must also acknowledge that it was a compromise, with real harms for front-line communities. Senator Joe Manchin demanded provisions that would mandate oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet, and would tie clean energy development on our public lands to further oil and gas leasing.

But this fight is not over, and we plan to pull out all the stops to deliver big, bold climate action in the days ahead. That starts with our effort to kill Manchin’s sidecar scheme. We will fight any effort to cut communities out of the permitting process, fast-track fossil fuel pipelines, or attack America’s bedrock environmental laws. And it will continue with our ongoing work over the coming years to ensure that every cent of the $370 billion for climate in the IRA is spent in a way that helps us secure the equitable clean energy future we deserve. We are going to keep the pressure on President Biden to deploy every executive authority at his disposal in the fight against climate change, and give governors and state leaders the policy roadmap to raise the bar for climate action in the states.

The investments in the IRA will make our movement and the clean energy industry stronger for the tasks ahead, and we intend to keep fighting like hell for our future.

I am proud to be in this fight alongside passionate people committed to building a better future for us all. Thank you for your support.

Onward.

Jamal Raad
Executive Director, Evergreen Action