President Joe Biden made the following statement on the passage of the bill:
"This bill also makes the largest investment ever in combatting the existential crisis of climate change. It addresses the climate crisis and strengthens our energy security, creating jobs manufacturing solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles in America with American workers. It lowers families’ energy costs by hundreds of dollars each year.
"I want to thank Leader Schumer and every member of the Senate Democratic caucus for supporting this bill. It required many compromises. Doing important things almost always does.
"The House should pass this as soon as possible and I look forward to signing it into law."
The following is a statement by Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), on the Senate’s passage of this historic legislation:
“Today is a monumental day for America’s clean energy progress and global climate leadership. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate, solar and storage companies are one step closer to having the business certainty they need to make the long-term investments that decarbonize the electric grid and create millions of new career opportunities in cities and towns across the country.
“This legislation is the most transformational investment America has ever made in our climate future, and we are thankful to our members, the clean energy community and every one of our solar champions in Congress for their work to get us to this historic moment. The solar industry has set a goal to account for 30% of all U.S. electricity generation by 2030, and this legislation will be a catalyst for reaching that target. Now the work can begin to build out America’s clean energy economy with historic deployment, domestic manufacturing, investments in low-income communities, energy storage, smoother interconnection, and so much more.
“The United States is poised to lead the world’s clean energy transformation while lowering costs for families. We look forward to seeing President Biden sign this bill and kick off this new era of American leadership.”
Heather Zichal, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, applauded the Senate for passing the IRA. She said:
“This is the vote heard around the world. It puts America on a path to creating 550,000 new clean energy jobs while reducing economy-wide emissions 40% by 2030. This is a generational opportunity for clean energy after years of uncertainty and delay.
"This unprecedented investment in clean energy will supercharge America’s clean energy economy and keep the United States within striking distance of our climate goals.
"The IRA will lower consumer costs, enhance grid reliability, and strengthen the nation’s energy security. It will expand our domestic manufacturing base, inject nearly half a trillion dollars into U.S. GDP over the next decade and create more than half a million new jobs – more than doubling today’s clean energy workforce.
"We must seize this moment. We urge the House to quickly pass this historic legislation and send it to President Biden’s desk for his signature.”
Manish Bapna, President and CEO of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) made this statement:
“The Senate just made climate history. This is the most significant action the U.S. has ever taken to combat climate change. It will benefit the people of all 50 states—their health, their wallets, their homes and their future. And it will help the U.S. deliver on its undeniable responsibility to the rest of the world to do its part to address this global crisis. The House needs to come back quickly to cement this essential climate action. There is no time to waste.
“This bill is not perfect, but from a climate pollution perspective, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives—by a factor of 10.
“It could not come soon enough. This law puts the nation’s goals for combatting climate pollution within reach, while millions are suffering through yet another summer of extreme weather disasters.
“It will lower consumer electric bills and make electric vehicles more affordable. It will create hundreds of thousands of new clean energy jobs, while our economy is still building back from the pandemic and resulting downturn. And it will make significant reductions in the federal deficit.
“It is, however, just the beginning. There is more work to do to capture the full potential a clean energy economy has to offer, and build a safer, healthier, more just and prosperous future for all. This includes fighting against the outsized influence that Big Oil has over our politics, as well as fighting for complementary federal investments and safeguards, especially in front-line communities that are already overburdened by pollution from fossil fuels and other industries. The work to tackle the climate crisis and environmental racism must move full speed ahead.
“In the meantime, this bill would represent tremendous progress. It is good for households, for the economy and for our climate. All eyes are now on the House to act.”
NRDC has pulled together deep analyses of the bill.
