- $369 billion (£305 billion) for climate action is part of a larger package known as the Inflation Reduction Act.
- The legislation aims to cut carbon emissions in the United States by 40% by 2030.
- It appeared to be headed for passage after a Senate test vote of 51 to 50 on Saturday.
The United States has moved one step closer to approving Democrats’ climate change plan, with a key bill expected to be passed next week.
The $369 billion (£305 billion) for climate action is part of a larger package known as the Inflation Reduction Act.
The legislation aims to cut carbon emissions in the United States by 40% by 2030.
It appeared to be headed for passage after a Senate test vote of 51 to 50 on Saturday. The House, where Democrats hold a majority, could vote on it as early as Friday.
Some Republicans have said they will try to slow or halt the bill’s progress, which includes $64 billion for health care. The Senate test vote was held along party lines, with no Republicans voting in favour of the bill.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said the legislation would “give public service a good name”. But Florida’s Republican Senator Marco Rubio argued the bill was out of touch as it doesn’t help lower prices for working people or “keep criminals in jail”.
The legislation would represent the United States’ largest investment in clean energy to date. However, it is a scaled-down version of a much broader bill that many Democrats hoped to pass last year.
Congress debated a revised version on Saturday, after compromises were reached with two key Democratic holdouts, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Mr. Manchin was concerned that the original bill would have increased inflation.
Tax credits for clean energy development are included in the bill as industry measures to help with the high upfront costs. A new $27 billion “clean energy technology accelerator” will be established to aid in the advancement of renewable technologies.
Meanwhile, some households could receive up to $7,500 in tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle and $4,000 for purchasing a used vehicle.
In addition, $60 billion will be distributed to communities that have suffered the most as a result of fossil fuel pollution.
President Joe Biden, who has called the bill “historic,” has promised to restore the United States to the international stage in terms of climate action. He pledged in April of last year to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2030.
He announced $2.2 billion in funding last month to help build infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters.
In recent years, the United States has been devastated by deadly flooding and wildfires.
Climate change increases the likelihood of hot, dry weather that fuels wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the industrial era, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments around the world drastically reduce emissions.
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