Carolyn Morrisroe, carolyn.morrisroe@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- In the wake of President Biden’s announcement of a framework for the Build Back Better Act, the Sierra Club, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform are renewing the call for Congress to move the Build Back Better Act in tandem with the inadequate bipartisan deal. No climate, no deal.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill on its own fails to address the climate crisis. Without the broader Build Back Better Act, it will not protect frontline communities or deliver meaningful investments that address generations of environmental harm, and air, water, and land pollution. The bipartisan bill lacks a commitment to deliver 40% of the benefits of federal climate and infrastructure investments to disadvantaged communities. Indeed, the bipartisan deal would amount to a mere 1% decrease in climate pollution by 2030 — essentially business as usual.
Furthermore, some provisions in the bipartisan deal will actively cause harm by supporting fossil fuels, threatening frontline and Tribal communities, endangering the health of forests and public lands, and undermining provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.
In contrast, the Build Back Better Act includes historic investments for climate jobs, and justice, including environmental and climate justice grants, funding for cleaning up dirty ports and heavy-duty trucks, resources for pollution monitoring and cleanup, robust support for equitable and sustainable community development, and increased investments for community engagement under NEPA.
In Response, the Groups Released the Following Statements:
“For too long, environmental racism has led to disproportionate health impacts in environmental justice communities — including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, low-income communities, and other marginalized communities. Now is the time for Congress to truly invest in centering equity and justice while reducing pollution in frontline and fenceline communities. People who’ve suffered decades of neglect need the investments in both the Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan bill in order to experience a just and equitable future. Passing the bipartisan deal alone would utterly fail to address the needs of our communities.” — Dana Johnson, Director of the Federal Policy Office, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
“It’s way past time to protect the most vulnerable communities in this country, to center their voices, experiences, values, and lives. That’s why we are fighting to make sure the Build Back Better Act passes with its full suite of investments to tackle the crises faced by environmental justice communities across the nation and center the needs of our communities. That’s why the Build Back Better Act must pass alongside the bipartisan bill and not be left to some undefined future moment. We must all unite and move forward by enacting these critical priorities together.” — Michele Roberts, National Co-Coordinator, Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform
“As President Biden heads to Glasgow for the U.N. climate summit, Congress needs to deliver the Build Back Better Act alongside the bipartisan bill in order for the U.S. to meet the president’s international climate commitment of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030 while advancing racial, economic, and environmental justice. It’s vital that Congress pass both bills at the same time. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, we are on the verge of finally benefitting from a spending package that includes transformative investments in legacy pollution cleanup, community improvements, job training and workforce development, quality affordable housing, and a pollution-free energy transition. Passing the bipartisan bill before the entirety of the Build Back Better Act is settled would put at risk delivering on our most important commitments.” — Leslie Fields, National Director, Policy Advocacy and Legal, Sierra Club
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.