MEMO: Final Build Back Better Act Must Meet ‘Climate Test’

As Congress negotiates the details of the final Build Back Better Act, which will move in tandem with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, it’s imperative that any deal must pass the climate test, which means cutting climate pollution in half by 2030, creating good union jobs and a more equitable economy, and delivering on the United States’ international climate commitments ahead of the international climate meeting this November in Glasgow. 

The Sierra Club calls for all Democrats in Congress, whatever their other affiliations, to hold strong on climate and ensure that communities across the country get the investments they need to tackle and adapt to this crisis at the speed and scale that justice and science demand.

Let’s emphasize that again: “No Climate, No Deal” means Congress must deliver investments at the scale necessary to fulfill President Biden’s international commitments to curb carbon emissions. 

That means delivering bold climate action through fully funded clean energy tax credits and a Clean Electricity Performance Program — the drivers of significant emission reductions. It also means expanded access to union-built electric vehicles and clean public transit, retrofits of our homes and schools, the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps, a fee on methane polluters, and protections for our public lands including the Arctic Refuge. Senate Majority Leader Schumer has estimated that these investments — if fully funded — could nearly achieve President Biden’s goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030. 

The Build Back Better Act must simultaneously prioritize bold investments in environmental justice to redress the devastating health and economic impacts of toxic pollution, primarily in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. The Equitable and Just National Climate Platform highlighted these investments in a recent letter and factsheet. That includes replacing lead pipes across the country, delivering environmental and climate justice block grants to impacted communities, funding robust implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), cleaning up ports and investing boldly in economic development and the cleanup of Superfund and other polluted sites. 

The Sierra Club’s priorities for this once-in-a-generation opportunity to fulfill our climate and environmental justice commitments are outlined here.

Right now is our opportunity to come together and pass the historic climate action bill our communities desperately need to tackle our country’s interconnected crises — climate change, racial injustice, economic insecurity, and public health. 

Now is the time for our members of Congress to hold strong on climate and make sure that full funding for the full suite of crucial climate and environmental justice investments are included in the final Build Back Better package.