In its reconciliation package, the House of Representatives restored
some of Biden’s requested funding for climate justice measures that had
been slashed by the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan
deal,
but massive cuts remain.
If the White House heeds the “no double
dip”
deal it made with Senate centrists, the House funds will be eliminated.
Two Build Back Better climate-justice programs that were cut in the
Senate’s infrastructure package (known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Framework, or BIF) are funded at or above
President Biden’s requested levels:
Building electric vehicle charging stations, raised $15 billion to $21
billion
Replacing the nation’s lead pipes, fully restored to $45 billion
However, most face massive cuts, with no prospect for improvement:
Reconnecting minority communities cut off by highway projects, cut 79%
from $24 billion to $4.95 billion
Investing in electric school buses, cut 63% from $20 billion to $7.5
billion
Road safety, including “vision zero” programs to protect pedestrians,
cut 45% from $20 billion to $11 billion (only $100 million added)
Upgrading and modernizing America’s drinking water, wastewater, and
stormwater systems, cut 40% from $56 billion to $33.7 billion
Repairing and modernizing public transit, cut 36% from $85 billion to
$54 billion
Broadband infrastructure, cut 31% from $100 billion to $69 billion
Investing in passenger and freight rail, cut 5% from $80 billion to
$76 billion
Furthermore, the House added on additional funding for the programs that
act as bailouts for polluters:
Capping orphan wells, increased to $18.5 billion, 16% over Biden’s
request
Brownfield and Superfund, increased to $20 billion, three times
Biden’s request
The Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) is a major climate
initiative
in the House reconciliation package, establishing a sort of carbon
cap-and-trade system for electric utilities with the goal of increasing
low-carbon electricity production to 80 percent of the mix by 2030. Sen.
Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has indicated his desire to modify the
CEPP to lower its standards to support
natural-gas plants.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a
markup
to consider the following:
Legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation directive
included in section 2002 of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for
Fiscal Year 2022, S. Con. Res. 14
Leaders in Congress know that now more than ever we need to cut
emissions, lower costs for families, create millions of family
sustaining jobs, and turbocharge our economy. That is why they are
calling for the Build Back Better Act—a bold investment plan to tackle
climate change, create jobs, and transform our economy.
The rally will be moderated by Tiernan Sittenfeld and feature Members
including: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen.
Ben Ray Lujan, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Tammy
Baldwin, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Rep. Sean
Casten (IL-06).
Congress knows it’s time to go big, be bold, and put people to work.
at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Washington, DC
20016
The Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a full Committee
markup
on Monday, September 13, at 11 a.m. (EDT) in the John D. Dingell Room,
2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building, on legislative
recommendations for its budget reconciliation instructions, which were
passed last month by the House and Senate.
The Committee will consider the following Committee Prints:
Grid Decarbonization Standard: $150 billion in a Clean Electricity
Performance Program (CEPP) at the Department of Energy (DOE) The
CEPP, which complements tax incentives for
clean energy, will issue grants to and collect payments from electricity
suppliers from 2023 through 2030 based on how much qualified clean
electricity each supplier provides to customers.
An electricity supplier will be eligible for a grant if it increases
the amount of clean electricity it supplies to customers by 4
percentage points compared to the previous year. The grant will be
$150 for each megawatt-hour of clean electricity above 1.5 percent the
previous year’s clean electricity.
Electricity suppliers must use the grants exclusively for the benefit
of their customers, including direct bill assistance, investments in
qualified clean electricity and energy efficiency, and worker
retention.
An electricity supplier that does not increase its clean electricity
percentage by at least 4 percent compared to the previous year will
owe a payment to DOE based on the shortfall.
If, for example, the electricity supplier only increases its clean
electricity percentage by 2 percent, the supplier will owe $40 for
each megawatt-hour that represents the 2 percent shortfall.
The CEPP gives electricity suppliers the
option to defer a grant or a payment for up to two consecutive years.
Eligible clean electricity is electricity generation with a carbon
intensity of not more than 0.10 metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent per megawatt-hour [i.e., renewable and nuclear].
Other Energy and Climate Provisions:
$13.5 billion in electric vehicle infrastructure
$7 billion in multiple loan and grant programs at
DOE to support development of innovative
technologies and American manufacturing of zero emission
transportation technologies
$9 billion for grid modernization
$17.5 billion in decarbonizing federal buildings and fleets
$18 billion in home energy efficiency and appliance electrification
rebates
$27.5 billion in nonprofit, state, and local climate finance
institutions that support the rapid deployment of low- and
zero-emission technologies. At least 40 percent of investments will be
made in low-income and disadvantaged communities
$2.5 billion for planning and installing solar facilities and
community solar projects that serve low-income households or
multi-family affordable housing complexes
$30 billion for the full replacement of lead service lines in drinking
water systems
$10 billion for the cleanup of Superfund sites
Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants: $5 billion to
community-led projects that address environmental and public health
harms related to pollution and climate change
methane fee on pollution from the oil and gas industry above specific
intensity thresholds
Health:
$5 billion in replacing certain heavy-duty vehicles, such as refuse
trucks and school buses, with zero emission vehicles Health
dental, vision, and hearing coverage for seniors under Medicare
expands Medicaid eligibility to millions of Americans
$190 billion to expand access to quality home-based services and care
for millions of older adults and people with disabilities
permanently extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
ensure that all pregnant women on Medicaid will keep their health
insurance for the critical first year postpartum
ensure that Medicaid coverage begins automatically 30 days prior to an
individual’s release from incarceration
$2.86 billion in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program
$3 billion in funding to establish the Advanced Research Projects
Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
$35 billion in investments to rebuild and modernize public health
departments
$15 billion in targeted investments for pandemic preparedness
Other:
$10 billion in grants for the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1
services
$4 billion to the Emergency Connectivity Fund to ensure students,
school staff, and library patrons have internet connectivity
$10 billion to monitor and identify critical manufacturing supply
chain vulnerabilities
Filed amendments:
Amendment
(SUB-I-AMD-SCHRADER_01),
to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute filed by Rep. Schrader
(D-OR) to Subtitle I: Medicare
Markup
of legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation directive
included in section 2002 of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for
Fiscal Year 2022 (S. Con. Res. 14)
Committee Print
117-2:
Legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation directive
included in section 2002 of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget
for Fiscal Year 2022
Continuation of the House Agriculture Committee’s Build Back Better
markup.
Included in this package are multiple bipartisan proposals will provide
resources to mitigate climate change, improve quality of life in rural
communities, and commit millions of dollars to agricultural education
across the country.
Investments include:
$7.75 billion in investments in agricultural research and
infrastructure; other countries like China are outspending the US on
research investments and this money will help close the gap.
$18 billion in rural job-promoting investments to ensure those living
in rural America, on tribal lands, and our insular areas have access
to clean water and reliable and efficient renewable energy. This
funding will also support investment in renewable biofuels
infrastructure important to farmers and our fight against climate
change, and flexible funding for rural community growth.
$40 billion in investments in forestry programs to help combat forest
fires and contribute to healthy, resilient forests, including $14
billion for “hazardous fuels reduction,” and $4.5 billion for the
Civilian Climate Corps for “managing National Forest System land” and
“rural and urban conservation and tree planting projects”.
$300 million divided equally to the Forest Service for the following
six climate-related projects:
to carry out greenhouse gas life cycle analyses of domestic wood
products
to assess the quantity of carbon sequestration and storage
accomplished by different forest practices when applied in diverse
ecological and geographic settings
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to increase carbon stocks on National Forest System land
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to the
impacts of climate change and weather variability on national forest
ecosystems
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to ensure that national forest ecosystems, including
forests, plants, aquatic ecosystems, and wildlife, are able to adapt
to climate change and weather variability
for activities and tactics to reduce the spread of invasive species
on non-Federal forested land
The House Committee on Agriculture will hold a business
meeting
to consider the elements of the reconciliation package under their
jurisdiction.
Included in this package are multiple bipartisan proposals will provide
resources to mitigate climate change, improve quality of life in rural
communities, and commit millions of dollars to agricultural education
across the country.
Investments include:
$7.75 billion in investments in agricultural research and
infrastructure; other countries like China are outspending the US on
research investments and this money will help close the gap.
$18 billion in rural job-promoting investments to ensure those living
in rural America, on tribal lands, and our insular areas have access
to clean water and reliable and efficient renewable energy. This
funding will also support investment in renewable biofuels
infrastructure important to farmers and our fight against climate
change, and flexible funding for rural community growth.
$40 billion in investments in forestry programs to help combat forest
fires and contribute to healthy, resilient forests, including $14
billion for “hazardous fuels reduction,” and $4.5 billion for the
Civilian Climate Corps for “managing National Forest System land” and
“rural and urban conservation and tree planting projects”.
$300 million divided equally to the Forest Service for the following
six climate-related projects:
to carry out greenhouse gas life cycle analyses of domestic wood
products
to assess the quantity of carbon sequestration and storage
accomplished by different forest practices when applied in diverse
ecological and geographic settings
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to increase carbon stocks on National Forest System land
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to the
impacts of climate change and weather variability on national forest
ecosystems
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to ensure that national forest ecosystems, including
forests, plants, aquatic ecosystems, and wildlife, are able to adapt
to climate change and weather variability
for activities and tactics to reduce the spread of invasive species
on non-Federal forested land
$408 million for the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy
$20 million for the Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and
Carbon Management
$1.08 billion in general funds for Department of Energy National
Laboratories, including
$377 million for Office of Science
$210 million for Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
$40 million for Office of Nuclear Energy
$190 million for Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
$102 million for the Office of Environmental Management
$2 billion for fusion research and development
$1.1 billion for Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
demonstration projects, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower,
vehicles, bioenergy, and building technologies
$70 million for a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute
$52.5 million for university nuclear reactor research
$10 million for demonstration projects on reducing the environmental
impacts of fracking
wastewater
$20 million for the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
$50 million for the Office of the Inspector General
Environmental Protection Agency
$264 million to conduct environmental research and development
activities related to climate change, including environmental justice
FEMA
$798 million for Assistance to Firefighters Grants
NASA ($4.4 billion)
$4 billion for infrastructure and maintenance
$388 million for climate change research and development
NIST ($4.2 billion)
$1.2 billion for scientific and technical research, including
resilience to natural hazards including wildfires, and greenhouse gas
and other climate-related measurement
$2 billion for American manufacturing support
$1 billion for infrastructure and maintenance
NOAA ($4.2 billion)
$1.2 billion for weather, ocean, and climate research and forecasting
$265 million to develop and distribute actionable climate information
for communities in an equitable manner
$500 million to recruit, educate, and train a “climate-ready”
workforce
$70 million for high-performance computing
$224 million for phased-array radar research and development
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