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This summer, congressional Democrats passed the biggest climate spending package of all time. You wouldn’t know it by looking at their midterm campaign ads.
Tight races across the U.S. will determine whether Democrats will keep hold or Republicans will take control of the House and Senate after next week’s midterm elections. And as Politico reports, those results will have huge implications for how the Inflation Reduction Act is implemented. If Republicans win, they’re planning to probe the IRA’s $370 billion in clean energy funding, and could particularly target environmental justice spending meant to curb pollution in vulnerable communities, Vox details.
Environmental groups believe Democrats’ big climate win — and the threat of its demise — could be a “supermotivator” for climate-conscious voters, Grist reports. That’s why they’re running ads boosting Democrats in states with tight Senate and House races. Few Democrats’ campaigns are doing the same, though, as some underestimate just how popular emissions-reducing action is. And as a new generation of young voters takes to the polls for the first time, climate action is looking even more essential for candidates who want to win.
More clean energy news
⚖️ Utilities tackle historic inequity: Amid allegations that the U.S. energy system is “inherently racist,” investor-owned utilities are crafting policies, communication strategies and clean energy installation plans to reverse their historically inequitable policies. (Utility Dive)
⭐ Sponsored – Green Neighbor Challenge: Try a free online toolkit helping U.S. residents find and sign up for green energy programs and efficiency incentives – then challenge family and friends to do the same. Learn why this nonprofit was recently featured in the Star Tribune!
🚙 Gassed up about EVs: The rise of electric vehicles will turn frequent, five-minute gas station stops into thirty-minute experiences saved for road trips, driving a likely transformation of gas stations and their industry. (E&E News)
🔗 Supply bottlenecks hold back the transition: Clean energy supply chain delays are hitting disadvantaged communities the hardest as they make renewables and electrification projects prohibitively expensive, advocates and utility officials say. (Utility Dive)
💰 Oil giants keep reaping profits: Oil companies are resisting calls to cut prices amid record profits, prompting President Biden to threaten them with windfall taxes. (E&E News, The Hill)
☀️ Turning trash into solar treasure: Houston is building the country’s largest landfill-to-solar facility near a majority-Black neighborhood, providing a model that may be replicated elsewhere. (Vox)
🚜 Borrow an e-tractor: An Oregon nonprofit is launching an agricultural equipment “rideshare” program allowing farmers to try out electric tractors for several months. (Daily Yonder)
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