Ceres stands in opposition to H.R. 1, the wide-ranging and unbalanced energy bill that the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on this week, calling it a step backward for U.S. energy security and away from building an advanced, clean economy that reduces costs for American businesses and consumers.
“Ceres encourages House lawmakers to vote against H.R. 1 and work toward an alternative deal that responsibly reforms permitting processes, accelerates clean energy deployment, and achieves the full benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act without harming communities that have long suffered from pollution,” said Zach Friedman, director of federal policy, Ceres.
House lawmakers introduced H.R. 1 at the beginning of March. It includes a number of provisions aimed at expanding fossil-fuel production on public lands, repealing key environmental regulations, and rolling back the landmark Inflation Reduction Act.
“At a time when a potent mix of private and public investment has created legions of U.S. jobs and dramatically accelerated the transition to affordable, secure, domestic clean energy, H.R. 1 threatens to undermine this momentum and its many economic benefits for communities across the country. H.R. 1 features several concerning provisions, including its support for highly polluting, volatilely priced energy sources and its repeal of critical cost reduction, energy security, job creation, and environmental justice programs in the Inflation Reduction Act. We urge Congress to instead focus on further harnessing the momentum of the Inflation Reduction Act and the clean energy boom it has created,” Friedman added.
“To that end, Ceres welcomes the significant bipartisan agreement on the need to change permitting processes to achieve our environmental, energy, economic, and equity goals,” Friedman continued. “We will not be able to maximize the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act or deliver affordable, reliable, and domestically produced clean energy at the necessary scale and speed without first addressing hurdles that slow the deployment of clean energy projects and modernization of the grid. Lawmakers have an opportunity to strike a deal that achieves these goals this Congress. Ceres remains committed to bringing businesses and investors to the table with all stakeholders for these negotiations, and to ensuring that any such legislation empowers disadvantaged communities. We firmly believe that all communities across the U.S. should benefit from the clean energy transition and retain the right to meaningfully shape projects and prevent further disparities in exposure to pollution and other public health risks.”
In recent months, Ceres has been educating member companies about the risks and opportunities of various permitting reform proposals. The nonprofit, which works with businesses and investors on sustainability practices and policies, was highly active during the last Congress to organize corporate support for the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Ceres remains deeply engaged at both the federal and state levels to help guide the implementation of those landmark laws, which are already yielding tens of billions of dollars in domestic clean energy investment and producing tens of thousands of jobs in manufacturing and supply chains.
About Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.