SVLG sign an open letter in support of climate and energy provisions in The Build Back Better Act

SVLG sign an open letter in support of climate and energy provisions in The Build Back Better Act

Silicon Valley Leadership Group joined a diverse group of 60 national health, faith, environmental, and trade organizations urging Congress to let no more time slip by.?

Enact big, bold investments in #CleanEnergy. Create jobs, renew U.S. manufacturing & lower consumer energy costs.?

Senator, Chuck Schumer; Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi: act now

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February 3, 2022

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer

Majority Leader

U.S. Senate


Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Speaker

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515


Dear Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi,

The Build Back Better Act represents Congress’ last, best chance to tackle climate change. The time to act is now.

The climate science has been clear for many years. (1) For the planet to have a chance at maintaining acceptable climate conditions by staying within 1.5 degrees celsius of additional warming, immediate action is necessary to transition our economy to a clean energy future. This need has only grown more urgent with the passing of time. Failure is not an option; we simply cannot afford to watch any more years, months, or legislative opportunities go by without enacting bold climate action into law.

In parallel with climate science, analysis of the costs of climate inaction and of the benefits and returns of bold federal climate investment make it abundantly clear that it is in the interest of every U.S. state and the nation as a whole to seize this legislative opportunity. The economic, social, community, and health costs of climate change and its effects are well studied and increasingly well understood by the public. (2) One recent estimate by Deloitte finds that the economic costs of inaction could reach $14.5 trillion of lost GDP for the U.S. by 2070. (3)

Fortunately, that outcome can be avoided by passing into law the legislative work the 117th Congress has already done in assembling robust climate, clean energy, and environmental justice investments.

Critically, this climate package includes an historic clean energy tax platform for solar, wind, offshore wind, geothermal, energy storage, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, transmission, low-income

communities, and manufacturing here in the U.S. Moreover, the majority of this Congress agrees with voters that these investments can and should be passed. (4)

This kind of decisive action and investment in clean energy, efficiency, clean transportation, and domestic manufacturing will not only drive emissions reductions towards meeting our national climate goals, but will also unleash unprecedented economic gains, contribute to easing longer-term inflationary pressures, employ millions of Americans in family-sustaining jobs, promote environmental justice, ensure healthier communities, and enhance our global competitiveness in the industries of the future. (5) In the clean electricity sector alone, recent analyses estimate that we are now losing $2 billion of economic activity for every month of inaction on this bill; (6) and, the clean energy and climate investments in it will create 600,000 jobs a year.(7)

At this very moment, Congress is primed to deliver strong climate action for the nation. We believe demonstrable progress towards enacting the best reconciliation bill possible for all Americans - including the Build Back Better Act’s climate and clean energy provisions - can be made by the State of the Union Address. We urge you to move quickly and stand ready to work with you to get this job done. Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,

Advanced Energy Economy

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

Alliance to Save Energy

American Clean Power Association

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

American Council on Renewable Energy

Building Performance Association

Business Council for Sustainable Energy

Business Network for Offshore Wind

CALSTART

Capital Good Fund

Center for Biological Diversity

Ceres

Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Citizens Climate Lobby

Climate Hawks Vote

Climate Reality Project

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life

E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs)

E4theFuture

Earthjustice

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Endangered Species Coalition

Environment America

Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Law and Policy Center

Evergreen Action

EVHybridNoire

Franciscan Action Network

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Geothermal Exchange Organization

GreenLatinos

Health Care Without Harm

IHM Sisters Justice, Peace and Sustainability Office

Interfaith Power & Light

Islamic Society of North America

League of Conservation Voters

Market Transformation and National Association of Energy Service Companies

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

National Audubon Society

National Hispanic Medical Association

National Hydropower Association

National Wildlife Federation

Natural Resources Defense Council

New York Geothermal Energy Organization

Oceana

Ocean Conservancy

Plug In America

Public Citizen

Rewiring America

RMI

Sierra Club

Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Solar Energy Industries Association

Union for Reform Judaism

Union of Concerned Scientists

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice

U.S. Green Building Council

U.S. Public Interest Research Group

World Wildlife Fund

Vote Solar

Zero Emission Transportation Association


(1) https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/sgsm20847.doc.htm; https://www.ipcc.ch/working-group/wg1/

(2) https://www.oecd.org/fr/environnement/climate-change-consequences-of-inaction.htm; https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-september-2021/

(3) https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-the-turning-point-a-new-economic-climate-in-the-united-states-january-2022.pdf

(4) https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2021/10/26/voters-want-build-back-better-passed-with-bold-climate-action

(5) https://rhg.com/research/us-climate-policy-2030/ | https://www.epi.org/open-letter-from-nobel-laureates-in-support-of-economic-recovery-agenda/

(6) https://cleanpower.org/resources/letter-260-clean-energy-employers-urge-congress-to-act-now-on-build-back-better-act/

(7) https://rhg.com/research/build-back-better-jobs-electric-power/

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Link to PDF

#ClimateActionNow

Adrienne Heiskanen

Strategy & Planning | Office of the CEO | Corporate Development | Sustainable Business Management | Finance | ESG

2 年

Thank you! This is important.

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