House Rule Clears the Way for Vote on Build Back Better
WASHINGTON - The House passed a procedural rule early today, advancing the Build Back Better Act, after approving bipartisan infrastructure legislation.
The following is a statement from Manish Bapna, president and CEO of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“This clears the way for a vote on the Build Back Better Act, the essential climate legislation we need. The infrastructure bill doesn’t confront the climate crisis. For that, we need Congress to enact the historic clean energy investment in the Build Back Better Act without delay. With a crisis this urgent, and stakes this high, the Congress must get this done.
“The Build Back Better agenda is the centerpiece of a broader strategy to confront the climate crisis head on, by delivering 80 percent clean electricity, and cutting carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases 50-52 percent, by 2030.
“Meeting those goals will require new and ambitious carbon pollution and health standards, at the state, local and national levels. Public lands and federal waters must become part of the climate fix, not the problem. And we’ll need to align the work of our energy, transportation and agriculture departments, and every other agency in the federal government, with our climate mission.
“This is the strategic vision at the heart of the Build Back Better agenda to create high-quality jobs, expand low-income housing, strengthen public transit and cut the pollution that threatens our water and air. And it will help to clean up our dirty power plants, speed the shift to electric cars and trucks, cap abandoned oil and gas wells and get more clean energy from the wind and sun.
“It’s time for Congress to enact the Build Back Better agenda.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.