Pressure to thwart the fast-track permitting IRA has wrought, and fix where IRA went wrong!

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The New "Drill Baby Drill" Is "Permit Baby Permit"

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. A celebratory event will be held at the White House on September 6th. That seems intended as a segue into the following day for the Association of State Democratic Committees, with a Democratic National Committee meeting on the 9th and 10th.

Biden and his cabinet are expected to crisscross the country talking about the legislation, so we can see how this is being leveraged in service to the midterm elections.

Friend, the reconciliation package, the Slim Build Back Better, is a big win, on many fronts, but not nearly enough attention has been given to the negative impacts. Not enough care has been shown for impacted communities or the sacrifice zones the legislation will perpetuate and expand. And recently a spotlight has been placed on the side deal for permit fast-tracking.

As our compatriots at UUA Create Climate Justice said yesterday, "No, the Inflation Reduction Act is not enough. Yes, we still need it. Hold this complexity, then let’s get to work." 

The state of play:

• While we needed the $369 billion in climate spending (summary by Evergreen Action), the sweeteners to bring Senator Machin (D-WV) along are noteworthy and not to be understated. They link clean green development to dirty oil and gas and they also institute 10-year leases. The People vs. Fossil Fuels Coalition, of which UUSJ is a member, along with many UUs, has characterized them as "poison pills" 

• Worse in some ways, is the side deal on permits between Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Manchin to make the IRA happen. Jeff Stein reported about the agreement (tweet) (WaPo article). The plan is to attach the proposal to must-pass legislation, the Continuing Resolution, funding the federal government. 

• Chairman Grijalva (D-AZ), House Natural Resources Committee, is moving for a stand-alone vote, saying “I don’t feel an obligation … to support the deal,” (The Hill). Bill McKibben agrees, "No One Owes Joe Manchin Anything" Why? Rep. Grijalva object thinks everyone should be accountable for this vote. The agreement looks set to introduce massive polluter giveaway legislation in September to fast-track permits for new fossil fuel projects, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project deeply supported by Senator Manchin.

• People vs. fossil fuels asserts the proposal will gut bedrock protections in both the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act. The proposal appears to have been drafted by the American Petroleum Institute - and would truncate and hollow-out the environmental review process, weaken Tribal consultations, and make it all but impossible for frontline communities to have their voices heard. Any new fossil fuel projects would also push us far past the 1.5 degree limit necessary to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

For UUSJ the road forward should:

• Look to hold frontline communities harmless
• Require Congress to build on the IRA while driving for a just transition to a fossil fuel-free economy
• Press Biden to declare a climate emergency, using his legal authority and maximum institutional powers 

Friend, please email your representatives to stop the dirty side deal, with the action by People vs. Fossil Fuels, this circumstance demands our attention, mobilization, and advocacy.