Washington, D.C. — Today, the Senate Finance Committee passed Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) Clean Energy for America Act on a party-line vote. This legislation represents a critical component of the American Jobs Plan’s investments in climate action, providing long-term tax incentives for clean energy and clean vehicles to springboard the transition to 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, in line with President Joe Biden’s commitments. This bill is the kind of keystone climate investment needed in this moment, moving beyond insufficient infrastructure programs of the past that have failed to meet the United States’ economic recovery, climate change, and justice needs. John Podesta, founder of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
Today, Senate Democrats in the Finance Committee unanimously supported President Biden’s agenda on climate, clean energy jobs, and pollution reduction, showing their dedication to passing a core plank of the American Jobs Plan. Every Democratic senator voted in favor of Sen. Wyden’s Clean Energy for America Act, which makes the investments in new clean electricity and infrastructure we need to build a 100 percent clean future with good-paying jobs, breathable and clean air, and a safe and stable climate. As the vital core of climate investments in the American Jobs Plan, these tax incentives for clean energy and clean vehicles provide the certainty that will allow innovation to flourish and create more than 500,000 new jobs in renewable energy.
Time is running out for a deal on infrastructure. The White House has made its “must haves” clear. If Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) cannot address those issues, Democrats need to pass a package that meets the needs of the American people. The Senate should turbocharge the clean energy economy and the high-paying jobs it creates by enacting the incentives in this bill as part of the full scope of the American Jobs Plan.
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