PennFuture Responds to House of Representatives Passing the Build Back Better Act

“The Build Back Better plan approved by the House of Representatives today is a game-changer and a remarkable outcome for communities, activists and even elected officials who have been sounding climate alarms for decades without a commensurate response from policymakers - until now,” said PennFuture President and CEO Jacquelyn Bonomo. “The $555 billion earmarked for climate and clean energy initiatives is a singular antidote to the obstruction and malaise that has stymied climate inaction. For far too long, weather events made worse and more frequent by climate change have taken a toll on America’s lands, people and built infrastructure.These climate programs will do more to combat the climate crisis than any measure before: funding to scale up renewables and electrification, and to build natural and other infrastructure that will enable some measure of resiliency. 

These historic investments won’t just combat the climate crisis and result in healthier and better-prepared communities, but they will put people back to work in impressive fashion by adding hundreds of thousands of quality jobs, all while slashing our carbon emissions in half by 2030. The Build Back Better plan will create an exciting Civilian Climate Corps - an initiative supported by PennFuture for the last several years - that will conserve and protect our public lands, make our communities and environment more resilient against climate change, and create good-paying, family-sustaining jobs with good benefits for a diverse workforce across the nation. 

President Biden’s Build Back Better plan will bring about transformational change that will be felt for generations to come.”

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PennFuture is leading the transition to a clean energy economy in Pennsylvania, fighting big polluters with legal muscle, enforcing environmental laws, and supporting legislative policy that protects public health. PennFuture is engaging and educating citizens about the realities of climate change, and giving them the tools needed to influence lawmakers on the issues. Visit www.pennfuture.org for more information.

Contact:
Jared Stonesifer
Director of Media Relations
stonesifer@pennfuture.org
412.456.2372