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In cooperation with
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President Biden met with a new group of Senators this week to negotiate the infrastructure package. Unless he hears the outrage from the American people, he could put forth another watered-down version of the bill that strips out his climate commitments.[1]

 

To put it bluntly: any adjustments to the bill that serve corporate polluters or decrease the amount of funding and incentives for climate action are non-negotiable.

 

If Congress can’t agree on the need for bold climate policies that provide recovery to communities hardest hit by the climate crisis, then Biden must move forward with his plans to combat climate change and not rely on the unnecessary support of climate deniers.

 

If you agree that Biden shouldn’t sacrifice our future in this bill, will you sign our petition calling for bold climate action that protects frontline communities and provides the investment we need to tackle the climate crisis?
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Biden already agreed to lower the overall investment from $6 trillion to $1 trillion.

 

Some of the proposals on the chopping block are:

  • $14 billion for government agencies to create policies and programs devoted to climate change
  • $800 million in new spending and tax breaks for clean energy development
  • Targeted taxpayer-backed investments in communities most impacted physically and financially by climate disasters[2]

While this bill isn’t perfect, the language and investments mark a drastic shift in climate policy from the past. This bill recognizes that families and businesses throughout the country rely on lands, forests, wetlands, watersheds, and coastal and ocean resources for our lives and livelihoods.

 

President Biden is calling on Congress to invest in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities who are most vulnerable to the climate crisis physically and financially through a range of programs, and we cannot let certain members of Congress strip away these necessary investments.

 

Numerous studies show that the federal government often helps white disaster victims more than People of Color, even when the amount of damage is the same.[3]  It’s time for that to change.

 

We need Biden to hold the line and put forth an infrastructure plan that matches the level of the crisis we're in, prioritizes climate justice, and puts our communities first.

 

Please add your name now to our petition calling on Biden to not give in to political pressure and pass the infrastructure bill we need.

 

Thank you for helping us get this far.

 

Natalie Mebane

Associate Director of Policy, 350.org
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