Written by usclimatealliance.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, today celebrated the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in climate action in our nation’s history.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has unleashed the single largest climate and clean energy investment in U.S. history, including directing hundreds of millions of dollars to support home electrification here in New York,” said New York Governor and Alliance co-chair Kathy Hochul. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, this investment is making real progress to transition to a green economy, create family-sustaining jobs, and build clean and healthy communities where future generations can thrive.”
“The Inflation Reduction Act is a rocket booster for state-led climate action and we’re just getting started,” said New Mexico Governor and Alliance co-chair Michelle Lujan Grisham. “In communities large and small, urban and rural, governors are slashing climate pollution, lowering home energy and transportation costs, and creating more good-paying jobs.”
To mark the anniversary, the Alliance also released a new video spotlighting how Governor Roy Cooper, one of the coalition’s longest-serving members, is leveraging the historic IRA to make North Carolina the epicenter of America’s clean energy boom.
Across the Alliance, governors are leveraging IRA resources to accelerate climate action. Last month, Alliance members collectively secured approximately $2.6. billion to implement ambitious measures that deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and substantial community benefits under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. This included grants to help states accelerate the adoption of heat pumps, deploy EV charging infrastructure and clean energy, sequester carbon through conservation, decarbonize food systems, buildings, and industry, and more. Every Alliance state and territory participated in the initial phase of the CPRG program, collectively securing more than $70 million to develop priority climate action plans.
Additionally, earlier this year, 23 of the Alliance’s members collectively secured approximately $2.9 billion under the Biden administration’s Solar for All program, which enables low-income households across America to access residential solar power — and save money and energy, boost resilience, improve health, and create quality jobs. Governors across the Alliance are also utilizing IRA funding to launch home new energy rebate programs that help families lower their home energy bills and increase energy efficiency, including in Wisconsin and New York.