The bill includes tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) that could extend the life of dirty coal plants, which would make it harder to reach critical targets for clean power while exposing residents to toxic coal pollution.
It mandates the federal government to offer up parts of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet for oil and gas development. It also requires additional oil and gas leasing in order for new wind and solar projects to be approved.
There is a side deal to move a separate bill in September for so-called “permitting reform” that could weaken core protections under the National Environmental Policy Act, the federal law that gives communities a voice in what happens to the environment around them.
They have not dealt with the Ugly, of the good, the bad, and ugly of the IRA
Great essay/interview! Very informative about how it takes an army of concerned caring activist citizens and the progressive Bernie movement to make things like IRA legislation happen at grass roots level by holding DC feet to the fire of healthy change - to cleaner energy sources! Bravo - and the work/battle continues!
We the People! The intelligent majority of all parties want a better future with no more Global Warming & plastics (Big Oil), better gun control control laws, Trust/Monopoly Break ups for real free market place, Less meat eating & Big Agra reforms from dirty and immoral factory farming & less contributions to global warming, rights returned to 100% body agency, Universal health care & Higher Education as a right with no profit incentives like the rest of the modern world! Let's DO this Citizens of USA!
Another thing few realize. The IRA increases the tax breaks in the 45Q code for capturing carbon dioxide--to the point where there will be windfalls for especially ethanol and coal projects. Coal is dying--this will bring it back. The IRS is not equipped to monitor the claims for this, so perhaps hundreds of billions in tax breaks will be claimed. The worst part is that they get the credits whether the captured CO2 is sent to deep storage, or to old depleted oil fields, where it's used for Enhanced Oil Recovery. 90% of captured CO2 now is used for EOR--and the oil industry is looking to these old fields for their next big resource, since the shale fields are dwindling--they've already hit the sweet spots. So if the public pays for expensive and energy-hungry CCS equipment to be tacked onto power plants, and the CO2 is piped to the depleted oil fields, that is a rescue for the oil industry as well. The catch is--they need an enormous buildout of new pipelines, and they have gotten used to fierce opposition to pipelines. If you think CO2 pipelines would be safer than oil and gas ones, read the HuffPost piece about what happened in Satartia, Mississippi when one ruptured. SO--enter the "side deal"! What is does is remove the teeth from bedrock environmental laws, so the oil and pipeline companies will get new rights and activists and frontline communities will lose the tools we've used to block some of the gas/oil pipelines. Somehow, we HAVE to stop the side deal.
Sorry, I gotta give this a D. Why hasn't Bill McKibben figured out that building a lot of solar and wind energy--or nuclear, god forbid--does not equate to greenhouse gas reduction? It actually ADDS emissions, from the mining, transportation and factory production of components. It would only subtract if these things were REPLACING oil or gas or coal plants--so far that has not happened, the renewables are just added on top as we use more and more and more energy. Is the objective to stop climate change, which requires LOWERING emissions--or to ensure that the comfortable middle and upper classes can continue to live as they're accustomed to as we jet into the climate breakdown?
They blew in 2008,seems par for the course with the Climate bill. If you want to call it that... Labeling a bill easy to do, what it means more difficult to interpret. Sen. Manchin has much to loose as well as other coal investors. Backdoor approach once again. Speaking the truth unheard of when it comes to capitalists. Thomas Mason.
“But Sunrise, 350.org ... " Bill, this is blatant self promotion by you. Almost every other piece you write has that narrative in it.
How about mentioning what "your" new group of "oldies" has done with the Third Act.
We have elitist on the right such as Harvard educated Ron DeSantis in Florida and elitist on the left "progressive" side such as Harvard educate McKibben in Vermont.
Is there any room on the bus for those in flyover country between Florida and Vermont?
THE COST OF A IRA COMPROMISE:
The bill includes tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) that could extend the life of dirty coal plants, which would make it harder to reach critical targets for clean power while exposing residents to toxic coal pollution.
It mandates the federal government to offer up parts of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet for oil and gas development. It also requires additional oil and gas leasing in order for new wind and solar projects to be approved.
There is a side deal to move a separate bill in September for so-called “permitting reform” that could weaken core protections under the National Environmental Policy Act, the federal law that gives communities a voice in what happens to the environment around them.
They have not dealt with the Ugly, of the good, the bad, and ugly of the IRA
Great essay/interview! Very informative about how it takes an army of concerned caring activist citizens and the progressive Bernie movement to make things like IRA legislation happen at grass roots level by holding DC feet to the fire of healthy change - to cleaner energy sources! Bravo - and the work/battle continues!
We the People! The intelligent majority of all parties want a better future with no more Global Warming & plastics (Big Oil), better gun control control laws, Trust/Monopoly Break ups for real free market place, Less meat eating & Big Agra reforms from dirty and immoral factory farming & less contributions to global warming, rights returned to 100% body agency, Universal health care & Higher Education as a right with no profit incentives like the rest of the modern world! Let's DO this Citizens of USA!
Another thing few realize. The IRA increases the tax breaks in the 45Q code for capturing carbon dioxide--to the point where there will be windfalls for especially ethanol and coal projects. Coal is dying--this will bring it back. The IRS is not equipped to monitor the claims for this, so perhaps hundreds of billions in tax breaks will be claimed. The worst part is that they get the credits whether the captured CO2 is sent to deep storage, or to old depleted oil fields, where it's used for Enhanced Oil Recovery. 90% of captured CO2 now is used for EOR--and the oil industry is looking to these old fields for their next big resource, since the shale fields are dwindling--they've already hit the sweet spots. So if the public pays for expensive and energy-hungry CCS equipment to be tacked onto power plants, and the CO2 is piped to the depleted oil fields, that is a rescue for the oil industry as well. The catch is--they need an enormous buildout of new pipelines, and they have gotten used to fierce opposition to pipelines. If you think CO2 pipelines would be safer than oil and gas ones, read the HuffPost piece about what happened in Satartia, Mississippi when one ruptured. SO--enter the "side deal"! What is does is remove the teeth from bedrock environmental laws, so the oil and pipeline companies will get new rights and activists and frontline communities will lose the tools we've used to block some of the gas/oil pipelines. Somehow, we HAVE to stop the side deal.
Sorry, I gotta give this a D. Why hasn't Bill McKibben figured out that building a lot of solar and wind energy--or nuclear, god forbid--does not equate to greenhouse gas reduction? It actually ADDS emissions, from the mining, transportation and factory production of components. It would only subtract if these things were REPLACING oil or gas or coal plants--so far that has not happened, the renewables are just added on top as we use more and more and more energy. Is the objective to stop climate change, which requires LOWERING emissions--or to ensure that the comfortable middle and upper classes can continue to live as they're accustomed to as we jet into the climate breakdown?
They blew in 2008,seems par for the course with the Climate bill. If you want to call it that... Labeling a bill easy to do, what it means more difficult to interpret. Sen. Manchin has much to loose as well as other coal investors. Backdoor approach once again. Speaking the truth unheard of when it comes to capitalists. Thomas Mason.
More people need to read this...Instagram?
“But Sunrise, 350.org ... " Bill, this is blatant self promotion by you. Almost every other piece you write has that narrative in it.
How about mentioning what "your" new group of "oldies" has done with the Third Act.
We have elitist on the right such as Harvard educated Ron DeSantis in Florida and elitist on the left "progressive" side such as Harvard educate McKibben in Vermont.
Is there any room on the bus for those in flyover country between Florida and Vermont?