Clean Air Council Rallies for Climate Action
Philadelphia, PA (August 4, 2022) — Clean Air Council’s Leeannah McNew protested the Congressional Baseball Game in Washington, D.C. to demand climate action. This is her statement on the Inflation Reduction Act and its impacts in Philadelphia:
My name is Leeannah McNew and I work with the Clean Air Council to protect and defend everyone’s right to a healthy environment. Last week, I went to Washington D.C. to demand climate action while our elected officials were playing baseball at the annual Congressional baseball game. The climate crisis is an existential threat that is affecting every aspect of our lives. We are already experiencing the effects of climate change with record-breaking heat, wildfires, drought, flooding, and tragic, unnecessary deaths. Philadelphia witnessed 6 heat-related deaths during last month’s crushing heat wave. This is why I went to D.C. to shut down the Congressional Baseball Game, to raise awareness about this issue and demand action. Our politicians cannot continue to ignore the multiplying tragedies across this country, nearly all of which are exacerbated by the climate crisis. We know what needs to happen – the Senate must pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) now.
The Inflation Reduction Act will make a historic $369 billion investment in climate change solutions, create up to 1.5 million jobs and help prevent up to 3,900 premature deaths by 2030.
In fact, preliminary analysis shows that this bill would lead to about a 40% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030, which is less than the 50% reduction scientists say we need by that year, but would represent significant and much-needed progress on climate action. This would be a gamechanger for fighting climate change. Let me see some snaps.
This bill will also put a price on climate-changing methane pollution from the oil and gas industry, starting at $900 a ton and increasing to $1,500 a ton for oil and gas companies that don’t comply with EPA’s upcoming pollution standards for new and existing oil and gas facilities. Yes, absolutely make them pay. Methane has 87 times the global warming power of carbon dioxide and is emitted from every segment of the oil and gas industry. That’s right, every segment. Methane pollution is responsible for about 30% of the climate chaos we’re currently experiencing and a significant chunk of emissions can be quickly reduced when the EPA finalizes its proposed standards. The Methane Emissions Reduction Program included in the Inflation Reduction Act will support the EPA’s upcoming rule by providing $1.5 billion for increased air monitoring and technology upgrades.
And it just gets better from there. This legislation will also help vulnerable communities deal with the current effects of climate change. Philadelphia is extremely susceptible to flooding and extreme heat due to poor sewer infrastructure and impervious areas. This legislation also reinstates the “polluter pays” tax that will require polluting industries to pay for environmental cleanups at Superfund sites. This could greatly improve public health in Southwest Philadelphia and finance the upcoming cleanup of the Folcroft Landfill.
This legislation is a game-changer, an historic opportunity to give us a fighting chance in the years to come, and Philadelphia needs this now! We urge the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act without delay to curb climate change and protect our communities.
