There’s lots to celebrate this August in Ohio. Lebron James brought home the gold for Team USA in the Olympics, and there are great (and Great) lakes to visit and ice cream cones to be enjoyed.
While we enjoy a few more weeks of summer, I’m also thinking about a newer August occasion to celebrate, one that also promises ways to dream big and beat the heat in summer for years to come.
Aug. 16 marks the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage. In 2022, Ohio’s Democratic Congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, voted to implement the biggest climate and clean energy investment in our country’s history.
Why does this matter to Ohioans? In the two years since the clean energy plan passed, it has brought thousands of jobs and billions of dollars into our state.
At the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund, we know that protecting our environment does not have to come at the expense of good jobs, affordable housing, and consumer costs. Ohioans can benefit from the jobs and investments spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act and enjoy access to safe drinking water, parks and preserves, and clean air. We can develop our homegrown workforce and keep our families healthy while pursuing smart, sustainable growth.
Over the past two years we’ve seen what this kind of progress looks like.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have seen more action on climate than under any other administration in my lifetime. Consider this: In the past two years, Ohio has seen:
- more than 13,000 new good-paying clean energy jobs,
- $10.3 billion in new clean energy investments, and
- $1.6 billion in public funding for clean buildings, transportation, and manufacturing.
These numbers will only continue to grow as the clean energy plan spurs more projects.
More jobs and a reinvigorated economy is a great start. But what else does the clean energy plan do for Ohioans? It also
- lowers home energy costs,
- cuts air and water pollution,
- increases access to green spaces, and
- helps our communities prepare for and recover from disasters.
And all of these benefits are aimed at particularly supporting low-income, rural, and underserved communities. These are the places and people hit hardest by pollution and climate disasters. This plan is making sure the people who need support most will receive it.
All of these wins are at risk, however, if Trump is given a second term. He rolled back or cut entirely 125 environmental protections while president, increasing pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals. His response to natural disasters and extreme weather was slow and inadequate. During his presidency, Trump’s tax breaks gave Big Oil a $25 billion handout, and he’s promised more tax cuts for billionaires if reelected.
On top of this, Trump has vowed to repeal the clean energy plan altogether, despite its benefits for everyday workers and consumers.
Unfortunately, Senator J.D. Vance is no better. Not only did Vance oppose and vote against the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress, he also introduced legislation to repeal the provisions in the plan that are currently driving the resurgence of Ohio’s auto industry. While the state and the people he was elected to represent are seeing real progress in jobs and manufacturing, Vance would take Ohioans backwards.
Summer must end, but the progress of the clean energy plan doesn’t have to. I’ll be working hard to ensure it doesn’t.
In order to protect Ohio’s environment, workers, and families, we need to make our voices heard. Just as clean air and water are our fundamental rights as Americans, so is participating in our democracy. We find ourselves in a moment in which we must vote to preserve these rights.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy plan offers a clear path forward, and Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz have signaled they will build on the positive momentum Ohio has already seen. We’ll be able to do even more with climate champions in Congress and in our state and local government as well.
As I reflect on two years of the Inflation Reduction Act, I’m proud of the progress we have made here in Ohio–and I know we are just getting started. Let’s work together to protect these investments in our climate and communities for generations to come.
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