On March 22, 2023, the SEAS-based GW Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI) conducted, in partnership with American University’s Center for Environmental Policy, an all-day conference entitled “The Inflation Reduction Act's Climate and Energy Provisions: A Six-Month Progress Report.” The event, held in the Lehman Auditorium of the Science and Engineering Hall, focused on the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, a statue that was the single largest investment in climate and energy in American history.
The event was led by EEMI Director of Professional Education Dr. E Saltzberg and Dr. Dan Fiorino, Director of the Center for Environmental Policy at American University. SEAS Dean John Lach opened the event with a welcoming address, and many SEAS faculty members and students, including EEMI Leaders and conference speakers Scott Sklar and Ambassador Andras Simonyi, were involved in the event. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk served as the Keynote speaker.
The conference convened national experts from academia, business, non-governmental, advocacy and research organizations, and, state and federal government agencies, alongside other noted practitioners, to share key insights and perspectives. Experts discussed successes and assessed challenges federal agencies face when implementing the climate and energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act six months after its enactment. The event explored opportunities, challenges, barriers, and lessons-learned post-enactment and since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
The event identified issues and decisions federal agencies and other officials are contending with regarding renewable energy development and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures and related programs. Panelists discussed how well the IRA’s project approval mechanisms address immediate resilience needs, while making investments that hold up in a changing climate, and explored the extent to which federal support and programs for renewable energy and climate are effective.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 included $369 billion in funding to tackle climate change and brings America closer to President Biden’s goal of cutting climate pollution in half from 2005 levels by 2030. Along with tax credits, the legislation allocates billions toward transportation electrification, including $3 billion for the U.S. Postal Service to electrify its fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles, $3 billion to reduce pollution at ports and $1 billion toward clean school and transit buses, garbage trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles.
The Inflation Reduction Act also creates a program to tackle methane pollution. Administered by the EPA, the Methane Emission Reduction Program charges oil and gas operators for wasteful emissions. The fee starts at $900 per metric ton in 2024, giving companies a big incentive to reduce methane pollution.
Both the Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 infrastructure bill will pump billions of federal dollars into environmental efforts across the U.S. from rural communities to coastal cities, and prioritizing environmental justice.
The conference consisted of four plenary session panels and an opening overview session. Videos of the opening session and three panels can be seen at https://vimeo.com/channels/1840259.