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Forward and Inclusive
This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats unveiled the HEROES Act relief package, with the chamber expected to vote on the bill today. This is forward-thinking policymaking at its best: not only would it provide financial assistance for Americans struggling to pay their energy bills, it also provides additional funding for critical transit systems. The HEROES Act also includes $50 million in environmental justice grants to determine why the novel coronavirus disproportionately impacts marginalized and vulnerable communities. We can’t talk about this pandemic or the response without talking about environmental justice and the structural racism shaping the virus’ impact. However, the bill faces serious opposition by Senate Republicans, even though Americans will suffer without additional federal intervention.
Regressive and Exclusive
The Trump administration continues to pick favorites when it comes to federal aid for the energy industry. We know that the President met with major oil barons in the early days of the pandemic and pledged support to the sector, which was under financial pressure long before the crisis began. Earlier this week, 16 Republican senators, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Jim Inhofe, and John Barrasso, sent a letter to Trump urging him to take action against Wall Street for limiting financing for oil and coal companies. Meanwhile, the administration and much of the GOP continue to resist emergency aid for clean energy companies even as they shed what some estimates place at hundreds of thousands of jobs.
However, there is a way that oil-reliant states like Texas, Wyoming, and North Dakota can be part of our clean energy future and recover from this economic crisis: by supporting innovative carbon capture and sequestration technologies. Take a look at our new memo.
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