Clean energy employers urge Congress to act now on Build Back Better Act

In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, over 260 companies employing tens of thousands of Americans in the clean energy sector urged congressional action on the Build Back Better Act. The letter states the Act is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for Congress to take big, bold action to deliver the clean energy future Americans want and deserve.”   

“The Build Back Better Act is more than providing clean power to help us meet our environmental goals, it is also forecasted to generate significant economic activity, including one million good-paying American jobs over the next decade,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Heather Zichal. “Congress should resume and finalize negotiations on this landmark legislation. The time to act is now.”  

“Each month of delay means an estimated $2 billion in lost economic activity,” the letter asserts. “That means missed economic opportunities in energy transition communities. That means fewer jobs in domestic mills producing steel for solar and wind projects. And it means a delay in building the American manufacturing base and workforce into a global clean energy powerhouse.”   

Citing analysis by ACP, the letter notes that?the clean energy provisions in the Build Back Better Act will help the United States reach 750?gigawatts?of wind, solar, and battery storage by 2030,?which would?cut power sector emissions by nearly 70% below 2005 levels. That is?the equivalent of 175 million American homes being powered by low-cost, reliable clean energy.  

Read the full letter here.