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Because we shouldn’t solely act for the Earth on April 22, Earth911 is honoring Earth Day’s 52 years of inspiring motion with 52 Actions for the Earth. The Earth Day theme this 12 months is investing in the planet. Each week from Earth Day 2022 to Earth Day 2023, we are going to share an motion you’ll be able to take to spend money on the Earth and make your personal life extra sustainable.
This week, you’ll be able to spend money on the Earth by serving to to create a inexperienced economic system.
Action: Tell Congress to Support Green Economic Legislation
Build Back Better
Last 12 months, President Biden proposed the Build Back Better Plan. The plan supplied a legislative framework to construct the inspiration of a brand new inexperienced economic system that may return the nation to pre-pandemic financial prosperity. The plan contained three components:
- The American Rescue Plan was a COVID-19 aid bundle. It grew to become legislation in March 2021.
- The American Families Plan was a social coverage proposal that included spending on welfare and social companies.
- The American Jobs Plan was a proposal to fund infrastructure and cut back the consequences of local weather change.
American Jobs Plan
The American Jobs Plan would have put the U.S. on target to make the most of 100% clear energy by 2035; laid the inspiration to electrify the nation’s car fleets; and retrofit houses, faculties, and buildings to be vitality environment friendly. The plan prioritized fairness by focusing on 40% of the advantages from inexperienced economic system infrastructure investments in deprived communities.
Some of the infrastructure spending within the American Jobs Plan was integrated into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into legislation on November 15, 2021. Other parts of the American Jobs Plan – akin to funding associated to local weather change and residential care – had been merged with the American Families Plan to type the Build Back Better Act, which handed the House however was successfully killed by Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). For those that wish to know extra in regards to the legislative course of surrounding the invoice, Vox explored possible paths forward.
Take Action for Green Legislation
A number of the infrastructure and local weather components from the original plan have been adopted piecemeal via different laws. But many components stay unfulfilled, specifically, the local weather change provisions. The House COMPETES Act consists of a lot of them. Congress is presently resolving differences between this invoice and the Senate’s Innovation and Competition Act.
To take motion for the inexperienced economic system, you’ll be able to write a letter to your Congressional representatives. Let them know that you just supported the American Jobs Plan and wish to see a closing decision of the present House and Senate payments that features provisions for motion towards local weather change and assist for the inexperienced economic system. Encourage your representatives to proceed proposing and voting for laws that helps clear energy, decrease emissions, and environmental justice.
You can ship your letter any means that you just like. Congressional workplace workers document and catalog each communication they obtain. So use your greatest stationery, fireplace off an e-mail, or use the form on the EarthDay.org web site that may autofill your representatives’ contact info based mostly in your mailing handle. But do inform your representatives that you really want them to work in the direction of a inexperienced economic system.
