IRA

Community benefits agreements (CBAs) are popular. New polling finds that 72 percent of likely voters support the use of CBAs on development projects (a +56-point margin of support). And support for CBAs holds across partisan lines, with 85 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Independents, and 57 percent of Republicans in favor. From a race and ethnicity standpoint, support is highest amongst Latina/o (86 percent) and Black (77 percent) voters. 75 percent of likely voters also support the inclusion of local hiring commitments and 76 percent support funding for job training programs within CBAs. Likely voters also broadly favor hiring commitments for veterans (77 percent support), women (59 percent support), and people of color (51 percent support). Beyond labor benefits, voters also strongly support the use of CBAs to provide funding for senior citizen programs (76 percent), community centers and parks (76 percent), cleaning up polluted sites (76 percent), youth outreach programs (75 percent), mental health and substance abuse services (72 percent), affordable housing (72 percent), public transportation (64 percent), local community organizations (63 percent), and a local grocery store (50 percent).

In this episode, David talks with Matt Traldi, co-founder of Greenlight America, about the fight for clean energy at the local level. They discuss how small groups of opponents are successfully blocking renewable projects across the country, and how Matt’s organization is working to turn the tide by mobilizing local supporters and giving them the tools to advocate effectively at critical government meetings.

If defending against Congressional efforts to revoke the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), call it a "repeal" of incentives that are lowering costs for Americans, not a "rollback". Poll testing indicates "repeal" generates more opposition. Positive statements about the IRA increase support, especially messages about the jobs and tax savings that have been created. Energy unreliability and air pollution/health impacts are the top reasons to keep the IRA. Even Majorities of Republicans want to keep IRA incentives. There is an overall strong belief that efficiency upgrades would be helpful, and belief in pro-clean energy statements is higher than opposition statements. There is, however, low awareness of local energy investments related to the IRA and low awareness of repeal efforts. Understanding of terminology varies: "Energy justice" & "Energy equity" are not well understood, while "energy efficiency" and "weatherization" are well understood by Americans. Regarding personal behaviors, cost savings are a key motivator of efficiency & electrification upgrades, while upfront costs and uncertainty about qualification are key barriers. Responses are broadly similar across race, though Black voters are slightly more concerned about certain impacts of IRA repeal, while rural voters tend to show slightly less support for IRA policies.

In this episode, David Roberts chats with Ari Matusiak, co-founder and head of Rewiring America, which recently received a $2 billion grant from the feds to take home electrification mainstream. They dig into the practical challenges — getting local contractors on board, simplifying rebate access — and the enormous opportunities.

The electorate has a growing awareness of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its energy efficiency and electrification incentives: 63% of respondents say they are somewhat or very interested in pursuing home electrification and efficiency upgrades. This includes 70% of Latino Americans, 66% of Black Americans, 60% of White Americans, and 58% of rural Americans. Additionally, voters report that the components of the IRA that make them more likely to support federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency focus on potential cost savings from energy efficiency upgrades and the creation of new clean energy jobs. In addition to voters overall, majorities of voters across partisanship favor keeping various IRA incentives, rather than ending them. After reading that components of the IRA may face repeal by a new administration, voters say that losing household energy savings or economy-wide air quality improvement benefits are among the most concerning outcomes of IRA repeal.

Voters overwhelmingly support government investment in clean infrastructure projects and don’t want funding to go to bad actors with histories of pollution. Around two-thirds of voters (67% support / 23% oppose) support investments in clean infrastructure projects such as solar and carbon capture after reading that the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding funding for these projects following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These investments earn overwhelming support from Democrats (85%) and independents (69%), and are also supported by half of Republicans (50% support / 38% oppose). Large majorities of voters, including 79%+ of Democrats and 65%+ of Republicans, say that developers should be required to be in compliance with various laws in order to receive federal funding for clean infrastructure projects.

Two years after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law on August 16, 2022, companies have announced at least 334 major new clean energy and clean vehicle projects across the country. Of the announcements, 278 included estimates on the number of jobs the projects are expected to create and/or investment amounts. Based on this information, the projects, if completed, would create 109,278 new jobs and bring in $126 billion in private investments. The number of major IRA-related clean energy projects announced during the past twelve months declined from the previous year, when 216 projects were announced (211 initially reported). Still, the clean energy projects, jobs and investments related to the IRA are bringing new opportunities and economic benefits to communities across the country. Forty states and two out of three congressional districts are home to at least one announcement. Nearly 60% of the announced projects – representing 85% of the investments and 68% of the jobs – are in Republican congressional districts.

Small, diffuse changes at the household and community level can complement big policy shifts towards emissions reductions. 42% of US energy-related emissions come from homes and vehicles. This resource featured a conversation between Kevin Green, Vice President for Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment and Sarah Lazarovic, Vice President of Communications and Creative Strategy at Rewiring America. “Of course, we need to rework huge policy interventions to make this feasible for people. But also as humans, there are many things that we not only can do, but have to do to make this happen,” according to Lazarovic. When she swapped out her gas furnace for a heat pump, she brought her household emissions down by 75%. Part of the confusion among Americans is that there are so many solutions presented to people, that many people begin to experience cognitive fatigue and choice overload.

A hard-fought presidential campaign has yet to persuade majorities of voters that the president’s landmark spending initiatives have made their lives better. New polling found that fewer than 3 in 10 voters said President Joe Biden’s big legislative policy changes had improved their lives and communities. Voters’ attitudes about massive domestic spending initiatives have either barely budged or slightly dimmed since April, despite six more months of campaigning by both parties in the run-up to next week’s election. People were more likely than they were last spring to say they don’t know what effect the laws have had. Self-described political independents are significantly more bullish on the president’s climate law than they were six months ago, the survey found. And the number of voters who called the Biden-backed laws harmful was significantly lower than those who said the legislation had either benefited them or had a mixed impact: just 24% said the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has “positively” affected them, while 19% said it has had negative effects and 24% called it a mix.