CTC Statement on the House Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act

By Change the Chamber Core Team, August 12, 2022

We the youth at Change the Chamber*Lobby for Climate are pleased that the Inflation Reduction Act has now passed the House of Representatives.

We the youth at Change the Chamber*Lobby for Climate are pleased that the Inflation Reduction Act has now passed the House of Representatives. This is the most significant climate bill in U.S. history, allocating $369 billion to clean energy and climate change. 

“As a survivor of Hurricane Irma, and a  former resident of Nashville, which experienced record breaking tornadoes and snowfall, climate change has been a real, pressing threat for me and my family.  It is a great relief that this bill has passed.” - Samantha Grimes, Change the Chamber Member

The Democrats in the House of Representatives have taken the first step towards the mitigation of climate change. However, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure this bill reaches its potential. To decrease the United States’ emissions by 40% by 2030, we need to transition to clean energy, promote sustainable business practices, and curtail our fossil fuel dependency. Our work is not done; in fact, it has just begun. 

“With each change in power, with each passing election, I listened, I read, I watched the people in power deny, dismiss, and fall short on climate change. Elated, delighted, even pleased is too strong of a word to describe how I feel about the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Simply, I am content. Content that we finally took the first step forward, the first step we should have taken long ago.”- Rae Dunbar, Change the Chamber Member

Along with funding for climate, this bill reopened offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico  and Alaska, along with requiring fossil fuel permits to be allotted before any renewable permits can be. This added drilling is a testament to our fossil fuel addiction. The youth at Change the Chamber*Lobby for Climate will continue to advocate for science-based solutions to address this new drilling and successfully curtail our emissions. Let's ensure this bill is not in vain.

Change The Chamber is a bipartisan coalition of over 100 student groups, including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates. Contact Change The Chamber at changeuschamber@gmail.com.