Nick Begich Opposed The Inflation Reduction Act, Which Allocated Billions In Funding To Address The Climate Crisis

Begich Opposed The Inflation Reduction Act. Moderator: “Do you support the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, August of 2022?” In response, Begich held up a sign reading, “No.” [YouTube, Anchorage Daily News, [24:34], 8/31/22] (VIDEO)

Alaska Was Eligible For At Least $3 Million In IRA Planning Grants To “Support Local Efforts To Reduce Climate Pollution.” “Alaska is eligible for at least $3,000,000 in planning grants funded by the IRA that support local efforts to reduce climate pollution.” [Joint Economic Committee Democrats, 8/1/23]

The Inflation Reduction Act Provided $3.3 Billion To NOAA To “Build A Climate-Ready Nation.” The IRA “provides $3.3 billion for NOAA to build on its commitment to help Americans - including tribes and vulnerable populations - prepare, adapt, and build resilience to weather and climate events; improve supercomputing capacity and research on weather, oceans, and climate; strengthen NOAA’s hurricane hunter aircraft and fleet; and replace aging NOAA facilities.” [NOAA, Accessed 7/20/24]

The Inflation Reduction Act Offered $1 Billion In Grants To Develop Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles. The IRA provided “funding to help Tribal, state, and local governments and other entities offset the cost of replacing heavy-duty Class 6 and 7 commercial vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, deploy supporting infrastructure, and train and develop the necessary workforce. At least $400 million must go to areas not meeting national air quality standards.” [EPA, 7/20/24]

The Inflation Reduction Act Offered Approximately $2 Billion In Grants For The Environmental And Climate Justice Community Change Program. The IRA “will invest approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities.” [EPA, 7/20/24]

The Inflation Reduction Act Allocated $6.2 Billion To The Department Of The Interior To ‘Tackle The Climate Crisis.’ According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s website, the IRA provided the department “$6.2 billion, enabling our bureaus and offices to play a leading role in advancing key habitat restoration, land resilience and water projects, and securing environmental justice for historically disadvantaged communities.” This included: $4.6 Billion to “advance system conservation and mitigate drought impacts,” $700 million to “advance conservation, restoration and resilience activities on our public lands,” $500 million to “support additional staffing at the National Park Service,” and $425 million to “support communities prepare for and adapt to worsening threats brought on by the climate crisis.” [U.S. Department of the Interior, Accessed 7/20/24]

The Inflation Reduction Act Provided Funding For USDA Rural Development. According to the USDA, the Inflation Reduction Act “provides funding to USDA Rural Development to help eligible entities purchase renewable energy and zero-emission systems and make energy-efficiency improvements that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” This included “Up to $1 billion for RUS loans for renewable energy infrastructure. The Act requires the agency to forgive up to 50% of the loan amount. Eligible entities include electric service providers, including municipals, cooperatives, investor-owned and Tribal utilities. […] Up to $2.025 billion for the RBCS Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), with $303 million set aside for underutilized technologies and technical assistance. Funds are anticipated to support renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects for more than 41,500 farms and small businesses. […] Up to $500 million in RBCS grants for infrastructure improvements to blend, store or distribute biofuels. This includes installing, retrofitting or upgrading dispensers for ethanol at retail stations as well as home heating oil distribution centers. […] Up to $9.7 billion for RUS to offer loans, grants, loan modifications and other financial assistance to support the purchase of renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems and carbon capture systems. Funding also may be used to deploy these systems or to make energy-efficiency improvements to generation and transmission systems of eligible entities.” [USDA, Accessed 7/20/24]

The Inflation Reduction Act Provided $100 Million For Environmental Review Implementation For Surface Transportation Projects. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the Inflation Reduction Act allocated “$100 million to facilitate the development and review of documents for the environmental review process for proposed surface transportation projects.” [FHWA, Accessed 7/20/24]

The Inflation Reduction Act Provided $2 Billion For Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the Inflation Reduction Act allocated “$2.0 billion to reimburse or provide incentives to eligible recipients for the use, in projects, of construction materials and products that have substantially lower levels of embodied greenhouse gas emissions associated with all relevant stages of production, use, and disposal as compared to estimated industry averages of similar materials or products as determined by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.” [FHWA, Accessed 7/20/24]