Tuesday, October 29, 2024

How the Inflation Reduction Act Has Remade America over the Past Two Years

Two years ago, Congress passed the biggest climate bill in U.S. history - the Inflation Reduction Act, which spurred growth in solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles across the country. Since then, money devoted to clean energy - initially estimated at $369 billion, but with the potential to reach up to $1 trillion - has flowed into almost every state, largely in the form of tax credits. Red districts have emerged as the climate law's biggest winners.

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Not a single Republican lawmaker voted for the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. Since then, many of them have voted to repeal its clean energy provisions and criticized the law as a waste of taxpayer money.

According to The Post's analysis, congressional districts that favored Trump in the 2020 election received three times as much clean energy and manufacturing investments as those that leaned toward Biden.

Districts where a plurality of voters backed Trump have claimed around $165 billion of the cash so far, compared with just $54 billion in areas where Biden came in first. Of the top 10 districts that have attracted the most clean energy investments, nine are led by Republican lawmakers.

Clean energy spending has skyrocketed since the IRA became law, up 85 percent compared with the preceding two years. Some technologies - like battery manufacturing, sustainable aviation fuels and carbon capture - have surged, going from almost no investment to tens of billions of dollars. Experts say that without the new funding, it's difficult to imagine those sectors taking off.

Developers are drawn to red districts because land is plentiful and cheap, experts say.

"Most of this can just be explained by population density," said Trevor Houser, a partner at Rhodium Group. In rural areas, which are much more likely to vote Republican, ample land - at lower prices - can support giant battery manufacturing plants or large-scale wind farms.

Others point to red states' low taxes and tax incentives for developers. "It's natural that investors and project developers are wanting to go into areas where they've got a predictable business environment," said Jeremy Harrell, the CEO of ClearPath, a conservative clean energy advocacy group. States like Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio, he said, have less regulatory red tape that could slow big energy projects.

This is prima facie evidence of Democrats completely sucking at messaging. I guarantee you that there are very few non-documenteds filling these good-paying jobs in red districts and states even while GOP representatives of these districts continue to try and repeal the Act as 'wasteful spending.'

Just another example of why Democratic administrations always see more economic growth than Republican ones. Democrats look to the future while GOPers look longingly for a past they neither lived nor understood, but a past controlled and dominated by men, nominally white men like their leadership and donors.

Democrats could have put stipulations on the IRA spending, but they didn't because the goal is to help all Americans by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels while building the industries of tomorrow for a cleaner energy future. Consider it a success regardless of what your favorite Republican might be saying about it. Numbers don't lie, but GOPers do as easy as they breathe air.

#1 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-10-28 06:35 PM

Red states are like Trump.... they hate paying their own bills.

#2 | Posted by Corky at 2024-10-28 07:14 PM

More of my money going to -------- states-the ungrateful ---------.

Good to know they will get rat ------ if ------- wins the presidency again.

Cause inflation and unemployment are sure to follow 10% tariffs

They'll find a way to blame marxists though.

Cause their dumb

#3 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-10-28 07:19 PM

OH BTW

www.msn.com

"Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, talking about the Republican respect for the rule of law while, later, the candidate himself talked about how he and Johnson "had a little secret" that he would tell us about after the election. This could be pure bluff, or it could be the opening round in a Republican attempt to ratf*ck the certification process. In either case, the former president* put Johnson on the hook for good."

------- colluding with the SotH to steal the election.

#4 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-10-28 07:20 PM

Cause their dumb

Posted by truthhurts at 2024-10-28 07:19 PM | Reply

they're

#5 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2024-10-28 08:08 PM

#5 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2024-10-28 08:08 PM | Reply | Flag: Perfect example of a Self-retorting Retort :-)

#6 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-28 08:17 PM

Cause their dumb

Posted by truthhurts at 2024-10-28 07:19 PM | Reply

they're

#5 | Posted by LauraMohr

I was cutoff by the DR monster. The sentence should have been Cause their dumb asses don't know better!

Yeah that's the ticket!!

#7 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-10-28 08:22 PM

7

No, it's because you are ... ... .dumb.

#8 | Posted by eberly at 2024-10-28 08:57 PM

-More of my money going to -------- states

Where can I send your $4 back?

#9 | Posted by eberly at 2024-10-28 08:58 PM

A lot of that Federal money goes to farmers. Not you, Eb

But you know that.

#10 | Posted by horstngraben at 2024-10-28 09:04 PM

OK, goes to farming.

#11 | Posted by horstngraben at 2024-10-28 09:06 PM

Twoothy calls them "moochers".

I want twoothy to have back all his money.

$50 cover it?

#12 | Posted by eberly at 2024-10-28 09:30 PM

I want twoothy to have back all his money.

$50 cover it?
#12 | POSTED BY EBERLY

That doesn't seem fair.

What about everyone else who helped support your state for you?

Since you are offering ... $50 for all of them?

... seems more fair.

#13 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-10-29 12:26 PM

Go ahead and tell the average American how better off they are now since that was enacted..... ; )

#14 | Posted by MSgt at 2024-10-29 06:43 PM

#14 | Posted by Msgt

I cannot drive 2-3 miles from my home and not see at least one new neighborhood under construction.

There are five - five - WAWA's under construction.

1-10 GBS fiber is available all across my area.

And each of those things are jobs, jobs, jobs...

WTF are you talking about?

#15 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-29 06:48 PM

Go ahead and tell the average American how better off they are now since that was enacted..... ; )

#14 | POSTED BY MSGT

Could you please remind us what Trumpy's actual detailed plan is to bring prices down again?

I only have only heard a "concept" of his plans.

No details.

No actual plans.

#16 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-10-29 08:39 PM

This has been one of my greatest disappointments with the Biden Administration, Dotard screwed over the blue states at every opportunity, with the tax bill increasing taxes on many of us in blue states, with wildfire fighting FEMA money, his hesitance to deal with COVID because it was initially a blue state problem, then stealing state bought COVID supplies from blue states to hand out to his red state buddies and probably Putin. Yet instead of equally dividing the money, or giving it in larger amounts to the battlegrounds, POTUS handed it out at a 4 to 1 ratio to the red state welfare queens who are mostly led by ungrateful MAGAts. I know that's how a fair government runs, but I would have loved for him to dunk on the MAGAts.

#17 | Posted by _Gunslinger_ at 2024-10-30 01:53 AM

Could you please remind us what Trumpy's actual detailed plan is to bring prices down again?

He has no plans, only goals.

Doesn't matter, his magidiots don't care. They'll cut off their noses to spite their faces and say they're owning the libs all the way.

Seniors will vote for sh*tler and then blame Biden when he takes away their $35 insulin because Faux Nooze has scared them into believing the immigrants are going to steal their hoveround.

#18 | Posted by Nixon at 2024-10-30 07:09 AM

"Seniors will vote for sh*tler and then blame Biden when he takes away their $35 insulin because Faux Nooze has scared them into believing the immigrants are going to steal their hoveround."

Not to mention the constant threats to SS and Medicare!

#19 | Posted by danni at 2024-10-31 08:02 AM

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