A group of veterans is touting the national security benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The organization Elected Officials to Protect America said the law, passed by Congress in 2022, will decrease the country’s dependence on foreign sources of energy with a $370 billion investment in clean energy.
Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty, an Army veteran, said in the wake of the region’s devastating wildfires and the heat dome, she helped push for protections for renters in Oregon.
“While I’m very proud of that legislation, I’m very proud that the governor signed it and I was very proud to build the coalition to do it, imagine what a tenacious mayor could have done if I wasn’t focusing on climate-related emergencies,” Beaty pointed out. “We could have been building more pipes in schools and infrastructure and bridges.”
Beaty stressed the recent disasters in the state have underscored the importance of taking action on climate change.
Alex Cornell du Houx, president and co-founder of Elected Officials to Protect America, a former marine and Maine state representative, pointed to the conflict in Ukraine as evidence of the importance of energy independence.
“With the Inflation Reduction Act, it is part of the solution to decouple ourselves from this dependency on the source of energy in which autocratic nations primarily control,” du Houx explained. “That’s the exciting thing about it. It’s an amazing solution that’s really tangible and a historic investment.”
Beaty contends mayors like her will ensure funds from the Inflation Reduction Act go to the places doing the most good to fight climate change.
“We can be trusted by the president to deliver on the ground,” Beaty emphasized. “That’s why we see so many mayors excited about the Inflation Reduction Act, because we know how to put money to work right away.”
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