Remarks for the One Year Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, As Prepared for Delivery
Michael Regan, EPA Administrator
Washington, DC
Good afternoon, everyone. It’s a pleasure to join you all.
A year ago today, I had the honor of joining President Biden and Vice President Harris as the President signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law.
A year later, we’ve seen how the law delivers on President Biden’s vision: to confront the climate crisis as an opportunity to advance environmental justice, save families money, and create good-paying jobs.
Over the last year, EPA has made tremendous progress in developing and implementing programs—including the $27 billion dollar Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund—a national financing program designed to bring hundreds of billions of dollars of private capital off the sidelines to address climate change head on. And we are ensuring these critical resources reach the marginalized communities who need them most.
Of the countless experiences that I’ve heard from folks across the country, here’s one that captures what the Inflation Reduction act is truly all about.
Recently, I visited Baltimore, Maryland—a city that has for too long faced untold environmental injustices.
Many communities in Baltimore have been unable to access funding to invest in clean solutions.
There, Vice President Harris and I met with Kristal Hansely, of WeSolar, a minority, woman-owned small business. Kristal has worked for years to bring affordable, clean and efficient solar energy to her city.
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Kristal, and small business owners just like her all across the country, will now have access to low-cost loans to employ workers and put cost-saving and pollution-reducing solar projects on the roofs of schools and churches in their communities.
This is environmental justice in action.
The President and Vice President pledged to build a clean, secure, and equitable future for our children. They held together a coalition that focused on labor, climate, business, and environmental justice. They delivered. And we’re only just getting started.
Now I’d like to welcome my great colleague and friend, Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.