Consortium Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act

August 16, 2024

Today, August 16, 2024, marks the second anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest legislative investment in climate and public health in US history.

Across the country, families, businesses, and public institutions have been taking advantage of historic investments in renewable energy and storage, clean transportation, and climate resilience. The Consortium and our Climate and Health State Network have also utilized and promoted this funding to better protect the health of our communities across the country.

Partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)

In 2023, the Consortium partnered with NACHC to create several toolkits on how community health centers can access and leverage the IRA for climate resilience, weatherization, and clean energy measures. Now, we’re continuing our partnership through the creation of our Community Health Center Climate Action Incubator — a peer learning group designed to help health center staff learn from one another and expert presenters on decarbonization, resilience, and cost-saving initiatives.

Healthy Climate Wisconsin (HCW)

As one of the Consortium’s state network organizations, HCW has worked to engage individual health professionals in advocating for their clinics and hospitals to utilize the IRA for climate initiatives. HCW also celebrated the health benefits of multiple IRA-funded projects with press conferences for new electric buses in La Crosse, a new energy efficiency program for low-income housing in Madison, a flood resiliency project in Milwaukee, and a climate-smart agriculture program in the Green Bay area. 

Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action (VCCA)

VCCA was the recipient of IRA funding through the EPA’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Grant Program. They also conducted outreach to Virginia Federally Qualified Community Health Centers to highlight clean energy initiatives.

The IRA has already sparked widespread infrastructural change across the country, creating more than 170,000 clean energy jobs and contributing to billions in infrastructure investments for clean energy, electric vehicles, solar manufacturing, and rural energy — all of which promote cleaner air and water and curtail fossil fuel emissions.

In addition, families who install heat pumps or make other energy-efficient improvements can receive significant tax credits and rebates that will lower the cost of installation and help families save money on energy costs in the long run. In turn, these energy improvements clean up indoor air, protect from external pollutants, and ensure healthier home environments. 

These investments will boost air quality, lower emissions, and help us achieve key climate targets. One think tank estimated that the IRA will improve local air quality by enough that in 2030 Americans will collectively be losing 350,700 fewer work days each year to illnesses.

While the IRA has contributed to important changes in US energy production and usage, there is still more to do. The Consortium hopes that our elected leaders continue to push for a just transition to energy resilience, moving us away from dependence on fossil fuels and curtailing pollution that harms our health. We thank the Biden administration and Congress for this important legislation and look forward to continued progress.