This article was originally published by The Hill on October 12, 2022. Read the full piece here.
The Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) $369 billion investment in American clean energy is an enormous leap forward for climate action — and not a single Republican voted for it. If Republicans gain control of one or both houses of Congress, they will face a choice: maintain their contrarian status while Democrats own the climate agenda, or use their majority to exercise conservative leadership in the clean energy policy space.
Despite the cold shoulder they gave the IRA, Republicans, propelled by young conservatives who demand more federal action on climate change, are beginning to take climate seriously. For the first time since John McCain’s 2008 presidential run, the Republican Party finally has a climate platform. Elected Republicans appeared at last fall’s UN Climate Change Conference, and this summer a GOP task force released a six-pillar energy and climate plan.
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