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Like it or not, the next presidential election is just a year away. And while President Biden is sure to campaign on the Inflation Reduction Act, it may not win him too many voters — because they don’t know much about it.
In a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll from July, more than two-thirds of Americans said they hadn’t heard about new tax credits incentivizing solar panel, electric vehicle and heat pump purchases passed under the IRA — even though a majority said they’d support these things. Nearly three-quarters hadn’t heard of the IRA at all.
Another newer poll from data sciences firm BlueLabs Analytics had similar results, finding that 40% of all Americans say they know nothing about federal subsidies for electric vehicle purchases.
Whether residents know it or not, the IRA is bringing big investments to the swing states Biden will try to win over next year, E&E News reports. In Georgia, electric vehicle and solar panel manufacturing is taking off with backing from the IRA and support from the state’s Republican governor. Michigan and North Carolina are likewise seeing a surge of new electric vehicle investments.
But as advocates and officials tell E&E News, Biden and his allies have a lot more work to do if they want voters to know how those investments came about.
More clean energy news
🚗UAW reaches milestone deal: The United Auto Workers reach a tentative deal with General Motors after doing the same with Ford and Stellantis, but it’s unclear how well the agreement will protect workers as electric vehicle sales slow and automakers trim their EV investments. (Inside Climate News, E&E News)
🖊️ Redefining clean energy: As states struggle to meet their own clean electricity goals, some are changing definitions to include nuclear, natural gas and biomass generation. (E&E News)
⚖️ Who’s behind protest criminalization: Fossil fuel companies have spent millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign donations to state lawmakers who’ve enacted laws that penalize protests near pipelines and fossil fuel infrastructure. (Guardian)
🛢️ Captured carbon’s oil-boosting fate: At least 60% of carbon captured annually fossil fuel plants around the U.S. is used to extract more oil through so-called “enhanced oil recovery.” (Washington Post)
🏭 Meet our biggest polluters: Coal and oil power plants top a list of the U.S.’s biggest greenhouse gas polluters last year. (Inside Climate News)
💵 Governments buy clean: Federal and state Buy Clean programs aim to use governments’ massive purchasing power to drive manufacturing of low-carbon steel, cement and other building materials. (Canary Media)
🌎 Climate denier of the House: Newly elected Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has a long track record of supporting fossil fuels and denying their contributions to climate change. (The Hill)
🗣️ Scientists speak out: Climate scientists who once stayed out of the public eye are increasingly raising their voices to warn the world of a worsening climate emergency. (Washington Post)
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