Businesses Call on Congress to Build upon Infrastructure Investments Act

(Credit: Pixabay)

In a letter signed by nearly 50 large consumer, industrial, and business-to-business brands, the businesses call on Congress to build upon the 2021 Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act with a package that will improve the nation’s energy security and economic competitiveness, while reducing energy costs for consumers. 

Specifically, these companies —  including Adobe, Airbnb, CommonSpirit Health, Constellation, Danone North America, Ikea, Holcim, HP, JLL, Levi Strauss & Co., Logitech, Lyft, Redfin, PSEG, Salesforce, Sierra Nevada, and Unilever — want the legislation to include a new package of aggressive tax credits for utility-scale clean energy development. They also want incentives to help companies accelerate their shift to clean vehicles and energy systems, investments in US supply chains and advanced manufacturing capabilities, and efforts to advance climate-smart agricultural practices in rural areas.

Organized by the sustainability nonprofit Ceres, the letter is the latest example of strong corporate support for robust climate and clean energy action at the federal level. It comes at a crucial time as Congress reconvenes ahead of the midterm elections amid disruptions to global energy markets and new dire warnings from the world’s leading scientists that the window to act on the climate crisis is closing. 

The letter also outlines four economic benefits of these clean energy, climate, and environmental justice policies if they are to be included in the economic package: 

• Lowering energy costs for businesses and families, saving the typical US household $500 annually on energy costs, according to the Rhodium Group;
• Reducing supply chain delays by growing domestic capacity;
• Providing new economic opportunities for disadvantaged and rural communities.
• Ensuring that the US can meet rapidly growing global demand for the advanced technology needed to lead the world in clean energy manufacturing and command the economy.

Other recent letters to congress include a letter signed by dozens of agricultural, environmental and social groups  that was addressed to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders urging Congress to include the mandatory reporting and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from factory farms and manure management operations in the FY 2022 Appropriation for the EPA. 

Additionally, four companies involved in the biofuels industry published an open letter in December urging Congress to exclude co-processed petroleum from sustainable aviation fuel credits.