Federal tax bill puts polluters above people 

The big, not-so-beautiful bill includes “pay to play” for polluters, eliminating oversight, and stripping funding for clean energy. 

WASHINGTON – Congress is considering a barrage of cuts and policy moves that will impact everyone who cares about our clean air, clean water, public lands, and fighting climate change. 

The Southern Environmental Law Center is calling on members of the House not to support this bad “not-so-beautiful” bill if it goes to a vote next week.  

“The health of our clean air, water, forests, and economic progress in the South are all on the line when it comes to this bill. It strips funding that was promised to communities to build up affordable clean energy, sells off public resources, and allows polluters to pay their way out of the environmental review process,” said SELC Federal Affairs Director Nat Mund.  

“But this legislation is sitting on a razor’s edge; it only takes a handful of members to stand up bring it to a halt. It’s imperative to speak up and act now.” 

“Federal investments have created almost half a million clean energy jobs and jumpstarted the South’s clean energy economy, bringing in billions in private investment,” said Alys Campaigne SELC’s Climate Initiative Leader. “Repealing clean energy investments would halt dozens of ongoing projects, raise energy prices, stifle American innovation and leadership, and limit economic opportunity at a critical time in the climate crisis.” 

“Our public lands are more popular than ever, but this bill puts these special places at risk by significantly ramping up logging, opening up more areas to oil and gas drilling, and selling public lands to the highest bidder. These reckless moves will do long-lasting damage to these incredible landscapes and the communities that depend on them,” Sam Evans, SELC Senior Attorney and Leader of the organization’s National Forests and Parks Program, said. “Our public lands belong to all of us – not a handful of corporations looking to make a quick buck.” 

SELC’s energy, public lands, and climate experts are available for interviews. More information on how this bill would hurt states in the South is available here. 

What’s in the bill: 

• Polluters can “Pay to Play”: Logging, mining, oil, and liquid natural gas companies would be allowed to buy fast-tracked environmental reviews and pollute as they please.    

• Attacks on public lands: Congress aims to increase logging in our national forests with limited environmental review, which will degrade popular recreational areas, imperil already rare species, and hurt communities and local businesses that rely on public lands. 

• Blocking legal accountability: The bill drastically limits judicial review –barring impacted communities and landowners from their day in court. State, local, and tribal governments would be robbed of their ability to push back. 
• Gutting the IRA: The bill repeals tax credits that invested more than $20 billion in the Southeast, catalyzed $78 billion in private investment, and created almost half a million clean energy jobs. This investment brought new life to parts of rural America that were facing difficult economic challenges. 
• Environmental Justice impacts: Drastic cuts to Medicaid will devastate health care access for millions of people in the same communities facing high health risks from toxic polluting facilities. And that pollution will be worse with weaker oversight proposed in the bill.  
• Jeopardizes affordable energy and grid reliability: The bill also effectively hamstrings the ability of residents, local businesses, farmers, and churches to access more affordable, reliable clean energy. Communities across the Southeast benefit from low energy costs and are especially dependent on resilient grids in the aftermath of damaging storms.