Of all the serious policy issues facing our next president, only one affects every single American, rural or urban, young or old, coastal or heartland, woman or man, rich or poor. That is our changing climate.
Americans are already living through more frequent and stronger fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, as well as dangerous heatwaves that ground airplanes, worsen air pollution and kill the vulnerable. Is there anything a United States president and Congress can do to limit climate change?
No one government can limit climate change. But the Biden administration has succeeded in getting two pieces of legislation through Congress — the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act — that place the United States on the path to reducing the worst effects of climate change and to building resiliency to withstand its effects. We need the next president and Congress to keep up the momentum and ensure that these bills are implemented.
These bills work together, with the infrastructure law promoting resilience and the inflation act reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. The bipartisan infrastructure law provides funds for preparedness and protection against damage from an overheated climate by funding sea walls, tidal wetlands, wildland firefighters and post-fire remediation and restoration.
The Inflation Reduction Act provides tax credits to incentivize clean energy, as well as research and development funds for clean energy programs and for programs that remove carbon dioxide from the air. One especially effective clean energy source is “enhanced” geothermal (think hot springs).
While geothermal has long been known as a source of carbon-free energy, enhanced geothermal is able to reach previously inaccessible sites deep underground using hydraulic fracking techniques. Successful demonstration pilot programs in Nevada and Northern California have shown promise, and a third pilot in Utah is currently testing different techniques and approaches.
Future research stages will test different geographic locations, different geologic formations, and different subsurface conditions with the goal of identifying a replicable, commercial pathway to accessing this flexible clean energy source nationwide. Another benefit — enhanced geothermal drilling needs workers with experience in fracking, making it the ideal job for displaced fossil fuel frackers.
Inflation Reduction Act funding is also available to help rural and fossil fuel-based communities reduce their green-house gas emissions. In addition, the act helps reduce energy use for individuals, offering tax breaks to homeowners who reduce their energy consumption and also save money by buying energy efficient appliances and/or weatherizing their homes.
Our emissions have recently been decreasing, but the many decades of massive amounts of fossil fuel use have left us with a smothering blanket of greenhouse gases that will continue to wreak havoc on our planet, even as we reduce future emissions. The bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act can help us prepare for a future unlike the past, if we elect a president and members of Congress who will continue to implement these bills and expand them. Please consider the climate when you vote Nov. 5.
Linda Burchfiel lives in Santa Fe and comes from Northern Virginia where she volunteered for many environmental organizations.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history. The collection also includes archival photo galleries.
