American Rivers statement on climate breakthrough in reconciliation deal
July 29, 2022
Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145
American Rivers applauded the deal between Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to advance the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which would be the biggest climate action in history. The bill contains $369 billion for climate and energy provisions.
Tom Kiernan, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“Devastating and costly examples of the climate crisis are already playing out on rivers nationwide. We must drastically reduce emissions to avoid the worst of climate impacts and also protect and restore rivers to buffer communities from the impacts that are already upon us.”
“Rivers are the source of powerful, equitable, cost-effective climate solutions. A healthy river is a community’s first line of defense against climate impacts, offering clean drinking water, flood protection, sustainable food, and safe places to stay cool and connect to nature and culture. We urge Congress to get this legislation over the finish line and deliver on solutions our communities urgently need.”
In addition, American Rivers sent a letter applauding President Biden for taking additional administrative actions to address climate change, and outlined key investments needed for healthy rivers and clean water. The letter states:
“Clean water and healthy hydrologic systems are vital to strong communities, and this will be even more true as our climate continues to change so bold action is required. Declaring a national climate emergency will unlock the broad powers of the National Emergency Act (NEA) to improve water quality, reduce wildfires, enhance floodplain restoration, and protect vulnerable communities from climate change. We write to you today to urge your administration to speed up investments to scale, transform urban environments to be more climate resilient, make sure every community can act, assess and conserve sources of freshwater in public lands, and reduce emissions everywhere and tear down barriers to action.”
Read the full letter here.
