Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Nevada residents from all corners of the state can look forward to an extra $369 billion in labor and climate investments coming to the state.
The IRA is the most meaningful climate change policy we’ve seen in decades. The long-awaited investments in this bill will turbocharge Nevada’s growing clean-energy economy and create good-paying union jobs throughout the state.
According to a Political Economy Research Institute study commissioned by the BlueGreen Alliance, the IRA will create 9 million jobs throughout the country over the next 10 years. This includes nearly 5 million jobs from clean-energy investments and more than 400,000 from investments in electric vehicles and clean transportation.
Many of the bill’s investments attach strong labor standards to future projects that ensure those new jobs pay fair wages — putting a dent in income inequality. These standards also protect workers’ health and safety, and invest in the communities that most need them.
Moreover, the jobs created by the IRA are stable and long term, because they are driven by investments in manufacturing clean-energy technology here in the United States. Right now, we import the bulk of our clean-energy technology — like solar panels, EV batteries and components for offshore wind. That means we’re also importing more climate pollution along with it.
The Inflation Reduction Act presents an opportunity for Nevada to build out our domestic supply chains and build the clean energy technology of the future locally. By doing so, our products will, on average, be less emissions-intensive and remove our dependency on other nations for our domestic energy demands.
The manufacturing sector in Nevada has grown in recent years, and the IRA will help continue that trend, diversifying our economy and building clean energy technology and supply chains here in the U.S. that will create sustainable, good-paying, union jobs.
The IRA can also help Nevadans transition to clean energy for their homes and vehicles. Every year, Nevadans spend millions of dollars on fossil fuels from out of state or other countries. This bill will help turn that trend around and support growing the clean economy we need to power our state.
The Inflation Reduction Act also makes critical investments in workers and communities that build a clean, prosperous and equitable economy for all. The bill’s investments include $1 billion to make affordable housing more energy-efficient, water-efficient and climate-resilient. An additional $50 million is set aside to address air pollution in schools, and $220 million is available for a tribal climate resilience and adaptation program.
In total, the bill’s climate-focused provisions are expected to reduce emissions by up to 44% by 2030.
Although the progress of Congress can feel very far away, the efforts of our representatives at the U.S. Capitol now have the potential to become historic wins for Nevada’s residents. We thank Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, and Reps. Steven Horsford, Susie Lee and Dina Titus for voting for good jobs, lower costs and a brighter future for us all.
Elspeth Cordua DiMarzio is a senior campaign representative at the Sierra Club, and Vince Saavedra is executive secretary-treasurer at the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions.
