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Summary
- Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is at risk of repeal by Donald Trump, but gaining political support from Republicans and clean energy businesses.
- The IRA’s subsidies benefit Republican and swing states, making repeal more difficult.
- Clean energy business leaders, Shell Oil CEO, and GOP lawmakers are pushing to protect the IRA, highlighting economic benefits and job creation.
- Repealing the IRA will be challenging due to strong economic interests in its favor, but opposition from conservative activists and Trump remains.
Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is squarely in Donald Trump’s sights. There is certainly a risk that a GOP sweep in November would result in repeal, as I’ve written before. Yet there are increasing signs that the IRA has created a powerful political constituency deep in Republican domains. This will make repealing or neutering the IRA politically difficult. It may also broaden support for future expansion of clean energy.
Subsidies in general are hard to repeal. The geography of IRA spending makes repeal that much more difficulty for opponents. Much of the IRA’s funding is going to Republican states like Georgia and swing states like Michigan, including multi-billion dollar factories to build batteries and electric vehicles. This map from the Citizens’ Climate Lobby tells the story:
Subsidies for nuclear power and carbon capture also create allies in unusual places for an environmental law.
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Read the full post at Legal Planet.
