The Inflation Reduction Act was once hailed as the biggest climate law in U.S. history. But as supporters try to save it, they’ve stopped talking about the environment altogether.
When it passed in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act was hailed by Democrats and environmentalists as the most important piece of climate legislation in American history.
But today, as House Republicans debate whether to repeal the hundreds of billions of dollars that the law provides for solar panels, electric vehicles and other technologies designed to fight global warming, supporters of the law rarely mention the planet.
Instead, the law’s defenders argue that the tax credits for battery factories or wind farms are creating manufacturing jobs around the country and will reduce electricity prices and help the United States to compete in an A.I. race against China.
It’s a sign of how quickly climate has faded from the national agenda under President Trump, who has dismissed the risks of global warming and has rooted out any mention of climate change among federal agencies.
“We’re no longer talking about the environment,” said Chad Farrell, the founder of Encore Renewable Energy, based in Vermont. “We’re talking dollars and cents.”
Mr. Farrell was among the solar industry leaders who met in Washington last week to lobby Congress to preserve many of the law’s clean energy provisions, saying they were essential for the U.S. economy.