Today, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) joined over 190 state legislators from 52 states and territories calling on the Biden Administration to ensure renewable energy jobs in states are no longer threatened by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other trade and investment agreements.
States are leaders on climate action, having passed bold and innovative policies to increase renewable energy and reduce emissions. However, this progress has been challenged on the international stage with challenges brought to the World Trade Organization (WTO). To address climate change, states need to have the ability to nurture and grow domestic industries, such as renewable energy, to create and ensure good jobs for local communities.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 invests a landmark $369 billion in climate and energy investments. However, this landmark policy now also faces threats of challenges on the international stage.
“Connecticut continues to make progress fighting climate change locally, most notably with the recent CT Clean Air Act” said Senator Duff. “Now, we have a President who cares about the dangers of a rapidly changing climate and led the way to make once-in-a-generation investment in clean energy. We cannot stop this progress because of trade rules from a bygone era.”
Our states, the country, and the world face a critical point in addressing climate change. This moment demands that states and the U.S. meet the climate crisis with a sense of urgency. Legislators call on the Biden Administration to align trade policy and climate goals by championing a climate peace clause on the international stage. Creating a climate peace clause would be a commitment among governments to refrain from using outdated trade rules to challenge other countries’ climate policies. Commitment to a climate peace clause would help cement the U.S. as a global leader on climate and signal that trade rules should no longer be a barrier to a just, green transition.
