The Reconciliation Bill Gives a Huge Gift to the Gas Industry
The reconciliation bill’s clean energy rebate program sneaks in a provision that could tie homeowners’ appliances to natural gas for a long time — benefiting fossil fuel companies at the expense of the climate.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Haynes Generating Station, a natural gas power plant, in Seal Beach, California. (Jon Sullivan / Flickr)
President Joe Biden has touted his administration’s Build Back Better Act as “the largest effort to combat climate change in American history.” While not untrue, the devil is in the details. And the devil buried in the climate section of the reconciliation bill text? A sizable gift to the natural gas industry in the form of rebates for Americans switching to appliances powered by burning natural gas.
Tucked into the section calling for residential efficiency and electrification rebates is a subtle six-year policy to make $5.9 billion available to establish the Home Owner Managing Energy Savings (HOMES) rebate program. The policy, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase household energy and cost savings, would help states establish rebate programs for energy-efficient retrofits.
According to the White House, “The consumer rebates and credits included in the Build Back Better framework will save the average American family hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs.”
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