HOW THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT BENEFITS TODAY’S HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

It’s about damn time! Turn up the legislation, let’s celebrate! 

The Inflation Reduction Act includes $369 billion to tackle the climate crisis – the most significant investment in the United States. Regardless if today’s high school graduate goes to college, trade school, or enters the workforce, they will benefit from this historic bill that will make their futures healthier and cleaner. Don’t believe us? Take a look:

Whether a high school grad is living in university housing, finding an apartment with friends, or staying home to help family, they can take advantage of the $9 billion in consumer home energy rebate programs. This program helps low-income consumers to electrify home appliances and for energy-efficient retrofits. Energy-efficient appliances use less energy, cut energy bills, and pollute less. 

With all the time they are able to save by not worrying about a decaying planet, these young adults will be able to develop their academic and/or professional skills and land their first job! These young adults will have the opportunity to choose from millions of good-paying clean energy jobs that the Inflation Reduction Act helped create. The legislation builds a new clean energy manufacturing economy by investing in refurbishing old factories, building new factories, requiring high wages, and mandating apprenticeship training for companies using clean energy tax credits.

These jobs will give them the ability to save for the future, to buy a car perhaps!,  The Inflation Reduction Act offers $4,000 in consumer tax credits for used electric vehicles. Switching to an EV saves more money with lower maintenance and refueling costs than gasoline cars. 

After working and developing professionally, these young adults can help their communities tackle environmental injustices by using part of the $3 billion in Environmental & Climate Justice Block Grants from the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce pollution and improve public health. They can also use the $3 billion funding for the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants Program to support neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation access.

Whether they live in a rural town, a suburban neighborhood, or an urban city, these young adults will be able to breathe fresher air and spend less time worrying about the possibility of evacuating from extreme weather events. The Inflation Reduction Act includes funding to support healthy, fire-resilient forests, forest conservation, and urban tree planting. By 2030 – when today’s high school graduates are in their late twenties – harmful greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 40%, preventing the Earth from heating up further.

Of course, much more can still be done. Over some food from farms and ranches that benefited from the more than $20 billion to develop climate-smart agriculture practices, young adults will be able to brainstorm ideas on how else to push Congress to take more bold climate action.