Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) reached a deal late on July 27 that will infuse billions of dollars in energy infrastructure projects and cut U.S. carbon emissions by 40% over the next decade if it is enacted into law.
The new bill—the result of an apparent change-of-heart by Manchin who almost single-handedly killed months ago the more wide-ranging Build Back Better Act favored by President Joe Biden—is being heralded by environmental and clean energy advocates who had all but given up hope that Congress would pass meaningful legislation to address the climate crisis this year.