GreenLatinos Energized by New Build Back Better Framework

Colorado - In response to President Joe Biden releasing a new Build Back Better framework Mark Magaña, Founding President & CEO of GreenLatinos released the following statement:

“It's code red for climate and we have reached a moment of truth. Latino and other communities of color are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis and are living through the impacts of climate related severe weather conditions, wildfires, drought, extreme storms, and flooding, in real time now. This is not just an existential threat to us, this is a clear and present danger to our families and communities.

President Biden and Congressional leaders have responded to the moment with a new framework for the Build Back Better (BBB) Act that lays out unprecedented investments on a path to fully addressing the climate crisis, cutting carbon pollution, delivering action on environmental justice, reducing energy bills for working families, and working toward a just transition by creating millions of quality union jobs. While we did not get everything we wanted in this framework, we are energized by this significant investment and more determined than ever to continue to fight for our communities.”

We are pleased to see:

• Climate investments reportedly total more than $550 billion - investments that will protect our environment and economy by cutting the carbon pollution that drives climate change.

• The framework gives the administration the tools it needs to achieve 50 to 52 percent reductions of carbon pollution by 2030.

• Resilience investments of $105 billion dollars represents a win for addressing extreme weather and leveraging climate mitigation potential of coastal ecosystems, coastal community resilience, fish and wildlife habitat, and restoration jobs.

• If this framework becomes law, it will be the single largest investment in climate, and clean energy and we will continue to fight for more funding focused on investments in our frontline environmental justice communities.

It is essential that Congress advance the BBB framework in tandem with the bipartisan infrastructure deal, which on its own is insufficient to address the climate crisis or protect frontline communities. GreenLatinos strongly urges Congress to get the historic climate and environmental justice investments in today’s framework across the finish line and pass the BBB framework as the President has outlined.

GreenLatinos is an active comunidad of Latino leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.