Contact: Johanna Kichton, [email protected], 202.660.0605

WASHINGTON, D.C.–People’s Action released the following statement by Gary Zuckett, director of People’s Action member organization West Virginia Citizen Action Group, after Senator Manchin and Senator Schumer announced the Inflation Reduction Act:

“West Virginia organizers and our allies around the country helped win this victory. For years we fought against corporate attacks on our people and our planet and worked to inform Senator Manchin on climate solutions. We applaud the people hit first and worst by climate violence whose resistance and organizing got us to this point.

“The climate funding in this bill is a start to protect our communities from future destruction and heal past climate injustice, but we need so much more to meet the urgency of our climate crisis. We are also outraged that the bill expands oil and gas drilling and promotes false solutions like hydrogen and carbon capture. Democrats need to drop mandated drilling, bolster our wind and solar energy, and reject false approaches that undo most of the good in this bill. 

“There is no time to lose as millions suffer through record temperatures and extreme summer flooding and fires. We will continue organizing for bigger and bolder climate justice solutions, because we know when people come together we can win.”

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People’s Action builds the power of poor and working people in urban, rural, and suburban areas to win change through issue fights and elections. We are a national network of 38 state and local grassroots power-building organizations in 28 states–united in the work of building a bigger “we.”

Since 1974, West Virginia Citizen Action Group has advocated for better public policies, rights of individuals, a cleaner environment, and a stronger democratic process.