“Lots of the direct benefits of these tax credits already go to red states,” said Barry Rabe, a professor of political science and environmental policy at the University of Michigan. “We have seen major growth of wind and solar production in predominantly Republican states, such as Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota. And these policies have had bipartisan support over time.”
In saying they would not vote for a stand-alone climate bill, some Republicans touted their own preferred method of curbing emissions. “If you’re serious about climate, put a price on carbon,” said Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. Many lawmakers consider passing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions politically unworkable.
Understand the Latest News on Climate Change
Card 1 of 3A warming trend. European scientists announced that 2021 was Earth’s fifth hottest year on record, with the seven hottest years ever recorded being the past seven. A Times analysis of temperatures in the United States showed how 2021 outpaced previous years in breaking all-time heat records.
U.S. emissions bounce back. After a record 10 percent decline in 2020, America’s greenhouse gas emissions rose 6.2 percent in 2021 as the economy began recovering from the pandemic. The uptick underscored the challenges President Biden faces to fulfill his climate agenda.
Sounding the alarm. A report on the state of the Arctic highlights troubling and consistent trends in the region that are linked to global warming. Researchers are also growing increasingly concerned about Antarctica, where ice shelves are melting and wilder winds are altering crucial currents.
Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he preferred solutions like support for technologies to capture carbon dioxide from the air and it store it underground. The Build Back Better Act does include billions of dollars for research and development of so-called “carbon capture,” a technology that is not in use at any commercial scale because it is prohibitively expensive.
Mr. Cramer recently joined with former President Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, in calling for the United States and Europe to impose a carbon fee on imported goods as part of “a trans-Atlantic climate and trade initiative.”
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who often refers to himself as the “father” of the wind-energy-production tax credit, said he could support provisions in the bill that bolster wind and solar power but is opposed to sections that would help make electric vehicles more affordable. That would hurt his state’s ethanol industry, he said.
None of the Republicans surveyed said they felt they were facing a planetary emergency.
“I don’t adhere to the alarmism of ‘we’re doomed and we’re doomed soon,’” Mr. Cramer said.