The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the largest investment by Congress to date to address climate change, and it is expected to have a major impact on the clean energy transition in the United States. It is a significant step forward for climate action in the United States and is expected to create millions of new jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve air quality.

The Inflation Reduction Act includes a number of provisions that are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean energy. These provisions include:

• Investing $369 billion in clean energy technologies, such as solar and wind power.
• Allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, which is expected to save Medicare beneficiaries an average of $2,500 per year on their prescription drug costs.
• Reducing harmful pollution from fossil fuels, which is expected to avoid up to 3,900 premature deaths and up to 100,000 asthma attacks annually by 2030.

The Inflation Reduction Act is a complex piece of legislation that will take time to fully implement. Many of its provisions create new programs and mechanisms for federal funding that local governments can access directly.

New programs and funding sources invariably take time to get established and to become coordinated with existing local, state, and federal programs. The more that local governments and community-based organizations can do to understand and coordinate related efforts, the faster the benefits of the IRA will emerge, the more equitably they will be shared, and the greater the impacts will be.

Here are some specific ways that local governments and community-based organizations can get involved in the Inflation Reduction Act:

• Learn about the Inflation Reduction Act: The first step is to learn as much as possible about the IRA. Explore this resource hub and subscribe to our IRA Climate Action Alerts to find more information about how you can optimize Inflation Reduction Act climate benefits for your community.
• Identify opportunities for funding: Once you have a good understanding of the Inflation Reduction Act, you can start to identify opportunities for funding. This can be done by looking at the law, talking to federal agencies, and networking with other organizations.
• Develop projects: Once you have identified funding opportunities, you can start to develop projects that can be funded by the IRA. These projects should be aligned with the goals of the IRA and should be responsive to the needs of your community.
  Partner with others: No one organization can do everything that needs to be done to implement the IRA. By partnering with other organizations, you can leverage resources and expertise to get more done.