WASHINGTON, D.C. — New legislation from U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) would supercharge America’s critically necessary transition to clean energy and climate-smart infrastructure by financing investment and job creation in clean energy and resilience, instituting a common-sense carbon fee, and supporting impacted communities that have powered America for generations. The National Wildlife Federation pledged to work with Durbin and his colleagues to strengthen the bill and to modify provisions that could encourage destructive bioenergy and fuels projects.

“Senator Durbin’s America’s Clean Future Fund Act will support job growth in clean energy and manufacturing, climate-smart farming, and electrified transportation. It will invest in communities affected most by the shift to clean energy, and institute a practical carbon-fee to speed our transition to a zero-carbon future,” said Shannon Heyck-Williams, director of climate and energy policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “This bill is an important starting point for serious conversation around carbon pricing, but it also has room for improvement. There is no such thing as carbon-neutral biomass, and we will work with Senator Durbin to ensure his bill reflects this reality.”