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With just days before his appearance at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow on Sunday, Democrats are looking for ways to strengthen the climate provisions in President Biden’s environmental and social policy bill, and some lawmakers say they’re not giving up. push to include tax on carbon dioxide pollution that warms the planet.

The White House is urging lawmakers to agree on a framework for the law before the president meets with other world leaders at the summit. Mr. Biden hopes to cite the bill as proof that he can come together. his assertive word That the United States will reduce pollution warming the planet by 50 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

In its current form, the passage of the bill, which is expected to involve spending about $500 billion on climate and environmental provisions, would take the United States halfway to that goal. According to an analysis by the Rhodium Group, an independent policy research firm.

The package is set to include nearly $300 billion in tax incentives to promote renewable energy and electric vehicles. Until recently, Mr. Biden had hoped it would include a $150 billion program to shut down fossil fuel-fired power plants and replace them with wind and solar generators, paying electricity utilities to punish those who didn’t. The combination of this program and tax credits would allow Mr Biden to convincingly argue in Glasgow that the United States is on track to meet its climate targets.

Clean electricity program Dropped at the insistence of Senator Joe Manchin IIIDemocrat of West Virginia, whose home state is a major coal and gas producer. But environmentally conscious Democrats are still trying to incorporate other programs to reduce emissions.

Rhode Island Democrat and environmental advocate Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said Tuesday that once Democrats agree on a general framework for the bill, they will create an accompanying “emissions framework.” Mr Whitehouse outlined a plan where Democrats would commit to maximizing emissions reductions on the bill, then add policies to the legislation to achieve those cuts.

“Once we have sorted out expenditures and payments and learned what we need to do to reduce emissions, that’s when work on the carbon charge begins in earnest,” said Mr Whitehouse.

But challenges remain for Democrats, who need every vote in their legislature to pass the bill through the Senate. Mr. Manchin has voiced strong reservations about the carbon tax, and the White House fears that such a tax could lead Biden to charges that he violated his commitment not to raise taxes on the middle class.

Democrats said around other provisions, including $13.5 billion to build electric vehicle charging stations, $9 billion to make the power grid more conducive to transmitting wind and solar power, and $17.5 billion to reduce emissions from federal buildings. looks united. It is also likely to include $40 billion to promote climate-friendly agriculture and forestry programs, $30 billion for a “green bank” to help communities fund renewable energy projects, and $10 billion to help rural electricity cooperatives cover the cost of transitioning from coal plants. . renewable energy.