The Inflation Control Act is two years old. How has it benefited Western North Carolina?

Electric school buses. Air quality sensors. Solar energy for the community.

These developments are just a handful of the many benefits of the landmark infrastructure and climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, which celebrates its second year on August 16, 2024.

The measure authorized $66 billion in federal funds to be spent over nearly a decade on renewable energy projects, pollution reduction and toxic waste cleanup, electric vehicle manufacturing, and tax credits and incentives for homeowners and businesses looking to invest in affordable clean energy themselves.

“This bill is the biggest advance on climate ever,” President Joe Biden said when signing the bill in 2022.

Much of this investment went to the South. North Carolina received billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, including $500 million for renewable energy and pollution reduction, appreciated 10,751 manufacturing and renewable energy jobs across the state.

In western North Carolina, several communities benefit from the IRA.

Nine communities on the Qualla border will receive Air quality sensors to monitor common hazardous air pollutants in the Smoky Mountains. Others are preparing applications for grant programs such as Solar for everyonewhich supports access to solar energy for the community in poor areas.

Communities in western North Carolina also received assistance from the IRA through the Environmental Protection Agency Clean school bus programThe program, which provided Cherokee Central Schools and Madison County Schools with new electric school buses, raised $5 billion statewide.

Asheville aims to establish an electric bus fleet and use more cost-effective solar energy, said Bridget Herring, Asheville's sustainability director.

“It’s a great opportunity to preserve clean energy resources in our community,” Herring said.

Herring added that to stay competitive for grants, Asheville has begun partnering with smaller cities in Western North Carolina. Despite political differences, the communities have found they are stronger when they share information and work together in coalitions.

“I think everyone out there wants to seize the moment and get access to the resources,” Herring said.

Asheville could also receive funding for public transit, including $3.5 million for research that could lay the groundwork for passenger rail service.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, based in Asheville, received $85 million financed to advance research on climate resilience in the private sector.

The benefits come despite local political opposition to the measure. U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents the 11th District, voted against the bill.

At a primary debate earlier this year, Edwards said spoke out against IRA-backed green energy projects, saying it was a “mistake” that was being “forced upon us”.

Fewer manufacturing jobs were created in the Blue Ridge Mountains than elsewhere in the state. The largest manufacturer to receive support in the region was Cummins-Meritor, a $17 million electric vehicle parts plant in Henderson County. A little further afield is the Piedmont Lithium Project in Koenigsberg received support as part of the electric vehicle supply chain.

However, these massive funds are only just beginning to be disbursed and local governments are striving to use these funds for as long as possible in anticipation of possible change based on the outcome of the US presidential election.

Former President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to eliminate IRA tax credits and other clean energy incentives, leading to potential Cracks in the southern states, which benefited from the influx of new industry.

“This reporting is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Ground materiala non-profit environmental media organization.