Unexpected deal would boost Biden pledge on climate change

WASHINGTON (AP) — An unexpected deal reached by Senate Democrats would be the most ambitious action ever taken by the United States to address global warming and could help President Joe Biden come close to meeting his pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, experts said Thursday, as they sifted through a massive bill that revives action on climate change weeks after the legislation appeared dead.

The deal would spend nearly $370 billion over 10 years to boost electric vehicles, jump-start renewable energy such as solar and wind power and develop alternative energy sources like hydrogen. The deal stunned lawmakers and activists who had given up hope that legislation could be enacted after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he could not support the measure because of inflation concerns.

While analysts were still studying the 725-page bill, the deal announced late Wednesday includes a long-term extension of clean energy tax credits that "could plausibly put the U.S. on track to reduce emissions by 40% in 2030,'' said Ben King, associate director of the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm.

Additional action by the Biden administration and Democratic-controlled states could “help close the rest of the gap to the target of a 50-52% cut in emissions by 2030,'' King said.

But approval of the bill is far from certain in a 50-50 Senate where support from every Democrat will be needed to overcome unanimous Republican opposition. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who forced changes in earlier versions of the plan, declined to reveal her stance Thursday.

In the narrowly divided House, Democrats can lose no more than four votes and prevail on a possible party-line vote.

Still, Biden called the bill “historic” and urged quick passage.

“We will improve our...