Climate Change Legislation Included in Coronavirus Relief Deal

WASHINGTON In the waning days of the 116th Congress, lawmakers have authorized $35 billion in spending on wind, solar and other clean power sources while curtailing the use of a potent planet-warming chemical used in air-conditioners and refrigerators. Both measures, backed by some of the Senates most powerful Republicans, were attached to the huge government spending and that is expected to head to President Trumps desk early this week, effectively creating the first significant climate change law since at least 2009. They amount to a rare party rebuke to Mr. Trump on the issue of global warming, after he spent the past four years mocking and every major climate change rule. The comity may also signal that while President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is unlikely to secure his full climate plan, he may be able to make some progress in curbing global warming. , the Democratic leader, called the effort the single biggest victory in the fight against climate change to pass this body in a decade. Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming and a leading opponent of most climate change policies, also celebrated: This agreement protects both American consumers and American businesses, he said. We can have clean air without damaging our economy. Advocates for climate change policy said passage of the climate measures especially the limits on refrigerants could signal to the rest of the world that the United States is ready to rejoin the global effort to slow the warming of the planet. The coolant phase-down would be one of the most significant federal policies ever taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to an analysis by the Rhodium Group, a research and consulting firm. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and your Times account, or for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? . Want all of The Times? .