Dr. Leah Stokes may have helped craft the most significant piece of climate legislation in U.S. history, but she’s having a heck of a time electrifying her Santa Barbara home. “It’s a lot of red tape,” she said. “Our city really does not make it easy.”
Stokes, an associate professor of environmental politics at UCSB, was among the policy advisors who worked with Senate Democrats on the $369 billion climate and tax deal announced with great fanfare last week after a year of bruising negotiations. A vote is expected in the coming days. In addition to jump-starting clean energy production on a mass scale, the package features a raft of incentives for everyday Americans wanting to live greener lives, including tax credits for electric vehicles and sustainable home improvements.
We spoke to Stokes Monday about the bill, the compromises that were necessary to make it happen, and Santa Barbara’s role in fighting the climate crisis. This is an edited version of our conversation.