TAMPA, Fla. — President Joe Biden is pushing to advance clean energy, including pledging $300 billion dollars in the Inflation Reduction Act to cut greenhouse gases and vehicle emissions, with the goal of making a more sustainable and green economy.

What You Need To Know

  •  Biden and Trump have very different views on the future of fighting climate change 

  •  Oil and gas production in the U.S. is now at record rates 

  •  Trump wants to cut back on climate change initiatives; Biden pledges funding to cut greenhouse gases and vehicle emissions

Former President Donald Trump wants to increase domestic energy and even vowed to eliminate Biden’s climate and environmental regulations. This comes at a time when the United States is energy independent and producing oil and natural gas at record rates.

Environmental issues are playing a role in the race, with the candidates having very different views,

Tanner Loyd is the co-leader of the Tampa Bay Chapter of Climate Lobby, a bipartisan organization that pushes for federal and local green initiatives. He says politicians need to work together.

“I think I’d be most worried about the politicians of the election process – playing on emotions instead of the logical solutions that we can pursue to fix the climate change issue,” Loyd said.

Climate and environmental initiatives can be hyper-partisan issues, with both sides of the aisle looking at the issues in opposing ways. In Florida, it’s no different.

“I think we should be able to look at the broad base of everything and maximize our utilization of taxpayer dollars,” Republican Sen. Jay Collins said.

Collins says Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking a common-sense approach to a changing environment.

“$3.5 billion invested into clean water ways, and the Everglades, it's incredible," Collins said.

"It's making a difference, but those are the things we should do. And you couple that with what we are doing after hurricanes – Ian and Idalia – and the shore line and the build out, Florida is doing good work. We are putting that into practical application,” Sen. Collins said.

DeSantis signed legislation that outlaws off-shore wind turbines and would increase natural gas production, which accounts for 73 percent of the energy source used by Florida Power and light for electricity. The law will limit regulations just as Trump wants to do.

For Loyd, it shouldn’t be a partisan issue. He says green initiatives benefit the state and the country.

“I think it's counter productive. It's not helpful. I think there are solutions out there," he said. "If we work together instead of trying to fight each other, we can get there a lot faster,” Loyd said.