As the reconciliation package finds itself bogged down in congressional gridlock, a rather anonymous piece of legislation from last December is already doing some of the heavy climate lifting. A recent study from the think tank Resources for the Future predicts that the landmark Energy Act of 2020 could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 2,500 million metric tons, or half a billion cars, by 2040. Haven’t heard of it? I’m not surprised.

While climate policy wonks in D.C. have long touted the importance of the Energy Act of 2020, few people have heard of it beyond the Beltway. It certainly has not received the same coverage that proposals such as the Green New Deal or the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package have. Yet, while the Green New Deal is little more than a progressive pipe dream at this point, and the reconciliation bill is facing an uncertain political fate, the Energy Act of 2020 is already fighting climate change today.