Hey everybody, welcome to the Blister podcast on the Blister Podcast Network.

I'm Jonathan Ellsworth, and you can check out everything we're doing and reviewing over at blisterreview.com.

On Friday, August 12th, the House of Representatives followed the Senate in passing the

Inflation Reduction Act, which is, among other things, a climate and health care bill

that will soon head to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

And for those who have been advocating for climate legislation, this is a truly

historic moment that appeared just a few weeks ago to be dead in the water. There have been

enough twists and turns to this story and to the bill itself that we thought it was important to get clear on

where we are, how we got here, what's actually in this bill, and what we can expect going forward.

Joining me today is Mario Molina, who is the executive director of Protect Our Winters.

Mario does a terrific job in this conversation, providing the context and details of this bill,

and painting a vivid picture of the work that still needs to be done and what you and I now need to do.

I also talk with Mario about his own background in the outdoors,

about growing up in Guatemala and becoming a guide and outfitter,

and how he first got involved in climate advocacy in general,

and how that then led to his work at Protect Our Winters.

So that is what we have on tap for you today, and let's go ahead and get to my conversation

with Mario Molina.

Here we go.

Well, Mario, how are you today and where are you today?

Well, Jonathan, thanks for having me.

I am on Alamusik Lake in Maine, actually.

...