Three Congresspeople unveiled a wide-ranging climate bill on the 2nd March that embraces President Biden’s goals to curb climate change including decarbonizing the electric grid by 2035.
Introduced by Representatives Frank Pallone, Paul Tonko, and Bobby Rush (all Democrats), and incorporating input from the Biden administration, the bill includes a federal clean electricity standard requiring a percentage of retail power sales to come from sources that produce little or no carbon emissions.
The Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s Future Act, or CLEAN, requires 80% clean electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2035. The power could come from sources including wind, solar and existing nuclear energy. On transportation, the largest source of carbon emissions, the bill authorizes $100 million (£722,788,000) annually from 2022 to 2031 for entities that install publicly accessible electric vehicle supply equipment. It also requires the energy secretary to establish a program to help determine where electric vehicle charging stations are needed and expands access in disadvantaged communities.
The bill does not contain provisions for a carbon tax, supported by some Republicans, companies, and climate activists. Representative Pallone told reporters that the “votes just aren’t there” for a tax on carbon.
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Source
US House Democratic lawmakers introduce wide-ranging climate bill, Reuters, 2021-03-02
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