President Biden won the White House on the boldest climate agenda of any presidential candidate in history. He made a commitment to the American people that the United States would achieve 100 percent clean, carbon-free electricity by 2035.
Clean electricity is essential to America’s response to the climate crisis. And reaching 80 percent clean power by 2030 is key to achieving the U.S. economy-wide goal of at least halving carbon pollution this decade. The U.S. took a historic step on clean energy investment in 2022, when Congress and President Biden enacted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This critical climate legislation contains over $370 billion in investments towards building America’s clean energy economy.
To stay within reach of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 and address harmful pollution from fossil generation, the U.S. must:
Set ambitious carbon pollution standards for new and existing power plants under the Clean Air Act, and set EPA pollution standards that reduce traditional air and water pollutants and improve public health;
Expand transmission capacity, speed interconnection, and create market parity for clean energy at FERC
Implement the Inflation Reduction Act effectively, with timely federal guidance on the IRA’s tax credits and grant programs and the distribution of funds in a way that maximizes carbon reductions and equitable economic opportunity
Advance climate action at the state level, including through accelerated 100 percent clean electricity and pollution standards that align with 80 percent clean power by 2030 and heightened oversight of polluting utilities
To achieve 100 percent clean power by 2035, the executive branch and states need to move swiftly on executive actions, implementation of the IRA, and state policy.
This paper from Evergreen and NRDC outlines an updated roadmap toward 80 percent clean power by 2030 and 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 now that the IRA is law. With two years remaining in his first term, President Biden must continue to pursue his agenda using standards, investments, and justice to tackle the climate crisis and build a thriving, just, and inclusive clean energy economy.
