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President Biden made a bold commitment on the campaign trail to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035. The administration has the power to achieve this goal while reducing climate pollution, improving public health, increasing equity, and creating good clean energy jobs. But they must go further, faster to use their authority while they still can.
HERE'S THE STRATEGY
HERE'S THE STRATEGY
What should President Biden do to meet his clean energy commitment? For Biden to accelerate a thriving, just, and inclusive clean energy future, the administration must pursue a bold three-pronged approach.
EPA: Tackling Pollution in the Power Sector
EPA: Tackling Pollution in the Power Sector
The EPA must go further, faster to finalize key climate change and air quality regulations before the end of Biden’s first term.
FERC: Facilitating Clean Energy Deployment
FERC: Facilitating Clean Energy Deployment
FERC can and must pave the way for new clean energy to quickly and easily come online.
DOE: Supporting State Clean Energy Leadership
DOE: Supporting State Clean Energy Leadership
DOE must invest in state leadership, leveraging federal funds to help them achieve their 100% clean power goals.
Keep scrolling to take a deeper dive into each department's critical role.
PETITION: TELL THE EPA TO GO FURTHER, FASTER
PETITION: TELL THE EPA TO GO FURTHER, FASTER
Pollution from the power sector is driving climate disasters that are upending the lives of people across the U.S. Meanwhile, far too many critical EPA standards have been delayed or stalled, and we have just two years until the end of President Biden’s first term. This is allowing toxic air and water pollution to sicken our families, especially low-income, Black, Indigenous, and Brown communities. Americans can’t wait, and Administrator Regan and the EPA need to move further and faster.
The EPA must:
Propose carbon standards for new gas-fired power plants by December 2022, and finalize the rule by December 2023
Propose carbon standards for existing coal- and gas-fired power plants by December 2022, and finalize the rule by December 2023
Propose the risk and technology review for Mercury and Air Toxics Standards by October 2022
Propose a National Smog Standard by November 2022
Immediately make progress on and announce a timeline for strengthening the Regional Haze Rule
Immediately make progress on and announce a timeline for closing loopholes in the Coal Ash Rule, including loopholes for legacy landfills
Announce a final rule for closing Title V startup, shutdown, and malfunction loopholes as soon as possible
Utilize all tools and resources to stringently enforce the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards for sulfur dioxide
Add your name to this petition and we’ll send your signature to Administrator Regan.
Take a Deeper Dive
EPA: TACKLING POLLUTION IN THE POWER SECTOR
Take a Deeper Dive
EPA: TACKLING POLLUTION IN THE POWER SECTOR
What can EPA do after the ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA? They can still regulate climate pollution. That’s why we’re calling on EPA to move further, faster with strong standards directly limiting climate pollution from power plants— a key piece of its comprehensive regulatory strategy to tackle pollution from the power sector.
This historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will inject over $370 billion in climate and environmental justice investments into the economy and help cut carbon pollution by around 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. That leaves us 10-12% short of President Biden’s pledge to reduce carbon pollution 50-52% economy-wide by 2030. Cleaning up the power sector is the linchpin to closing that gap—while also reducing toxic air and water pollution in frontline communities.
To get this done, the EPA must enact standards that cut pollution from fossil fuel power plants, including both climate pollutants and the traditional air and water pollutants that harm human health and drive environmental injustice.
Unfortunately, many of these regulations are behind schedule.
“Every year, pollution from power plants causes 8,000 fine particle and ozone-related premature deaths, tens of thousands of new asthma cases, thousands of heart attacks, and millions of lost school and workdays.”
“Every year, pollution from power plants causes 8,000 fine particle and ozone-related premature deaths, tens of thousands of new asthma cases, thousands of heart attacks, and millions of lost school and workdays.”
EPA Administrator Michael Regan
EPA Administrator Michael Regan
Take a Deeper Dive
FERC: FACILITATING CLEAN ENERGY DEPLOYMENT
Take a Deeper Dive
FERC: FACILITATING CLEAN ENERGY DEPLOYMENT
Can FERC help address climate change?
FERC can and should pave the way for new clean energy to quickly and easily come online.
The Inflation Reduction Act harbors tremendous potential for reducing climate pollution and putting the US on track to meet its climate goals. But if our electrical grid can’t keep up, we’ll lose up to 80% of that pollution reduction potential.
Analysis reveals that we need an average of 2.3% per year expansion of high-voltage transmission capacity to fulfill the Inflation Reduction Act’s potential. For this reason and many others, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is a critical player in the rapid transition to clean energy.
FERC must reform processes to speed up transmission expansion and to relieve the backlog of clean energy projects waiting to be hooked up to the grid. They must level the playing field for clean electricity in wholesale power markets, and modernize our grid to help ensure equitable access to clean energy. After all, clean electricity is cheaper for customers and will result in safer and more reliable energy in the long run.
Take a Deeper Dive
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: SUPPORTING STATE CLEAN ENERGY LEADERSHIP
Take a Deeper Dive
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: SUPPORTING STATE CLEAN ENERGY LEADERSHIP
DOE can help states deploy clean energy and meet their 100% clean power goals by helping them access federal funds through the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
A true all-of-government approach to climate will require states to continue leading on clean energy deployment and reducing pollution from the power sector.
The Department of Energy can help enhance state leadership by helping them access federal dollars for clean energy programs and infrastructure.
There’s $62 billion flowing into DOE from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to fund new and existing projects that will help states achieve clean energy goals and a $250 billion expansion of financing authority in the DOE’s Loan Programs Office (thanks to the IRA), which will supercharge the deployment of clean and innovative energy technologies—while helping states achieve their 100% power goals.
We must power towards 100% clean power for all of us. Access to cleaner, safer, cheaper and more reliable energy is within reach for Americans.
We must power towards 100% clean power for all of us. Access to cleaner, safer, cheaper and more reliable energy is within reach for Americans.
The administration must act now.
The administration must act now.
Looking for more ways to take action? Here's how you can get involved in the transition to 100% Clean Power.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
In March 2022, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,239 likely voters nationally. They found that a majority of voters support the transition to 100% clean energy by 2035.
"We can’t just build solar plants where coal and gas plants used to be. They have to be built where it’s … sunny. And wind turbines have to be built where it’s windy. But that’s not always where the people who need the power are."
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