A Roadmap to 100% Clean Electricity by 2035
Leah C. Stokes, Sam Ricketts, Olivia Quinn, Narayan Subramanian and Bracken Hendricks, Evergreen Collaborative and Data for Progress, February 2021.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned and won on a bold platform for confronting the climate crisis and building a clean energy economic recovery—including a 100% clean energy standard for electricity by 2035, plus a $2 trillion investment in clean energy and infrastructure, and deep commitments to confronting systemic environmental injustice.
Congress must act on these commitments, and pass a federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES). This approach is proven in states—already one in three Americans live in a place targeting 100% clean, carbon-free power. It is popular, with more than two-thirds of voters supporting this policy. It is also a practical approach, which can ensure job creation and justice are at the center of a rapid clean energy transition.
Clean energy standard policies are a proven, popular, and practical approach to effectively drive clean energy transformation on the ground. In this report:
We outline how Congress can use a CES to put the U.S. on a path to 100% clean electricity by 2035.
We show how a CES can be designed to rapidly decarbonize the power sector and center equity, good jobs, and community benefits while doing so.
We also outline a number of investments and justice-centered policies that will be required to achieve this rapid 100% clean power goal.
And we argue that this crucial policy commitment made by Democratic leaders can and must overcome any potential legislative barriers. This includes eliminating the filibuster in the United States Senate, or pass CES legislation through budget reconciliation.
Executive Summary
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned and won on a bold platform for confronting the climate crisis and building a clean energy economic recovery—including a 100% clean energy standard for electricity by 2035, plus a $2 trillion investment in clean energy and infrastructure, and deep commitments to confronting systemic environmental injustice.
Congress must act on these commitments, and pass a federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES). This approach is proven in states— already one in three Americans live in a place targeting 100% clean, carbon-free power. It is popular, with more than two-thirds of voters supporting this policy. It is also a practical approach, which can ensure job creation and justice are at the center of a rapid clean energy transition.
In Part 1 of this report, we explain how the next two years are critical for progress towards 100% clean electricity. Congress must act now to pass a CES, and to make bold investments in clean energy transformation. Passing a CES can be done by getting rid of the filibuster, but it can also be accomplished currently with 51 votes in the U.S. Senate; there are numerous options to enact CES through budget reconciliation. Under existing authority, the administration must also begin making important progress toward 100% carbon-free power.
In Part 2, we outline key design options for a federal CES policy, including targets and timetables, the importance of regional equity, alternative compliance payments, the implementing agency, and integration with other regulatory structures.
Equity and environmental justice must be central to a CES policy. We propose several policies to ensure that investments are targeted into disadvantaged communities and that distributed generation is prioritized. Energy efficiency should also be pursued alongside a CES policy, to minimize total additional electric capacity needed.
There are several ways to design a CES so as to optimize for its passage through budget reconciliation. We outline 3 such federal CES policies: a CES with an “On the Books” ZeroEmissions Electricity Credit (ZEC) System, a CES with Reverse-Auctions for ZECs, and a Mass-based federal CES. We also discuss 3 more federal CES-alternatives, in conditional block grants to states, a federal carbonintensity standard, and use of the tax code to drive towards 100% carbon-free power.
In Part 3, we outline additional, essential policies that are critical in reaching 100% carbon-free electricity. These include: federal clean energy investments through tax incentives, grants and public financing; energy transition support through debt retirement for coal plants and financial resources for fossil fuel communities; speeding up electrification of other sectors, including vehicles and buildings; streamlining clean energy siting and permitting, including on public lands; promoting electricity market competition, and intervenor compensation to ensure transition costs remain as low as possible; and policies to address the technology innovation gap.
In Part 4, we summarize and compare existing CES proposals in Congress.
To learn more, read the full policy report here.