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Hi John,
Tomorrow’s crucial Democratic primary contest is taking place in South Carolina, where a recent poll from Conservation Voters of South Carolina found that 64% of all voters in the state called climate change a serious problem, including 89% of African-American voters. And yet, CBS chose not to ask candidates a single question on climate change. South Carolinians, who have faced climate-worsened storms and flooding the last few years, deserve to hear from Democrats on environmental issues.
Lucky for us, Congress isn’t CBS. The Senate has elevated clean energy to the forefront this week with a new bipartisan energy package, with floor time expected next week. Let’s take a look:
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A Positive Step Toward Climate Goals
This week, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee released their long-awaited energy package. It includes some critical pieces of legislation, including the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act, and the Clean Industrial Technology Act (CITA). and Even in a divided Congress, clean energy is bipartisan: in a recent analysis, we found that there are over a dozen policy areas where committees have passed bills in both chambers with bipartisan support.
This package is just a step toward reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Imagine how much could get done when Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress.
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Talking points:
- While stakeholders have levied significant criticism against Congress for lagging on climate action, this package shows that progress is still possible this year. Climate policy is in motion in this Congress and needs more external support to move it forward.
- The Senate proposal, especially when paired with similar work that the House has completed, would accelerate innovation in wind, solar, geothermal, advanced nuclear, energy storage, carbon capture, and other technologies that are critical in getting to net-zero by 2050 at the latest.
- We aren’t going to solve the climate crisis – especially in this divided Congress. We should absolutely seize the opportunities we have, especially when they could help us create more of the affordable clean energy tools required for a low-carbon economy.
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Can Corporations Stop Climate Change? Maybe…
ICYMI: Monday’s episode of The New York Times’ podcast The Daily explored how large companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Delta Airlines are setting goals to reduce their carbon emissions. The business and financial worlds are increasingly integrating climate risk into their long-term strategy, But columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin says that federal climate action is a must to realize actual deep decarbonization. Ramping up investments in clean energy R&D, supporting clean technology demonstrations, adopting performance standards, and investing in an electric vehicle future are just some of the ways Congress can encourage significant carbon reductions.
And if you have time for one more podcast this weekend, check out the latest episode of our Path to Zero series. With March Madness just around the corner, Political Climate called on four energy experts to create their ideal policy bracket for reducing electricity sector emissions. For the third episode in our series, contestants selected the five federal policies they think have the best odds of enactment and that could reduce the most emissions by 2050.
“Decarb Madness 2020” features Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Princeton University, and Leah Stokes, assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Political Climate co-hosts Brandon Hurlbut and Shane Skelton also fill out their brackets.
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As always, let’s keep the conversation going,
Jared
Jared DeWese
Senior Communications Advisor | Third Way
202.384.1737 :: @jareddewese
T.J. Osborne
Climate and Energy Press Coordinator | Third Way
202.775.5163 :: @tjosborne_
Jackie Toth
Advisor for Policy and Content, Climate and Energy | Third Way
202.775.5167 :: @JackieTothDC
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