Biden unveils $2 trillion climate change plan aimed at stimulating economy - Entrepreneur Generations

On Tuesday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden unveiled an expanded—and more expensive—version of his plan to address climate change and stimulate the U.S. economy. The plan proposes spending $2 trillion over four years, "calling for front-line, fence-line and environmentally vulnerable communities to get 40% of the benefits from his climate plan," Adam Aton reports for Energy & Environment News.

Last week a task force formed by Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had recommended Biden eliminate carbon pollution from power plants by 2035, make all new buildings net-zero on emissions by 2030, make energy-saving upgrades to existing structures, install 500 million solar panels and manufacture 60,000 wind turbines.

Biden's new plan, which carries a higher price tag than any of his other policy proposals, is a "leftward pivot" possibly meant to appease more liberal Democrats, but it also "reflects how the falling cost of renewable energy has made it easier to pitch climate policy as economic stimulus," Aton reports. When Biden announced the plan yesterday, he emphasized that plans like retrofitting buildings with LED lighting would mean jobs for electricians and union workers.

"Republicans responded by accusing Biden of trying to destroy millions of oil and gas jobs," Aton reports, but such arguments may be less powerful these days because falling clean-energy costs have made it easier to make a case for growing the economy with renewable-energy jobs.

Renewable energy is a major source of jobs in the rural Midwest, far more than oil, gas or coal jobs, according to a January report.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/3j88ZNi Biden unveils $2 trillion climate change plan aimed at stimulating economy - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet