Posted on February 24, 2021 by Rich Powell
This op-ed was originally published by Morning Consult on February 24, 2021. Click here to read the entire piece.
Addressing climate change is undeniably a top priority for the Biden administration. As the tragic weather events in Texas and across the Midwest wreak havoc on our energy system, preparing our grid to be reliable needs to be front and center.
However, President Joe Biden’s emerging strategy – governing via executive orders, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, placing a moratorium on all oil- and gas-related leasing and permitting actions on federal lands – seemingly hasn’t focused on grid reliability and does not involve Republicans.
Contrary to the rhetoric in some circles, Republicans have ambitious climate proposals too, and have spent the last two Congresses busily enacting a massive innovation-focused approach to the global climate challenge. In December, for example, Congress passed the most significant clean energy legislation we’ve seen in over a decade – the Energy Act of 2020. The resulting package was a culmination of hard work on both sides of the Hill – reconciling the Senate’s (Republican-led) American Energy Innovation Act (S. 2657) and the House’s Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447).
Conservatives’ clean energy innovation plans in recent years are the first steps on the path for the power and industrial sectors to reach their net-zero emissions goals – while remaining affordable and reliable.
However, even with a split Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) seems to follow Biden’s partisan lead, signaling the Senate is poised to enact a one-party approach. Schumer did, however, close his floor remarks recently by insisting he looks forward to working with Republicans to “find some common ground on [the climate] issue.”
Let’s hope he’s serious and builds on recent bipartisan success.
Click here to read the full article
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