Date: April 26, 2021
To: President Biden, Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader McCarthy
Re: Supporting 100% Clean Electricity Standard by 2035
We write to urge you to act now to pass bold Build Back Better economic recovery legislation that includes a federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES) requiring 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 and achieving by 2030 at least 80% clean power and 80% carbon pollution reductions from the electricity sector below 2005 levels.
This approach is popular. Across the country, a historic 81 million people voted for President Biden and his transformative commitment to clean energy. Over 30 states and territories have passed clean or renewable electricity standards, and 16 are now committed to 100% clean power. Today, more than one out of every three Americans already live in a jurisdiction that has committed to 100% clean energy. And two-thirds of Americans support 100% clean electricity by 2035.
We must rapidly clean up our electricity system to reduce pollution and protect public health, including by using a CES as well as Clean Air Act standards and major new investments in renewable energy. Fossil fuel power plants are disproportionately placed in low-income communities and communities of color. Today, Black Americans are more likely than other Americans to die prematurely from pollution emitted from power plants. An ambitious CES will also help us build a more prosperous economy; a national CES would lead to a net increase of 500,000-1 million good-paying jobs by 2030, and should be designed to cut pollution and create jobs in our most heavily impacted communities, and build more clean energy projects that benefit disadvantaged communities, pay prevailing wages, and utilize organized labor.
Renewable energy is now the cheapest form of energy, and a well-designed CES can save ratepayers money. Coal is so expensive that continuing to run uneconomical coal plants over the past three years has wasted $3.5 billion in ratepayer funds—a figure that doesn’t even account for the costs to our healthcare system from fossil fuel pollution, or the massive and accelerating costs of the climate crisis.
Today electricity generation makes up more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas pollution. Clean electricity is the first linchpin in economy-wide decarbonization, as we electrify parts of transportation, buildings and heavy industry. This approach will let us use clean electricity to eliminate up to 80% of economy-wide greenhouse gas pollution in the next two decades.
For all these reasons, and many others, we support a national Clean Electricity Standard targeting 100% by 2035, with an interim goal of 80% by 2030. This standard must be coupled with large investments in environmental justice communities and requirements to protect and expand good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy. In light of the tremendous job and economic benefits sorely needed to help ensure a rapid recovery and the immediacy of the climate crisis, we urge you to advance this legislation without delay, and using the budget reconciliation process if necessary.
Sincerely,
100% Campaign
Acadia Center
Alabama Interfaith Power & Light
Alliance for Climate Education
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Sustainable Business Council
Anthropocene Alliance
Appalachian Voices
Arizona Interfaith Power & Light
Aspen Skiing Company
Avaaz
BIO2 AMERICA
Care About Climate
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church Environmental Justice Ministry
Center for American Progress
Center for Energy and Environment
Charlotte 350
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Chispa Arizona
Clean Energy for America
Climate Action Rhode Island (350 RI)
Climate Crisis Policy
Climate Neutral
Climate Reality Atlanta Chapter
Climate Reality Boca Raton, FL Chapter
Climate Solutions
Coastal Conservation League
Colorado Farm and Food Alliance
Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES)
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Community Environmental Council
Conservation Minnesota
Conservation Voters of South Carolina
Data for Progress
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
Delaware Interfaith Power & Light
Dream Corps Green For All
E2
Earth Ministry
Earth Rise Indivisible
Earth Uprising
EcoAmerica
Elders Climate Action
Empower our Future
End Climate Silence
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Finance Center West
Evergreen Action
Fairfax 350
Florida Clinicians for Climate Action
Franciscan Action Network
Fresh Energy
Future Nexus
GASP
Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
Gesundheit Institute
Glen Echo Heights Mobilization
Green Generation
Green New Deal Virginia
Green Towson Alliance
Greenbelt Climate Action Network
GreenLatinos
GRID Alternatives
Harambee House, Inc. / Citizens for Environmental Justice
Heroes Cafe
Hip Hop Caucus
Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light
Illinois Environmental Council
Indivisible Northern Virginia
Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy, American University
Interfaith Power & Light
Last Frontier Strategies
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters of the US
Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN)
Loudoun Climate Project
Michigan Climate Action Network
Michigan Environmental Council
Michigan Interfaith Power & Light
Missouri Interfaith Power & Light
Moms Clean Air Force
Montana Interfaith Power & Light
Mothers & Others For Clean Air
Mothers Out Front
Mountain Association
MountainTrue
NAACP Atlanta
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Natural Resources Defense Council
NC APPPL: Alliance to Protect Our People and the Places We Live
Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light
Neighborhood Sun Benefit Corp
New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy
New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light
North Carolina Conservation Network
North Carolina Council of Churches
North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light
North Carolina Justice Center
North Carolina League of Conservation Voters
Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC)
NTS Group, Clean Energy Action - Colorado, City of Boulder, Community-Energy Task Force
NW Energy Coalition
Our Climate Education Fund
OURS (Organized Uplifting Resources & Strategies)
Partnership for Southern Equity
Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light
People's Justice Council
Phoenix Zones Initiative
Philadelphia Solar Energy Association
Physicians for Social Responsibility Florida
Pivot Point
Policy Solutions Institute
Progressive Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party
Quaker Earthcare Witness
Rachel Carson Council
Raise Green, Inc.
Resurrection Restoration Center for the Homeless
Rewiring America
RVA Interfaith Climate Justice League
Sideline Software Systems
Sierra Club
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
Stand.earth
Sunrise Movement
Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light
Tennessee Solar Energy Association
Texas Interfaith Power & Light/Texas Impact
Texas Interfaith Power & Light/Texas Impact
The CLEO Institute
The Climate Center
The Climate Mobilization Montgomery Co Md
The Climate Reality Project, NOVA Chapter
The Imani Group
The Outdoor Policy Outfit
The Solar RN
To Nizhoni Ani
Turn the Tide for Tarpon
Union for Reform Judaism
Union of Concerned Scientists
Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis Sustainability Team
Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun, Earth Justice Team
United Parents Against Lead & Other Environmental Hazards (UPAL)
Vermont Interfaith Power and Light
Virginia Community Rights Network
Virginia DC Metro Climate Save
Vote Solar
Western Environmental Law Center
Western Resource Advocates
World Wildlife Fund
WV Climate Alliance