The U.S. power industry would struggle to meet Joe Biden’s proposed mandate that it become carbon neutral by 2035 without some breakthroughs in clean energy technology, according to Reuters analysis via nicholagroom and ValerieVolco
FILE PHOTO: Windmills line a hillside in Palm Springs, California, U.S., November 29, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
Those views cast doubt over the feasibility of Biden’s proposed mandate as he prepares to face off with President Donald Trump – a climate change skeptic and booster of fossil fuels - in the November election. Biden has called climate change the biggest challenge facing America and the world, and in late July announced a proposal to spend $2 trillion on clean energy – paid for through corporate taxes.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that Biden’s climate plan included “unrealistic mandates that would cripple America’s economy and crush our poorest communities.”Responding in part to investor pressure or American state-mandated targets, more than half of those contacted by Reuters have pledged to eliminate all of their carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest, with some promising earlier timelines.
Natural gas emits about half as much CO2 as coal when burned, and its increased use in recent years has helped the United States slash emissions. But gas is a potent contributor to climate change when it leaks. Scientists say it has a tendency to escape from infrastructure in the form of methane, a climate-heating component of natural gas.
Duke spokesman Neil Nissan called the criticism “unfounded,” saying the company has reduced emissions dramatically by retiring coal plants and will double its renewable capacity in the next five years. Southern said natural gas enables the growth of renewables by ensuring grid reliability.Many of the utilities surveyed - including American Electric Power Company Inc, Entergy Corp and Vistra Corp - said they can’t commit to eliminating carbon emissions without new technologies.
Alternatives like small nuclear reactors and using hydrogen to create electricity have yet to be proven or made widely available commercially.
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