A climate change task force convened by Joe Biden in a partnership with his former rival Bernie Sanders has recommended Biden commit to eliminating carbon emissions from power plants by 2035.
Biden has faced pressure from progressives to strengthen his $1.7 trillion plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, an agenda that already goes beyond policies pursued by his former boss, President Barack Obama.
Young activists, in particular, have called on Biden to expand his climate plan with an eye toward setting new goals for the next decade in order to wean off fossil fuels.
Seeking to energize Democrats’ liberal voting base, Biden created a series of “unity” task forces with Sanders that included a climate panel led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the authors of the Green New Deal, and former Secretary of State John Kerry, the key negotiator of the Paris climate agreement.
Biden, in a statement, did not commit to the recommendation to eliminate carbon from electricity by 2035 or any other of the recommendations released Wednesday.
“I commend the task forces for their service and helping build a bold, transformative platform for our party and for our country,” Biden said.
The 2035 target is noteworthy because it allows for the use of nuclear power, the largest zero-carbon electricity source in the United States, along with wind and solar. Fossil fuel plants could continue running under such a target if they are equipped with carbon capture technology, an expensive proposition.
Some activists have called for strictly renewable power, which most experts believe is unachievable with current technology. Sanders explicitly opposed nuclear power during the campaign.
The task force recommends Biden achieve the 2035 target by enacting a “technology-neutral” electricity standard or mandate requiring utilities to obtain power from zero-carbon sources.
It also says Biden should “supercharge” investments in battery storage and transmission power lines, seen as key technologies to expand the use of variable wind and solar.
