6 December — Realizing Biden’s Electricity Decarbonization Goals: Policy Options, Potential Outcomes and Political and Legal Challenges
Date: 6 December 2021
Time: 12:00pm ET
Location: Wean Hall 3701 & via Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Karen Palmer
Topic: Realizing Biden’s Electricity Decarbonization Goals: Policy Options, Potential Outcomes and Political and Legal Challenges
Abstract: The Biden Administration has a goal of net-zero electricity by 2035 and has re-entered the Paris Agreement with a pledge of a 50-52% reduction in economywide GHG emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. In this talk, I will review the various federal policy options including legislative proposals (dead and alive) and federal regulatory actions that could be employed to help decarbonize the US electricity sector. I will also describe, using results from RFF modeling of recent legislative proposals and regulatory options, the expected effects of various policy packages on emissions reductions and costs to society and to electricity consumers. Lastly, I will address the political and legal challenges that affect how legislative and administrative policies are structured and their potential for ultimate success.
