Democrats' draft climate bill charts path to carbon neutrality by 2050

Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday unveiled a draft of their new climate plan, which aims for the U.S. to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas pollution by 2050. The Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s Future Act, the draft of which is more than 600 pages long, would force dramatic changes in many sectors of the economy, from pushing utilities work toward 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050 to requiring the transportation sector to reduce emissions not just from cars but also from airliners. However, the legislation is much broader, pushing for cleaner buildings, efforts to force industry to clean up its supply chain and a host of new regulations targeting pollution from the energy industry. New details of the plan spell out a 28-year path for utilities to switch to clean sources of energy, requiring utilities to diminish their share of carbon-producing energy one-twenty-eighth each year. Those who are unable to keep pace with their goals could buy clean energy credits from other utilities, paying an increasing price each year for every kilowatt-hour produced by dirtier energy sources. But the legislation caps that price in 2050, in theory allowing companies to pay a high price if they don’t meet the 2050 carbon neutrality goal — something framers of the legislation argue is unlikely. Tuesday’s draft also included more specifics about Democrats’ plans for the transportation sector, including requiring automakers to reduce emissions from vehicles by 6 percent every year for five years, starting in 2026. Medium-duty passenger vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles would need to get 4 percent cleaner each year in the same time frame. The legislation also requires the aviation industry to clean up its act, as new and existing in-service aircraft engines would need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030. Other portions of the bill take aim at the fossil fuel industry, requiring better testing of groundwater that might be impacted by various oil and gas drilling methods, including fracking. It also eliminates Clean Air Act exemptions for emissions from oil and gas exploration and production. Utilities that rely on coal could have to meet stricter standards for disposing of the ash produced by burning it...MORE