State leaders have proven to be some of our nation’s greatest champions for confronting the climate crisis in recent years, passing strong laws and policies to address some of the most daunting issues facing the nation and the planet as the federal government largely ignored them. Now, even with a new White House putting climate and environmental justice issues at the center of its policy agenda, states are not letting up. This year has so far brought another important set of climate victories at the state level, with the federal focus only adding to the momentum.
These federal and state initiatives promise to complement and reinforce one another at a critical time. The infrastructure package Congress is debating, for example, could unlock key funding for states to help them achieve or expand their climate goals. That’s one reason why state leaders are among those who joined the America Is All In coalition to push Congress for smart federal climate policies in July, alongside forward-looking companies and investors who see grave economic risks in failing to protect the climate, as well as massive economic opportunity in taking action.
Meanwhile, it will be impossible to achieve our national climate targets and build a clean U.S. economy without state investments and policies around electricity, transportation, and buildings, for instance. Many of the states that have already taken action serve as a model for the nation, showing that robust climate policy is politically viable, economically beneficial, and can be achieved on a bipartisan basis. Here’s just a sampling of what we’ve seen in 2021:
Net zero commitments are the gold standard for climate policy, and more states are embracing the challenge this year. After months of arduous but good-faith bipartisan negotiations, Massachusetts joined a number of leading states that are pledging to achieve a net zero economy by 2050. Rhode Island followed suit with a similar legal commitment this spring. These commitments, with strong 2030 interim targets, are essential starting points.
To power their clean economies, states are increasingly adopting carbon-free electricity requirements, and now the topic is being debated in Washington, D.C. as well. This spring, Arizona advanced a 100 percent clean electricity commitment by 2070. That time frame is too long, but it includes a 50 percent target by 2032 that puts Arizona on the right track in the short-term. This hard-won agreement was also approved with bipartisan support, showing that the climate crisis can transcend party lines. An aggressive new law in Oregon, meanwhile, sets a 100 percent clean electricity requirement by 2040, and Illinois is still debating a series of proposals to move in this direction. We hope to see further action later this year.
Transportation is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and state leaders play an essential role in cleaning up their roads. This year, Minnesota and Virginia joined more than a dozen other states with strict fuel efficiency standards for passenger vehicles that will speed up the deployment of electric vehicles. In the Southwest, Colorado and Nevada passed legislation that will spark the market for electric vehicles, using new funds and programs to invest in charging infrastructure and make it easier for businesses and consumers to purchase EVs.
The Transportation and Climate Initiative, which will establish a cap-and-invest program to cut vehicle pollution and invest in clean mobility in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, has gained momentum with proposed legislation in states, as well as more concrete equity provisions including air quality monitoring and increased investment in vulnerable communities. And more than a dozen states spanning coast to coast are working together on strategies to replace large diesel trucks with electric models, including several that are actively considering the Advanced Clean Trucks rule requiring manufacturers to boost production of these zero-emission vehicles.
States are also increasingly focusing on reducing pollution from commercial and residential buildings, which account for 13 percent of U.S. emissions. And some are already taking significant steps. A new Colorado law passed this year will require owners of large buildings to track and report greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2022, part of a strategy to reduce these emissions over time. Elsewhere, Minnesota and Nevada boosted their energy efficiency initiatives, making it easier for businesses and households—and low-income households in particular—to switch to cleaner and more efficient energy systems, with the Minnesota law marking another bipartisan achievement.
No doubt, each individual state has plenty of reasons to adopt smart climate policies: Between the good jobs, the clean air, and the more resilient infrastructure, it’s in the best interest of residents and businesses. And taken together, the state policies lay the groundwork for a more just and inclusive net zero economy across the U.S. If Congress is able to pass the bold federal infrastructure legislation we need, states will be well positioned to continue building out the clean economy of the future.
Climate Week 2021 is September 20-26. More information on Ceres events during the week.
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