POLICY CATEGORY | INSLEE | BIDEN |
CLEAN ENERGY | ||
National Building Energy Upgrade Initiative | New buildings 100% zero-emission by 2030 “ReBuild America” initiative to retrofit 4% of all buildings annually (100% by 2045) National Energy Efficiency Resource Standard Create national training program for building maintenance & operations staff | New commercial buildings 100% zero-emission by 2030 Reduce total carbon footprint for buildings by 50% by 2035 National program for affordable retrofits; upgrade 6 million homes over 4 years* Build 1.5 million new sustainable homes New efficiency standards for household appliances |
Green Federal Financing | New federal financing authority “Green Bank” $90 billion federal investment Targeted tax credits for building efficiency upgrades * FInance the retirement of all coal plants Reserve fund for inclusive financing of building retrofits * Expansion of Weatherization Assistance Program/Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to make renewable power more affordable * Federally funded retrofits for public buildings | $400 billion federal investment in clean energy over 10 years Direct cash rebates for building efficiency upgrades * Expanded weatherization assistance * Develop zoning and building codes for climate resiliency |
Rural Electrification | Double annual finance authority for the Rural Utility Service to provide low-cost financing of zero-carbon electricity generation/transmission * Debt relief for rural electric cooperatives to redirect loans toward clean energy DOE-supplied technical assistance to rural electric cooperatives Fund the USDA Rural Housing and Rural Business Service for efficiency upgrades and low-cost solar installations * Federal investment in regional power authorities to facilitate energy transition | Vague on rural electrification projects, but does address rural communities via agricultural innovation. |
Energy Democracy | DOE Solar Communities Initiative to drive $150 billion in solar energy investment over 10 years through grants and tax credits; goal to reach 10% solar electricity by 2030 * Create Energy Districts, collaborative, voluntary communities to create locally owned power generation * Fund DOE’s Better Communities Alliance to advise local governments on clean energy | Frequent mention of “community-driven processes” and input from “community stakeholders,” but nothing concrete on democratic mechanisms. |
Incentivize Private Investment | Investment and production tax credits for renewable energy generation and storage Use Real Estate Investment Trusts and Energy Saving Performance Contracts to spur portfolio-scale retrofits Prioritize clean energy assets in awarding competitive HUD grants and loans | Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Standard (EECES) designed to boost market competition and create innovative financing mechanisms for clean energy projects |
100% Clean Federal Agencies | Require 100% of federal vehicle purchases to zero-emission by 2024 Expand renewable power of federal buildings Prioritize permitting for renewable energy transmission on public lands Activate assistance from the Defense Production Act Fund when necessary | Double offshore wind on federal waters; develop wind farms on federal lands |
SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE | ||
Transportation | New vehicles 100% zero-emission by 2030 More than double federal investment in public transit systems Establish DOT performance management rules requiring life-cycle and climate reduction analysis Major federal investment to electrify passenger and freight rail Federal matching funds for state/local/tribal governments to build electric charging infrastructure Charging station at every Interstate Highway rest stop and along key trucking routes by 2024 Commit to international goals to civil aviation emissions at 2020 levels and reduce over time Federal investment in zero-emissions ports (ground operations and clean shipping solutions) | 100% new vehicle electrification 500,000 new charging stations by 2050 Restore full electric vehicle tax credit 100% electric buses by 2035 Allow states and cities flexibility in how they use transportation funds Higher speed Northeast Corridor rail and California High Speed Rail New Hudson River rail tunnel Coastal end-to-end high speed rail system Rail freight bridge between Oregon and Washington Chicago CREATE to improve rail traffic efficiency |
Transmission & Smart Grids | Federal matching funds for smart/demand-response grid infrastructure and cyber security Expand Authorized Equipment List eligible for FEMA grants for preparedness and micro-grids Transmission Investment Tax Credit to expand clean energy transmission capacity Appoint an Energy Secretary and FERC Chair who will expedite inter-regional transmission planning and development | Improve cybersecurity and resiliency of smart grids Promote faster and easier permitting to re-power old grids |
Clean Water | Fully fund Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds, prioritizing communities at risk of contaminated drinking water * Invest over $7 billion in coastal and inland water infrastructure (dams, levees, seawalls, locks) Increase funding to agencies that secure drought-resistant water supplies in western river basins | Establish new monitoring system for water contaminants |
Affordable Housing & Community Development | Relaunch HUD/EPA/DOT Sustainable Communities Initiative w/ bottom-up community development plans for climate action * Increase per-capita allocations for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and Private Activity Bonds for projects that advance 100% clean energy in affordable housing * Fund climate-resilient infrastructure through Community Development Block Grants and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants * Provide state and local governments with resources with resources for transit development * Invest in retrofitting public school infrastructure * | Improve efficiency of low-income housing * Incentivize investment in resilience by lowering property insurance premiums * Disadvantaged communities will reap 40% of spending benefits on clean energy * Give preference to low-income communities of color in competitive grant programs * Create Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool * |
Green Infrastructure & Public Lands | Ramp up investment in US Forest Service for carbon storage/reforestation Address the national backlog of land management projects Expand EPA and NOAA ocean/wetland conservation and restoration Redouble wildlife conservation efforts Use USDA to drive agricultural ecosystem innovation (improvements to biodiversity, air quality, stormwater retention, etc.) | 30% land and water conservation by 2030 Permanent protective status for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) |
CLEAN MANUFACTURING | ||
Advanced Manufacturing Leadership | Uncapped Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit for rapidly expanding clean energy Federal support for technical assistance and training programs Investment in manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles and component parts “Clean Cars for Clunkers” program to get dirty vehicles off the road Quadrennial Industrial Review by Commerce to identify sound industrial policies and keep the U.S. competitive | Tax credits and subsidies for low-carbon technology upgrades Connect universities/colleges, incubators/accelerators, unions, state/local governments, and manufacturing employers and fund a regional plan to decarbonize Increased efficiency and controls in manufacturing technology “Cash for Clunkers” program |
Super Pollutants | Immediate phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons Require oil and gas companies to identify and stop methane leaks End all U.S. fossil fuel subsidies Deploy biogas methane capture and utilization technology for applications that cannot be cost-effectively electrified | Direct EPA and DOJ to hold polluters accountable Global ban on fossil fuel subsidies Embrace curbing hydrofluorocarbons worldwide |
Industrial Efficiency Standards | Require emissions standards in federal procurement of energy-intensive materials (federal “Buy Clean” program) Impose new federal standards of carbon intensity in manufacturing Tax incentives for carbon capture and industrial waste-heat recovery | Federal investments in carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) and enhanced tax incentives |
Clean Exports and Green Global Development | Rejoin Paris Agreement Accelerate American clean energy exports and cease all support for new fossil energy projects Work with global financial institutions/multilateral development banks to build clean infrastructure in developing nations and supply American-made green technology Reinstitute bilateral programs for enhanced clean energy Ensure U.S. trade policy is aligned with decarbonization efforts | Rejoin Paris Agreement Convene a climate summit Create enforceable international agreements on aviation and shipping Carbon-adjustment quotas/tariffs Conditional trade agreements Name and shame global “climate outlaws” G20 commitment to end export finance subsidies of high-carbon project Reform IMF debt repayment standards to account for costly high-carbon projects Tie emissions standards to all bilateral agreements with China Offer low-carbon financing alternatives to countries involved in China’s Belt and Road project Global moratorium on Arctic offshore drilling Clean Energy Export and Climate Investment Initiative to promote U.S. low-carbon technology exports Green debt relief for developing countries with climate commitments Regional emissions reduction framework in the Americas Common standards for manufacturing, mining, tourism in the Americas Clean energy grid from Mexico through Colombia Promote Caribbean clean energy transition |
INNOVATION AND RESEARCH | ||
Clean Energy R&D | Grow existing DOE research programs for advanced renewables, grid-scale storage, small modular reactors, geothermal energy | Create cross-agency ARPA-C research program for advanced renewables, battery storage, modular reactors, refrigerants, zero net energy buildings, carbon-free hydrogen fuel |
Agricultural Innovations | ARPA-Ag to promote green innovation in farming Promote long-term soil carbon sequestration Expand on bio-energy Zero-net energy and zero-waste water agricultural practices | ARPA-C to study decarbonizing agriculture and natural carbon removal technology Soil restoration/protection against erosion Build soil carbon Deploy methane digesters |
Transportation Technology | Research on battery capacity, efficiency, and biofuels/synthetic fuels for airplanes | Research on aviation modernization |
Industrial Climate Solutions | New Office of Industrial Decarbonization Invest in carbon removal and utilization technologies | ARPA-C to study decarbonizing industrial heat and carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration |
Understanding Climate Science | Investing in Earth science, GIS mapping, planetary observation systems Invest in NOAA and other geological research to better understand short-term weather patterns | National Intelligence Estimate on climate security implications Annual DoD reports on climate Comprehensive strategy for climate security risk by the National Security Advisor Invest in climate resilience of military bases |
Climate & STEM Education | Invest in k-12 STEM and climate education Invest in HBCU STEM * Student loan debt forgiveness for students entering clean energy/climate/sustainability jobs * | |
UNIONIZED JOBS | ||
Coal Community Reinvestment | Shore up retirement benefits/pensions for coal workers Backstop the solvency of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund “Re-Power” funds to support community-driven economic diversification “Restoration Fund” for job training in environmental reconstruction | Reform black lung benefits system so it is no longer rigged in favor of coal companies Ensure coal workers miners still receive health care, retirement benefits, and pensions Build upon Obama Power+ plan Keep public employees on payroll and hospitals open in power plant communities Repair infrastructure in power plant communities |
Right to Organize | Repeal “right to work” laws, which limit collective bargaining * Reform NRLA * Incentivize localities to contract with labor unions * All federally funded infrastructure projects to use Project Labor Agreements * | Safeguard union and bargaining rights for workers via the Protecting the Right to Organize Act * Ensure a broad classification of “employee”* Ensure bargaining rights for public service workers * |
Restoring Career Ladders | Create a Climate Conservation Corps to train young people in the new jobs of the clean energy economy Link public investments in clean energy infrastructure to apprenticeship programs | Create Civilian Climate Corps to carry out climate and resiliency work in coastal restoration, sustainable infrastructure design, green construction, natural and technological decarbonization Create 250,000 additional jobs cleaning up after resource extraction Help secure investments that can create new union jobs Create training opportunities for new clean power jobs in power plant communities 1 million new jobs building electric vehicles Create 1 million jobs in retrofitting, building, and appliance installment |
Wages & Benefits | Set a federal clean energy wage of $25/hour Create new federal investments in employers offering family-supporting wages Raise federal minimum wage to $15/hour by 2024 Modernize overtime rules | |
Accountability & Pay Equity | Protect workers who share their salary/benefit information in bargaining Hold employers accountable when they break labor agreements * Strengthen provisions for compensation transparency and worker mobility Strictly enforce Davis-Bacon wage guidelines Prohibit employers on federally funded projects from persuading against union membership Require companies applying for federal contracts to report compliance with labor laws | Hold company executives liable when they interfere with bargaining efforts * Require companies applying for federal contracts to report compliance with labor laws Strengthen provisions for compensation transparency and worker mobility Strictly enforce Davis-Bacon wage guidelines |