Ken Gillingham, associate professor of environmental and energy economics at the Yale School of the Environment, assesses the climate-focused initiatives embedded in Biden Administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure package.
The package, known as the “American Jobs Plan,” would invest $180 billion in research and development — including $35 billion for clean-energy technology and new methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It includes $115 billion to rebuild and fortify 20,000 miles of aging roads and highways, and 10,000 bridges that are at risk or already been severely compromised from higher water and more intense storms, and $85 billion for public transit.
The plan calls for the creation of a “Clean Energy Standard,” which would require a certain percentage of electricity in the U.S. be generated by zero-carbon energy sources like wind and solar. There’s funding to update the electrical grid, construct new power lines, and expand electrical storage. There’s also $174 billion in spending to encourage Americans to switch to cars and trucks that run on electricity and funds to build a network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers. It gives consumers point of sale rebates and tax incentives to buy American-made electric vehicles. Electric cars currently make up just 2% of the vehicles on America’s highways. There’s also funding for electrifying 20% of the nation’s yellow bus fleet and for the construction of energy-efficient homes.
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