Joe Biden has won over some left-leaning parts of the Democratic coalition skeptical of his bid for president with a new climate plan. As Matt Viser and I report, the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee unveiled a proposal Tuesday pledging to eliminate carbon pollution from power plants by 2035 and spend $2 trillion to turbocharge the clean energy economy.
His plan, much of which would require the consent of Congress, would put the United States on a 15-year timeline for a 100 percent clean electricity standard and is aimed at the twin goals of rebuilding the economy and fighting climate change.
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event Tuesday in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)“We’re not just going to tinker around the edges,” Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Del. “We’re going to make historic investments and seize the opportunity and meet this moment in history.”
“It’s no secret that we’ve been critical of Vice President’s Biden’s plans and commitments in the past,” said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during the primary. “Today, he’s responded to many of those criticisms: dramatically increasing the scale and urgency of investments, filling in details on how he’d achieve environmental justice and create good union jobs, and promising immediate action.”
Many of Biden’s proposals build on the recommendations of a task force made up jointly of allies of Biden and Sanders. Those recommendations include plans to dramatically expand solar and wind energy capacity, including the installation of 500 million solar panels and 60,000 wind turbines.