Electric utilities emphasize the importance of natural gas-fired power plants to meeting demand. (Bloomberg) — Senate Democrats are proposing to penalize utilities that don’t meet clean-energy targets, while rewarding those that do, as part of a mandate for carbon-free power they are preparing to move through their $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending package. The plan, known as a clean energy standard, would mandate 80% carbon-free electricity by 2030 and require sweeping changes in the nation’s power sector. The directive would help fulfill one of President Joe Biden’s signature climate goals — decarbonizing the electric grid by 2035 — and help satisfy his Paris Agreement pledge to halve the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats announced the mandate would be included in their $3.5 trillion budget blueprint Wednesday. Specific details still must be fleshed out by individual committees, but the […]