Chip Cannon Quoted in E&E News on Biden-Harris $2 Trillion Climate Change Plan

For its article “How Biden's $2T plan would spur EVs, 100% clean power,” E&E News quoted Akin Gump energy regulation, markets and enforcement practice head Chip Cannon on the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed $2 trillion plan to tackle climate change, including through a national clean energy standard and carbon-free electric grid.

Cannon called the ambitious proposal a “green unicorn,” noting, “Reducing carbon emissions, greater competition, protecting workers, bringing back jobs, environmental justice and environmental safety — I'm not sure how you do all of that and do it all with a clean electricity standard.” He characterized these as “very general goals” that do not offer any “real indication” of how the White House looks to reach those goals.

Cannon cited as an example President Biden’s call for an Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standard, the centerpiece of his goal to achieve carbon-free power by 2035; however, few details were offered as to what that standard would look like. He said, “If there really is a federal standard, that's huge. That would be a giant step forward with respect to greening the grid.” But, Cannon noted, nothing in the proposal provided any indication of that.