Advanced Energy Perspectives

Since taking office on January 20, President Biden has begun to lay out his plan for addressing four intertwined crises facing the country: the public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the associated economic crisis, climate change, and a legacy of racial injustice traced back to our country’s earliest roots. He has signed a series of executive orders aimed at addressing these crises, including rejoining the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and outlining a whole-of-government response to climate change with a focus on clean procurement, environmental justice, and support for communities dependent on fossil fuel industries. And he has outlined plans to push two legislative packages: the American Rescue Plan, focused on immediate COVID-19 response, and the Build Back Better Plan, focused on economic recovery. While details of the Build Back Better Plan are still forthcoming, at its core is a massive investment in infrastructure, prioritizing clean energy, domestic manufacturing, and union jobs. At AEE, we have some ideas about how to get the most economic bang out of federal bucks by investing in advanced energy.