Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced Tuesday a new plan to spend $ 2 trillion over four years to significantly increase the use of clean energy in the transportation, electricity and construction sectors, part of a set of radical proposals designed to create economic opportunities. and strengthen infrastructure while addressing climate change.
In a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr. Biden drew on his plans, launched last week, to revive the economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, with a new focus on improving the nation’s infrastructure and emphasizing the importance of significantly reducing fossils. fuel emissions. Denouncing President Trump’s administration of the virus and climate change, he received criticism from Republicans, but he also faced key evidence from progressives who have long been skeptical of the extent of his climate ambitions.
“These are the most critical investments we can make for the long-term health and vitality of the American economy and the physical health and safety of the American people,” he said. “When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, the only word he can muster is ‘deception.’ When I think about climate change, the word I think of is ‘jobs.’ ”
The proposal is the second table in Mr. Biden’s economic recovery plan. His team sees an opportunity to target Trump directly, who has struggled to keep his promises to pay for major improvements to American infrastructure.
“It seems like every few weeks when you need a distraction from the latest corruption charges on your staff, or the condemnation of high-ranking members of the administration and the political apparatus, the White House announces, citing, ‘It’s Infrastructure Week ‘”said Mr. Biden said, referring to a longstanding joke from Washington. “It has never delivered. I never really tried. Well, I know how to do it. “
Throughout his remarks, Biden tried to point out that he understands the urgency of global climate challenges while presenting the topic as the next great test of American ingenuity.
“I know that meeting the challenge would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to fuel new life in our economy, strengthen our global leadership, protect our planet for future generations,” said Biden. “If I have the honor of being elected president, we are not just going to play a little. We are going to make historical investments that will take advantage of the opportunity, they will know this moment in history. “
Even before Biden spoke, Trump’s allies described the plan as a costly threat to jobs in the energy sector, and his campaign sought to link the proposal to the Green New Deal, the far-reaching climate plan that Biden has. Not fully endorsed . A Biden presidency, the campaign said in a statement, “would be a disaster for American workers, and it is vital that voters re-elect President Trump to continue renovating, restoring and rebuilding our economy.”
The new plan appears to have dabbled in a different constituency: progressive Democrats.
“This is not a status quo plan,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a prominent environmentalist who led a climate-focused campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and who later endorsed Biden.
He added: “It is comprehensive. This is not a kind of ‘Let me throw a bone on those who worry about climate change.’ “Mr. Inslee called the proposal” visionary. “
Mr. Biden’s plan outlines specific and aggressive targets, including achieving an emissions-free energy sector by 2035 and updating four million buildings in four years to meet the highest energy efficiency standards.
Mr. Biden’s comments sometimes assumed a populist bent, directly challenging Mr. Trump’s efforts to woo workers in the industrial Midwest with promises of “America First” labor policies. As Mr. Biden discussed the conversion of government vehicles into electric vehicles, he promised that “the US auto industry and its large supplier bank will step up, expanding the capacity for the United States, not China, to lead the world in the production of clean vehicles. “
And he offered a vision of “new, clean, and made in America vehicles” to make them more accessible to American consumers, too.
He also insisted on the need to link environmental defense with racial justice, describing pollution and other toxic damages that disproportionately affect communities of color. Her plan calls for establishing an environmental and climate justice office at the Justice Department and developing a comprehensive set of tools to address how “past environmental policy decisions have failed communities of color.”
Mr. Biden set a goal for disadvantaged communities to receive 40 percent of all the clean energy and infrastructure benefits he was proposing. He also made explicit references to tribal communities and called for expanding broadband access to tribal lands.
Elizabeth Kronk Warner, dean of the University of Utah SJ Quinney School of Law and citizen of Sault Ste. The Marie tribe of the Chippewa Indians said they were pleasantly surprised by Mr. Biden’s plan.
“Environmental justice is generally a late occurrence or is not clearly quantified,” he said. “As a citizen of a tribe, I very much appreciate your explicit reference to tribal communities.”
In a call to journalists Tuesday morning, senior Biden campaign officials said the proposal was the product of discussions with activists and climate experts; union officials and private sector representatives; and mayors and governors. Evergreen Action, an organization that advocates for long-range climate goals and is led by several former Inslee staff members, has also discussed ideas with Mr. Biden’s staff in recent months, the organization said.
Mr. Biden’s original plan required spending $ 1.7 trillion over 10 years with the goal of achieving zero net emissions by 2050. The new plan significantly increases the amount of money and speeds up the schedule.
Campaign makers said paying for it will come from a combination of raising the corporate income tax rate from 21 to 28 percent, “asking wealthier Americans to pay their fair share” and an as yet undetermined amount of stimulus money.
Mr. Biden’s team said the proposal included a combination of executive action and legislation. The latter would require the cooperation of Congress. That’s not a certainty in a partisan political environment, especially if Republicans maintain control of the Senate or retake the House of Representatives, even when polls show that the Republican Party faces great political difficulties.
Representative Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana and House Republican Whip, suggested the plan was a hoax.
“The only thing I can think of is Solyndra on steroids,” he said in a Trump campaign call, referring to the California solar company that filed for bankruptcy and had received a $ 535 million loan guarantee from the administration. from Obama. “It would have higher energy costs and I would see who is most affected: it is low-income families.”
At the end of Tuesday afternoon, the Trump campaign had called the proposal a “socialist manifesto” and said that Biden was “pushing extreme policies that would suffocate the economy.”
Mr. Biden insisted that “these are not incredible dreams,” and said, “These are actionable policies.”
A major element of the announcement will include charting a path to zero carbon pollution from the US power sector by 2035. According to the Energy Information Association, coal and natural gas still account for more than 60 percent of the sector.
Campaign officials said they hoped to achieve the goal by encouraging the installation of “millions of new solar panels and tens of thousands of wind turbines,” but also by maintaining existing nuclear power plants. The plan will also require investing in carbon capture and storage technology for natural gas.
Under the plan, Biden also promises new research funds and tax incentives for carbon capture technology.
Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies, said Biden’s goals were “unrealistic” and would harm energy producers.
“We will focus on moderating these policies once Biden moves from appeasing the left during the campaign to potentially ruling,” he said.
Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting.
