The White House hopes to capitalize on growing support from U.S. utilities, unions and green groups for a national clean energy mandate by backing efforts to require the U.S. grid to get 80% of its power from emissions-free sources by 2030, according to a senior administration official.
A 2030 target would be a milestone on the way to achieving President Joe Biden's stated ambition of net zero carbon emissions in the grid by 2035. It could also potentially be passed without Republican support through a process called budget reconciliation.
"Our goal is to enact this into law," deputy White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi said, speaking of the administration's push for a so-called clean energy standard (CES) to decarbonize the power sector.