US on track for 65% reduction in power sector emissions – if Biden policies are maintained

The US is on track to make “unprecedented progress” towards power decarbonisation – if Biden administration policies are maintained, according to a new report by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The non-profit analysed the decarbonisation potential of Biden administration policies including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as new pollution standards for cars, SUVs and power plants and energy efficiency standards for household appliances. 

It found that, if maintained, these policies would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030 – a 65% drop from 2005 levels. By 2040, the emissions reduction would reach 80%.

“The actions taken by the Biden administration are bearing fruit, as we accelerate the move toward clean, affordable electricity,” said Amanda Levin, director of policy analysis at NRDC and author of the new study. “We need to build on this progress in order to create a real clean energy economy.”

NRDC’s updated projections take into account new forecasts for growing electricity demand from new manufacturing facilities, electric vehicles and data centres, as well as cost estimates for wind, solar, and battery technologies and real-world data from the first two years of IRA incentives.

US climate policies likely to be undone if Trump wins election

While a Harris victory in the November 2024 presidential election would almost certainly mean a continuation of Biden’s climate agenda, things are likely to be different if Donald Trump is the next president. 

Trump favoured fossil fuel developments and rolled back more than 100 environmental regulations during his presidency from 2017 to 2021 – as well as notoriously pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement.

The former president has pledged to rescind “every one” of Biden’s climate regulations aimed at accelerating the energy transition and promoting electric vehicles if he is elected into office again this year.

Recent analysis suggests that another Trump presidency would add 4 billion tonnes to the US carbon footprint by 2030.