TWS: Biden's renewable goal welcome, but we need federal oil and gas reform too
Tom Brewster
A massive increase in renewable energy generation needs to be paired with a plan to drastically cut the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, the Biden administration released a plan to increase electricity generation coming from solar power to almost 50% by 2050.
In response, The Wilderness Society released the following statement from Vice President of Strategy and Results Chase Huntley:
“An announcement on increasing renewable energy potential, no matter how impressive, must be followed by an announcement that details how this administration plans to manage public lands for climate and not for oil and gas. Especially as the administration moves to restart onshore and offshore leasing in direct conflict with a climate focused agenda.
“Public lands are supposed to be managed by the federal government in the public interest. Yet they produce the equivalent to nearly a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, public lands only produce 5% of the nation’s renewable energy and are a vital part of achieving the administration’s renewable energy goals.
“A massive increase in the nation’s solar power is welcome news, but it needs to be paired with a plan to drastically cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions if we are going to limit the worst effects of global warming.”
CONTACT:
Alex Thompson, Senior Communications Manager, 860-416-0564, alex_thompson@tws.org
