A group of Republican Senators is putting forward a plan to show bold leadership to address climate change.  Last week, Republican Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ted Cruz (R-TX); John Kennedy (R-LA); and Rob Portman (R-OH) announced the American Energy, Jobs and Climate Plan, a bold alternative to the Green New Deal Plan, which would be dangerous to America’s electric grid and costly for consumers.  

The Energy Jobs and Climate Plan aims to reduce global emissions by up to 40 percent from today’s levels by 2050, through a strategy that embraces multiple different forms of energy sources — an “all of the above” approach that relies on cheap, abundant domestic natural gas, nuclear power, wind and solar renewable energy, and technological innovations like carbon capture and sequestration.  The proposal also provides for shoring up domestic supply chains for critical minerals like lithium and cobalt that the United States is currently reliant on China for.

The key goals of the Energy Jobs and Climate Plan include:

  • A plan that would reduce global CO2 emissions by 40% by 2050 and create millions of jobs. Reaching this target would yield 3.5 times more emissions reductions than the Democrats would achieve with the Green New Deal. 
  • A reliance on innovative technologies like CCS, domestic resources like abundant and cleaner burning natural gas, and free markets.
  • Policies to enhance American competitiveness, energy security, and national security.
  • Attacking emissions, but not responsible resource development and good-paying jobs in America. 
  • Metrics and goals on addressing climate change that are affordable and reliable, as well as exportable to have a meaningful impact on emissions globally and provide good-paying jobs.

More specifically, the policies of the plan would:

  • Expand natural gas and LNG as a critical resource for affordable and reliable energy to create jobs and reduce emissions. 
  • Build out the U.S. nuclear energy fleet Including advanced and small modular reactors to ensure a stable, low-emission electric grid. 
  • Develop and deploy breakthrough innovation in lower-emissions technology, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).  
  • Utilize and expand our agricultural and forestry tools to contribute to carbon sequestration through active forest management that will wisely steward the land for economic benefit but also sequester more carbon dioxide.
  • Comprehensive permitting reform that will enable companies to build and use more clean technologies rather than enduring complex, costly regulatory hurdles and litigation. 
  • Expansion of domestic mining and processing of rare earth elements that are essential to renewable energy, batteries and many other technologies essential for our military and daily lives.
  • Additional research and development that can be a catalyst for economic and climate innovation.
  • Develop domestic critical minerals production, processing, and manufacturing to support the renewable energy industry. 
  • Revitalize manufacturing of renewable energy technology in the U.S. to expand renewable use at home and abroad and lessen our dependence on China. 
  • Expand research and development for transformative battery storage technology.

This plan shows a clear commitment to continuing America’s leadership in reducing carbon emissions, but without crushing costs to American consumers and job-killing regulations that actually do little to help the environment.  Conversely, at a time when energy prices are skyrocketing, a more realistic and reasonable path forward acknowledges that America can continue to develop its natural resources responsibly, continue to reduce emissions and address climate change, while providing our citizens reliable and affordable energy. The American people shouldn’t have to choose between a cleaner environment or affordable energy bills and with the right plan, they won’t have to.