ACORE Statement on Select Committee on the Climate Crisis 2022 Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released Solving the Climate Crisis 2022: Key Accomplishments and Additional Opportunities today, which outlines progress made on addressing the climate crisis and highlights congressional opportunities for additional action. Following is a statement on the report from Gregory Wetstone, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE):

“The ACORE team extends its heartfelt appreciation to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis for its critical role in defining the nation’s climate agenda. More than 300 of the Select Committee’s policy recommendations are now law, which is a testament to the sagacity and lasting impact of the committee’s work.

“As I outlined in testimony last week, we must build on this progress to ensure a more climate-friendly future. In that regard, I would highlight that the report released today calls for a comprehensive transmission strategy, which will be essential to meeting our nation’s climate targets. Recent modeling confirms that we will need to double, if not triple, the amount of U.S. transmission capacity currently available to reach President Biden’s goal of net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. The best way to incentivize the construction of these high-voltage transmission lines is with a transmission investment tax credit which would create over 650,000 good-paying jobs, add 30,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity to the grid, deploy more than $15 billion in private capital investment, and provide $2.3 billion in energy cost savings for the lower 80% of income brackets. A comprehensive transmission strategy should also include siting and permitting reform. Sadly, virtually no interregional transmission lines have been built in the last decade despite the critical importance of more interregional transmission capacity to efforts to secure enhanced grid reliability.

“ACORE also supports the recommendation for a Clean Electricity Standard, which will help ensure we stay on track with the emissions reductions needed to make progress addressing climate change. ACORE looks forward to continued work with Congress on these important issues and congratulates Chair Castor and members of the Select Committee for their leadership and commitment toward an effective response to the climate crisis.”

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About ACORE:
For more than 20 years, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) has been the nation’s premier pan-renewable nonprofit organization. ACORE unites finance, policy, and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. For more information, please visit www.acore.org. 

Media Contact:
Alex Hobson, Vice President of Communications, ACORE
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