With numerous deadly hurricanes, millions of acres lost to wildfires and a rainless summer, the question of climate change has run the newsreel for some time.
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm spoke with AgriTalk host Chip Flory on Wednesday to clarify the White House’s stance on clean energy, as outlined in the infrastructure bill.
Based on the Biden Administration’s commitment to fight global climate change, Granholm explains what that commitment means for low carbon fuel options.
“We want to increase production of those low carbon fuels and that’s going to mean hundreds more biorefineries to be able to produce the level of demand that’s going to be necessary,” says Granholm. “The Biden administration has also put into its plan—that is being considered right now by the house and the senate—for tax credits associated with all sorts of clean energy, and that includes biofuels.”
Wind, solar and other clean energy credits are, according to Granholm, also being considered for tax credits.
Secretary Granholm spoke to the main components she and her team have been focusing on in the infrastructure bill.
“The infrastructure bill has got a huge chunk in there for roads and bridges - your basic infrastructure. There’s another huge chunk in there for getting everybody access to high-speed internet, including in rural communities, which, 35% of whom do not have access to high-speed internet,” says Granholm. “It also includes the physical infrastructure of the transmission grid, which is critical if we are considering making sure that we have resilient and available accessible energy, and obviously we want to move to clean energy on that.”
A push for incentives is the key to making the clean energy move, says Granholm.
“The President wants to get to 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. You have to incentivize the actual building out of those commitments.”
Flory begged the question as to whether the low carbon fuel standard route California has elected to take will be discussed on a federal, national level, or state-by-state.
“I think that’s being considered as part of the reconciliation effort. So, nationally, but I will say that a lot of the tax components are still up in the air.”
As described by the White House, the Build Back Better Agenda is an ambitious plan to create jobs, cut taxes, and lower costs for working families. Granholm says the intention of this agenda is to level-out the economic playing field.
“We understand that this trillion-dollar effort is in negotiation and there are pieces that are going to change. But the point is the President doesn’t want to put anything out there that is going to add to the debt and deficit,” says Granholm. “It’s all going to be paid for by folks who haven’t paid their share – it’s corporations that haven’t paid any income tax. It’s just insane that those at the top of Fortune 500, a good chunk of those haven’t paid anything. We want to close those loopholes.”
Workforce assistance is of particular interest for the Biden Administration in the Build Back Better Agenda.
“A lot of people would be supportive of help. Particularly in lower-income areas with childcare. There are a lot of people who can’t even go back to work because childcare is inaccessible and too expensive,” says Granholm. “We want to make sure everybody feels like this country is a fair place to live in and we want to help them get to work.”
Secretary Granholm says we can anticipate a briefing on biofuels in an announcement today.
Listen to Chip Flory’s full interview with U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, here.
