Statement of Nathaniel Keohane
President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

March 1, 2022

On President Biden’s State of the Union Address:

“Even as our nation faces the challenges of Covid-19 and the invasion of Ukraine, the climate crisis still demands the same attention from President Biden as it got from Candidate Biden, who rightly called it one of the four historic crises of our time.

“But far more important than what Biden said to Congress tonight will be what he pushes in Congress over the coming months. We simply can’t afford anything less than bold action at this critical moment. Congress must act to pass new climate and energy legislation based on last year’s Build Back Better provisions–the same provisions the President mentioned in his speech. Last month, 27 leading companies called on Congress to pass those climate and energy priorities.

“The transition to a low-carbon economy can be transformational, making America more competitive globally and fostering good jobs and economic prosperity. Nothing short of bold policies will put the United States on this path to its 2030 commitment to reduce climate pollution 50–52 percent by the close of this decade. To achieve that, the White House must give the climate crisis much more focus than we heard tonight.”

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To reach a C2ES expert, contact Alec Gerlach at press@c2es.org.

About C2ES: The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to forge practical solutions to climate change. Our mission is to advance strong policy and action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote clean energy, and strengthen resilience to climate impacts. Learn more at www.c2es.org.

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