America's Zero Carbon Action Plan: Federal Legislative and Administrative Framework

Abstract

This chapter sets out proposed federal laws and policies for America's Zero Carbon Action Plan, a comprehensive report on how to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This chapter sets forth recommendations for all four pillars of deep decarbonization – electricity decarbonization, energy efficiency and conservation, electrification of transportation and buildings, and carbon capture. It is supplemented with recommendations for significant reductions in emissions of non-carbon dioxide pollutants, as well as for changes in foreign policy. Each set of recommendations is accompanied by an explanation of the underlying strategy for the proposed changes.

Keywords: zero carbon, net-zero carbon, deep decarbonization, GHG emissions, variable renewable energy, electricity, non-carbon dioxide pollutants, climate change

JEL Classification: K00, K19, K32