Biden Talks With Utilities & Automakers About Greenhouse Gas Emissions

President Joe Biden's administration has initiated talks with the utility and car makers sectors about greenhouse gas emissions, says White House domestic climate adviser Gina McCarthy.

These talks are part of a country-wide effort that expects every federal agency to decarbonize the U.S. power sector by 2035, and the whole economy by 2050.

According to Reuters, McCarthy will spearhead the program, with her first talk to come up with a 2030 emission reduction target under the Paris Agreement. This should happen before Biden gathers world leaders for a climate summit on April 22.

“We’re already having conversations with the utility world and we’re having conversations with the car companies,” McCarthy said in an interview. “The car companies understand now that the future for them is electric vehicles ... so we’re going to be sort of working to make sure that we move forward with some kind of an agreement on that and a strategy to get us out of the gate fast.”

For example, GM already pledged to sell only electric cars by 2035.

McCarthy also met virtually with the board of the Edison Electric Institute, the main utility lobby, and discussed its support for recent energy-related executive orders.

She will chair a task force consisting of the heads of Cabinet agencies to see what measures can be taken through regulation, budget appropriation, and legislation.