Inslee for America
For Immediate Release:
Friday, May 3, 2019

Inslee Announces ‘100% Clean Energy for America Plan’

Inslee rolls out detailed proposal to make American electricity, vehicles, and buildings run on 100% clean energy

Los Angeles
 – On Friday, Governor Jay Inslee announced a comprehensive 100% Clean Energy for America plan that creates strong, specific standards and bold targets to move America toward a 100% clean energy economy.

 Inslee’s proposal - the first major policy in his Climate Mission agenda - sets clear targets for 100% clean energy across three sectors: electricity, vehicles and buildings. The 100% Clean Energy for America Plan is a 10-year action plan that will:

  • Set a national 100% Clean Electricity Standard, requiring 100% carbon-neutral power by 2030, putting America on a path to having all clean, renewable and zero-emission energy in electricity generation by 2035.
  • Reach 100% zero emissions in all new light- and medium-duty vehicles and all buses by 2030; and
  • Achieve 100% zero-carbon pollution from all new commercial and residential buildings by 2030.
 
Collectively, this plan lays out a detailed, sector-by-sector road map for America to meet the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s targets, cutting climate pollution 50% by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2045.
   
Inslee will discuss the proposal on Friday morning at 9:30AM PST at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation Bus Depot, 454 E Commercial St, Los Angeles. He will join Mayor Eric Garcetti in touring the new electric buses deployed by the City of Los Angeles.
 
"The climate crisis is urgent - and it demands a big, bold plan to cut carbon emissions,” Inslee said. “The 100% Clean Energy for America Plan creates a detailed roadmap to 100% clean energy in our electric grid, in our buildings, and in our vehicles. This plan is ambitious in its scope, but practical in its aims, because it's based off successes in Washington state and other states and cities around the country. We can and must build an economy free from fossil fuels, and that is what I'm proposing today."
 
Inslee’s plan is built off success in states and cities - including Washington state and Los Angeles - in setting strong clean energy standards. The plan builds on Inslee’s success in Washington state, where the legislature recently passed a groundbreaking 100% clean energy bill that has been described as a “model of cutting-edge climate policy.” The bill was passed with the support of the biggest labor and environmental groups in Washington state.
 
The 100% Clean Energy for America plan is the first policy in Inslee’s Climate Mission agenda - a 10-year mobilization to defeat climate change and create millions of jobs building a clean energy economy. Over the coming weeks, Inslee will be announcing additional major climate policies to support clean energy jobs, manufacturing and agriculture, confronting environmental injustices, and making major investments in infrastructure and innovation - while rolling back billions in subsidies and other giveaways to fossil fuel companies.
 
WHAT CLIMATE LEADERS SAY ABOUT JAY INSLEE’S 100% CLEAN ENERGY FOR AMERICA PLAN
 
"Governor Inslee's plan is the aggressive action we need to shelter all of us from the devastating storm of climate disruption. It offers real solutions grounded in sound policy and thoughtful deliberative collaboration. It is what we need to fight this battle and win."
- Jon Wellinghoff, CEO, Grid Policy, Inc.; former Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
 
“Governor Inslee’s 100% Clean Energy for America Plan is grounded in a serious assessment of how our nation can mobilize to meet the climate challenge, planning a rapid and responsible transition in how we power our electric grid, our vehicles, and our buildings. Clean energy is increasingly the cheapest way to power our economy – evidenced by the growing number of states, corporations, and utilities setting 100% clean energy goals – and this plan takes advantage of that economic engine to prevent billions in potential climate-related economic damage, create good-paying jobs in every place in the country, and provide cleaner air and water in our communities.”
- Sonia Aggarwal, Vice President, Energy Innovation
 
"Clean energy businesses are creating jobs across America, but we need a president who'll work with us instead of against us. Gov. Inslee's plan to get to 100% clean energy would catapult the clean energy sector. This plan is bold, ambitious and achievable - and it's built on the results that Gov. Inslee has delivered in Washington state. This is the most detailed plan yet from a candidate - and it would be great news for clean energy jobs across the country."
- Tom Matzzie, CEO CleanChoice Energy
 
“Those of us in the climate change field have known for a long time Gov. Inslee’s commitment to ambitious climate action as a U.S. Congressmen, the Governor of Washington, and co-founder of the U.S. Climate Alliance. In his first policy release, it’s clear that Gov. Inslee embraced the goals of the Green New Deal to decarbonize our economy quickly, grow jobs, and address inequity through a just transition. The 100% Clean Energy Plan is a serious looking proposal with the potential to put us on a path to deep decarbonization in the energy sector. It rightly acknowledges the scale and urgency of the climate crisis and puts forth aggressive sector specific targets and implementation mechanisms to meet it, including the plainly stated commitment to end the era of coal. When the President announced two years ago his intentions to leave the Paris Agreement, he ceded his leadership to states and local governments who took up the mantle on climate action. This plan represents the elevation of their work to the national level. It builds upon their policy models and recognizes the important role of states and local governments as partners in this energy transition. But it also acknowledges the need for a full federal mobilization to help states and local governments achieve these goals. The 100% Clean Energy Plan has the greatest detail of any candidate’s plan so far but focuses on only a portion of the energy sector. I look forward to seeing additional policy and investment proposals to address the full scope of the problem and the opportunities it presents the country.”
- Greg Carlock, Data for Progress Green New Deal author
 
“Governor Inslee knows that clean energy is our country’s greatest opportunity for job growth and wealth creation in this century.  We have the technology, now we need to empower the exceptional American worker to deploy at scale.  Jay has gotten 100% clean energy done in his state and now he’s proposing a bold plan to unlock economic development for the country.”
- Jigar Shah, Co-Founder and President, Generate Capital
 
“Governor Inslee has a proven track record of advocating for real climate change investments and implementing programs that work. Both in Washington, D.C., and in Washington State, he has demonstrated the leadership and commitment to addressing climate change and putting people to work on real solutions. Tribal governments have seen the effects of climate change first hand and Governor Inslee has been a real partner in responding to these threats. His plan is already having an impact in Washington State and will similarly transform our national response. I look forward to continuing to partner with him in this critical work.”
- Brian Cladoosby, Chairman, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community; President, National Congress of American Indians (2013-2017)
 
“100% fossil fuel-free power, cars, and buildings is 100% necessary and 100% possible. There are no insurmountable economic or technical obstacles. There’s a big political obstacle, but Jay Inslee is running at it like a high hurdler.”
- KC Golden, Climate activist; Board Chair, 350.org (represents personal, not organizational, opinion)
 
"Governor Inslee has been a leading advocate for transitioning America to clean, renewable energy for decades. This is not a new-found passion of his. This plan addresses the most critical infrastructure that needs transitioning as fast as possible - electricity generation, transportation, and buildings. His proposed transition timeline, with a 100% transition of electricity generation to clean, zero-emitting renewables by 2035 and of all new buildings and vehicles to zero emissions by 2030, are both feasible and bold, necessary first steps. We need such steps to help stave off the worst effects of air pollution health problems, which kill over 60,000 Americans annually, global warming, and energy insecurity caused by the current energy infrastructure. Make no mistake, though, this is just a first step. A transition needs to be carried out worldwide and for all remaining energy sectors and for existing vehicles and buildings as well. Governor Inslee recognizes these needs, and I am confident will move the nation and catalyze the world to affect a transition that will not only solve the major problems but also create jobs and improve U.S. security."
- Mark Jacobson, Stanford Univ. Prof. of Civil & Environmental Engineering; Director Atmosphere/Energy Program; Founder of the Solutions Project
 
"Governor Inslee knows that there is no silver bullet to address the climate crisis. Instead, his plan uses silver buckshot. His multi-faceted approach to transforming the electricity, transportation and building sectors is exactly what our nation needs to build a 100% clean energy economy."
- Malcolm Woolf, Managing Director, MW Energy Advisors; former Director of the Maryland Energy Administration
 
“Climate deniers and delayers have driven us headlong into a catastrophe. Now, the United States must transition to a clean energy future as fast as possible. Governor Inslee knows this well. His clean energy platform is a challenge to the rest of the field and a message to all of us. We got this.”
- Julian Brave NoiseCat, Director of Green New Deal Strategy, Data for Progress
 
“In order to build a clean energy economy and clean energy communities that offer everyone an opportunity to thrive, we need detailed and thoughtful plans that invest in clean infrastructure, clean homes, and clean cars. We also need ways to ensure the education and empowerment of vulnerable communities, such as direct grants for clean energy projects developed by non-profits and community organizations. This plan does just that in a way that protects our environment, creates jobs everywhere, and saves families money.”
- Harold Mitchell, Jr., Founder and CEO, Regenesis; former member, South Carolina State House of Representatives
 
“It’s encouraging to see a presidential candidate proposing the kind of aggressive, science-based initiative we need to combat climate change. This sets the bar for what Iowa caucus goers are looking for from all the candidates.”
- Ed Fallon, Director of Bold Iowa and a former Iowa lawmaker
 
“Jay Inslee was twice elected governor on a bold platform focused on climate change. His hard work paid off with the best climate legislation enacted yet, anywhere. Now he is ready to bring that same leadership to the White House to address the existential issue of our time. This plan builds off the Washington clean energy model and takes it national.”
- Denis Hayes, President of the Bullitt Foundation (represents personal, not organizational, opinion)

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Inslee for America
For Immediate Release:
Friday, May 3, 2019

Reaction: Inslee 100% Clean Plan ‘the Boldest Climate Plan of Any 2020 Presidential Candidate’

Climate Leaders Praise Inslee Plan as ‘Aggressive,’ ‘Detailed,’ and ‘A Challenge to the Rest of the Field’

Los Angeles – Today, Governor Jay Inslee released his 100% Clean Energy for America plan, which would set strong targets for 100% clean energy across three sectors: electricity, vehicles and buildings.
 
Inslee’s rollout was the first major policy announcement in his Climate Mission agenda, a 10-year mobilization to defeat climate change and create millions of jobs building a clean energy economy.
 
Here’s what climate leaders and analysts are saying about Inslee’s plan:
 
CLIMATE ORGANIZATIONS

League of Conservation Voters
“Governor Inslee set a high bar when he launched his presidential campaign with a central focus on climate action and he is continuing to demonstrate important leadership with this strong proposal. This plan to move our country to 100% clean energy is the kind of bold vision we need to tackle the climate crisis.”
 
Sunrise Movement
“Jay Inslee's first policy proposal shows he's willing to put the full weight of the federal government behind a 10-year full-scale mobilization to move towards the 100% clean energy future we deserve. This is the spirited commitment to bold climate action that young people are looking for in our next President."
 
Greenpeace USA
“Today, Jay Inslee came through on his promise to make climate change the central issue of his campaign… Inslee is now the first candidate to commit to 100 percent clean power by 2035, a shift that could allow us to create millions of family-sustaining jobs and jumpstart the economy while protecting workers and vulnerable communities along the way.”
 
Friends of the Earth
“Jay Inslee is a leading voice in the Democratic party calling for bold action on climate. He signed the no fossil fuel money pledge before entering the race, and he was the first candidate to petition the DNC to host a climate debate. Inslee’s 100% Clean Energy for America Plan shows that he understands just how serious the climate crisis is and that he is committed to taking this fight to the national level.”
 
California League of Conservation Voters
“Major kudos to 2020 pres. candidate Jay Inslee for releasing an ambitious climate proposal that seeks to phase out dirty coal & steer the U.S. into 100% renewable energy by 2035.”
 
Washington Conservation Voters
“We are at a decision point for our communities on climate and this approach is exactly the kind of work we need to see from candidates running for president.”
 
Data for Progress
“The big news today is we’re seeing more candidates with detailed climate plans that invoke the Green New Deal. We’re thrilled to see the @JayInslee 100% Clean Energy Plan cites our blueprint and uses our targets for clean power, clean new cars, and clean new building standards.”

CLIMATE LEADERS
 
Jerry Brown, former Governor of California
"I commend Governor Inslee for presenting a bold climate action plan. It is time for the other candidates to also confront global warming and the profound threat it constitutes for America, and yes, for the entire world. Time is running out."
 
Tom Steyer, NextGen America Founder
“Give @jayinslee’s climate plan a good look. It offers concrete steps we can take RIGHT NOW to end climate pollution from cars, power plants, & buildings. Jay has the moral clarity to know phasing out fossil fuels, taking care of workers, & protecting health is the only way to go.”
 
Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director
“Very strong climate plan from Jay Inslee. Moves to 100% clean energy w speed & scale science demands. Impressive ambition, replacing coal fleet by 2030 & providing economic transition for workers. As Dem candidates propose strong climate action, the contrast w Trump gets sharper.”
 
Jeff Merkley, United States Senator from Oregon
"Great to see @JayInslee release a bold plan to take on the threat of climate chaos. We can and should debate the details, but it’s vital that our next president make this issue a top priority. For my family and for yours. Our very way of life is at stake."

Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor
"We need strong leadership to solve the climate crisis. LA is leading the way for our cities and we are excited to stand with @JayInslee to announce his vision for a sustainable economic and environmental future."
 
KC Golden, Climate Solutions
“The governor obviously has made a very strong commitment to responding to what climate scientists say we have to do to avert catastrophic climate change. Those timelines are not negotiable. If we think that it’s unrealistic to live on a planet that is in constant cascading climate chaos, then we have to accelerate our timelines for making this green energy transition.”
 
Greg Carlock, Data for Progress Green New Deal author
Inslee’s plan “rightly acknowledges the scale and urgency of the climate crisis and puts forth aggressive sector specific targets and implementation mechanisms to meet it, including the plainly stated commitment to end the era of coal.”
 
Ed Fallon, Director of Bold Iowa and a former Iowa lawmaker
“It’s encouraging to see a presidential candidate proposing the kind of aggressive, science-based initiative we need to combat climate change. This sets the bar for what Iowa caucus goers are looking for from all the candidates.”
 
RL Miller, Climate Hawks Vote
“I’ve never seen a 100% standard for cars. I have never seen 100% standard for buildings. So this is really exciting,”
 
Brian Cladoosby, Chairman, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community; President, National Congress of American Indians (2013-2017)
“Governor Inslee has a proven track record of advocating for real climate change investments and implementing programs that work. Both in Washington, D.C., and in Washington State, he has demonstrated the leadership and commitment to addressing climate change and putting people to work on real solutions. Tribal governments have seen the effects of climate change first hand and Governor Inslee has been a real partner in responding to these threats. His plan is already having an impact in Washington State and will similarly transform our national response. I look forward to continuing to partner with him in this critical work.”
 
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Director of Green New Deal Strategy, Data for Progress
“Climate deniers and delayers have driven us headlong into a catastrophe. Now, the United States must transition to a clean energy future as fast as possible. Governor Inslee knows this well. His clean energy platform is a challenge to the rest of the field and a message to all of us. We got this.”
 
Denis Hayes, President of the Bullitt Foundation (represents personal, not organizational, opinion)
“Jay Inslee was twice elected governor on a bold platform focused on climate change. His hard work paid off with the best climate legislation enacted yet, anywhere. Now he is ready to bring that same leadership to the White House to address the existential issue of our time. This plan builds off the Washington clean energy model and takes it national.”
 
Harold Mitchell, Jr., Founder and CEO, Regenesis; former member, South Carolina State House of Representatives
“In order to build a clean energy economy and clean energy communities that offer everyone an opportunity to thrive, we need detailed and thoughtful plans that invest in clean infrastructure, clean homes, and clean cars. We also need ways to ensure the education and empowerment of vulnerable communities, such as direct grants for clean energy projects developed by non-profits and community organizations. This plan does just that in a way that protects our environment, creates jobs everywhere, and saves families money.”
 
CLIMATE EXPERTS
 
Eric Holthaus, Meteorologist and Columnist at Grist
“Objectively, the boldest climate plan of any 2020 presidential candidate.”
 
Alex Steffen, Futurist and Author of ‘Carbon Zero’
“With his ‘100% Clean Energy for America’ plan, @JayInslee just released the first planks in his climate platform—and folks, it's a blockbuster, with bold, concrete proposals for clean energy generation, new car standards and green buildings.”
 
Niklas Hoehne, partner at the NewClimate Institute in Germany
"The 100% clean energy plan by Gov. Inslee is clearly ambitious and at the same time achievable.”
 
Mark Jacobson, Stanford Univ. Prof. of Civil & Environmental Engineering; Director Atmosphere/Energy Program; Founder of the Solutions Project
“Governor Inslee has been a leading advocate for transitioning America to clean, renewable energy for decades. This is not a new-found passion of his. This plan addresses the most critical infrastructure that needs transitioning as fast as possible - electricity generation, transportation, and buildings. His proposed transition timeline, with a 100% transition of electricity generation to clean, zero-emitting renewables by 2035 and of all new buildings and vehicles to zero emissions by 2030, are both feasible and bold, necessary first steps. We need such steps to help stave off the worst effects of air pollution health problems, which kill over 60,000 Americans annually, global warming, and energy insecurity caused by the current energy infrastructure. Make no mistake, though, this is just a first step. A transition needs to be carried out worldwide and for all remaining energy sectors and for existing vehicles and buildings as well. Governor Inslee recognizes these needs, and I am confident will move the nation and catalyze the world to affect a transition that will not only solve the major problems but also create jobs and improve U.S. security.”
 
CLEAN ENERGY INDUSTRY LEADERS
 
Jigar Shah, Co-Founder and President, Generate Capital
“No one doubts that Gov. Inslee is going to make this his top priority as president. Gov. Inslee is setting the standard for what it’s going to take to become the Democratic nominee on climate issues.”
 
Holmes Hummel, former Senior Policy Advisor for the Department of Energy Office of Policy; current principal at Clean Energy Works:
 
“Governor Inslee’s plan for 100% clean energy answers an urgent triple mandate for climate action, equity and economic opportunity that we must heed now.  Governor Inslee's vision for 100% clean energy for new cars, new buildings, and electricity is a downpayment on a comprehensive strategy that involves mobilizing investment and leadership at every level. Governor Insleehas a track record of making gains in economic inclusion, education, and job creation while driving deadly pollution out of our communities and defending the integrity of our democracy.  He has a powerful capacity for vision and execution that we need at the national level. Mayor Garcetti and Governor Inslee together are showing how city and state officials can be world class leaders on climate action - because the world can’t wait.”
 
Jon Wellinghoff, CEO, Grid Policy, Inc.; former Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
"Governor Inslee's plan is the aggressive action we need to shelter all of us from the devastating storm of climate disruption. It offers real solutions grounded in sound policy and thoughtful deliberative collaboration. It is what we need to fight this battle and win."
 
Sonia Aggarwal, Vice President, Energy Innovation
“Governor Inslee’s 100% Clean Energy for America Plan is grounded in a serious assessment of how our nation can mobilize to meet the climate challenge, planning a rapid and responsible transition in how we power our electric grid, our vehicles, and our buildings. Clean energy is increasingly the cheapest way to power our economy – evidenced by the growing number of states, corporations, and utilities setting 100% clean energy goals – and this plan takes advantage of that economic engine to prevent billions in potential climate-related economic damage, create good-paying jobs in every place in the country, and provide cleaner air and water in our communities.”
 
Tom Matzzie, CEO CleanChoice Energy
"Clean energy businesses are creating jobs across America, but we need a president who'll work with us instead of against us. Gov. Inslee's plan to get to 100% clean energy would catapult the clean energy sector. This plan is bold, ambitious and achievable - and it's built on the results that Gov. Inslee has delivered in Washington state. This is the most detailed plan yet from a candidate - and it would be great news for clean energy jobs across the country."
 
Malcolm Woolf, Managing Director, MW Energy Advisors; former Director of the Maryland Energy Administration
“Governor Inslee knows that there is no silver bullet to address the climate crisis. Instead, his plan uses silver buckshot. His multi-faceted approach to transforming the electricity, transportation and building sectors is exactly what our nation needs to build a 100% clean energy economy.”

NEWS ANALYSIS
 
Associated Press
“The plan, the first piece of a series of climate action proposals Inslee will make in the coming weeks, would represent a national shift from coal-powered plants and traditional fuel engines in vehicles, while requiring an overhaul in the way most buildings are heated and cooled. Inslee’s outline would require legislation and executive action, some of it similar to what Inslee has pushed during his six-plus years as governor, but on a scale not seen at the federal level.”
 
Grist
“Where Inslee stakes out some new territory is with the three-pronged, central portion of his plan: Within a decade, he wants to eliminate pollution from new cars, new buildings, and our energy grid. Under the broader Climate Mission, he aims to get America to net-zero pollution by 2045 —five years sooner than Beto’s plan.”
 
Huffington Post
“It’s by far the most ambitious set of climate policies yet proposed, and it comes closer than any other legislative blueprint to the goals outlined by advocates of a Green New Deal.”
 
ThinkProgress
“The ambitious plan charts a course other presidential contenders may follow as climate change becomes a top issue for the crowded primary field.”
 
Brad Plumer, New York Times
“Jay Inslee’s new climate plan is a lot more concrete than vague calls to get to net zero by 2050 or 2030 or whatnot. Specific proposals on power, cars, buildings”
 
BuzzFeed
“In seemingly a first for the 21 person Democratic field, Inslee has proposed retiring all US coal plants by 2030.”

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