Washington, D.C. (January 20, 2021) — Edison Electric Institute (EEI) President Tom Kuhn issued the following statement today:

“EEI and our member companies—America’s investor-owned electric companies—welcome the Biden administration’s initial actions on climate change, including rejoining the Paris Agreement. 

“Across our nation, EEI’s member companies are leading the clean energy transformation and are committed to getting the energy they provide as clean as they can as fast as they can, without compromising the reliability and affordability that our customers and communities value.

“Today, nearly 40 percent of the electricity that powers our homes and businesses comes from clean, carbon-free sources, including nuclear energy, hydropower, wind, and solar energy. Carbon emissions from the U.S. power sector are at their lowest level in more than 30 years—and continue to fall.

“As impressive as our progress has been, now is the time to accelerate our efforts with policies that help bring the benefits of clean, affordable, and reliable energy to all Americans.

“To that end, we:

• Support America rejoining the Paris Agreement. U.S. electric companies collectively have reduced their carbon emissions more than every nation in the world since 2010 and have achieved a 33-percent reduction from 2005 levels as of the end of 2019. That is a decade earlier than what was called for in the original U.S. commitment under the Paris Agreement. To achieve meaningful worldwide action on climate change, it is essential that we continue to engage in these global conversations and that we continue to build on the progress we already have made.
• Support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of methane emissions throughout the natural gas supply chain for new and existing sources. Natural gas continues to play a vital role in accelerating the use of renewables, and the switch from coal to natural gas has been the single most effective tool over the past decade for reducing carbon emissions. Strong and cost-effective federal regulations on methane emissions across the value chain are essential to ensuring the continued availability of natural gas as a 24/7 on-demand energy source.
• Support the creation of new rules for the transportation sector by establishing aggressive rules for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to drive electrification. By transitioning more of America’s economy—particularly the transportation sector—to clean, efficient electric energy, these regulations can help significantly reduce vehicle emissions, which currently represent the largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S. economy. 

“EEI’s member companies are well-positioned to be part of the solution to climate change, and our ongoing leadership on clean energy is essential as we move toward a cleaner economy. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration, Congress, and other stakeholders to shape these rules so that we can continue to provide the affordable, reliable, secure, and clean energy that our customers want and deserve.”