Biden Administration Pulls Support for Coal Plants, Carbon-Intensive Projects Overseas

December 29, 2021 by Dan McCue
Biden Administration Pulls Support for Coal Plants, Carbon-Intensive Projects Overseas
(Photo by Ella Ivanescu via Unsplash)

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has ordered an end to federal support for the construction of coal plants and other carbon-intensive projects overseas.

The policy, which was communicated to U.S. embassies earlier this month, is expected to be fully in force by the end of 2022 and will apply to all fossil fuel-related projects, “except in limited and clearly defined circumstances,” a State Department spokesman said in an email to The Well News.

The shift in policy is an outgrowth of the United States’ participation in the United Nations climate change conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, in early November.

In the email, the State Department spokesperson said the administration has elevated climate change as a core tenet of its foreign policy and that accelerating the global transition to a net-zero emissions future is a key part of that work.

“We are committed to doing so in a way that safeguards U.S. geostrategic interests and access to reliable, resilient, affordable energy, while also accounting for rising energy demand around the world.”

“This commitment, which is consistent with the president’s Jan. 27 executive order on tackling the climate crisis and the commitment the U.S. made in June along with other G7 countries to end public financing of unabated coal generation by the end of 2021, will reorient tens of billions of dollars of public finance and trillions of private finance towards low carbon priorities,” the spokesperson said.  

The cable, the existence of which was first reported by Bloomberg, said going forward the United States’ “international energy engagement will center on promoting clean energy, advancing innovative technologies, boosting U.S. clean-tech competitiveness and providing financing and technical assistance to support net-zero transitions around the world.”

Among other things, the communique — referred to by the State Department spokesman as “guidance for official international energy engagements” — emphasizes that the administration will not support the construction or operation of coal-fired power plants overseas unless and until the operators deploy carbon capture technologies to minimize their impact on the climate.

But U.S. embassies were also told that some oil and gas projects will be given exemptions if they are considered to significantly advance national security interests.

In addition, the administration said while it will not support such projects, it won’t force U.S.-based companies to stop building coal, oil and gas facilities in foreign countries.

The policy and the exemptions are intended to “steer U.S government investment toward clean energy projects that will power the future and maintain our foreign policy interests,” the State Department official said.  

“Official international energy engagement will focus on promoting clean energy, advancing innovative technologies, and providing financing and technical assistance that supports countries’ emissions-reduction goals,” they added. 

“The clean energy transition is imperative to our ability to address the climate crisis and ensure long-term energy security, but we also know that it will not happen overnight,” the official continued.

“In some cases, engagement on a carbon-intensive energy project may still be necessary to protect national security or advance development goals, and no viable low-carbon alternative exists — which is why related exemption pathways are defined in the guidance distributed to agencies. The Biden administration is committed to meeting this moment responsibly and helping to build the safer, healthier, and more prosperous future Americans expect and deserve,” the State Department official said. 

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.

A+
a-
  • climate
  • Energy
  • renewable energy
  • State Department
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Climate

    November 29, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Vice President Harris to Attend Climate Talks in Dubai

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Dubai on Friday to attend the COP28 climate change talks. According... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Dubai on Friday to attend the COP28 climate change talks. According to the White House, the vice president’s scheduled two days at the talks “will underscore the Biden-Harris administration’s success in delivering on the most ambitious climate... Read More

    Climate Contradictions Key at UN Talks. Less Future Warming Projected, More Current Pain

    The world is heading for considerably less warming than projected a decade ago, but that good news is overwhelmed by... Read More

    The world is heading for considerably less warming than projected a decade ago, but that good news is overwhelmed by much more pain from current climate change than scientists anticipated, experts said. That’s just one of a set of seemingly contradictory conditions facing climate negotiators who this week... Read More

    Climate Change in Texas Textbooks Causing Friction in America's Biggest Oil and Gas State

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — How science textbooks in Texas address climate change is at the center of a key vote expected Friday... Read More

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — How science textbooks in Texas address climate change is at the center of a key vote expected Friday after some Republican education officials criticized books for being too negative toward fossil fuels in America's biggest oil and gas state. The issue of which textbooks... Read More

    November 15, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    US, China Agree to Ramp Up Renewables to Address Climate Concerns

    SAN FRANCISCO — President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to ramp up renewable energy development over the... Read More

    SAN FRANCISCO — President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to ramp up renewable energy development over the next seven years in order to speed its replacement of “coal, oil and gas generation.” The announcement of the deal Tuesday night came a day ahead... Read More

    November 14, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Biden Announces New Investments in Resiliency After Sobering Climate Report

    WASHINGTON — The United States is warming nearly 60% faster than the world as a whole and the harm that’s... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The United States is warming nearly 60% faster than the world as a whole and the harm that’s causing Americans is worsening across every region of the country, a new government report shows. The latest edition of the National Climate Assessment, released on Tuesday,... Read More

    France's Macron Says Melting Glaciers 'Unprecedented Challenge for Humanity'

    PARIS (AP) — Melting glaciers are an “unprecedented challenge for humanity,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he launched a... Read More

    PARIS (AP) — Melting glaciers are an “unprecedented challenge for humanity,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he launched a call for nations to work together on slashing planet-warming emissions, protecting the environment and collaborating on scientific research into the Earth's icy ecosystems. Such a united... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top