Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich is the son of a utility
lineman, and one of just a few engineers in Congress.
Clean energy piqued the New Mexico lawmaker’s interest at an
early age, while he was building and racing solar-powered cars in college. But
for most of his life, he says, it was hard to imagine a world in which
renewables could power more than 20 or 30 percent of the electric grid.
Today, Heinrich’s outlook is different. “We can have a
future reliable, cheap, resilient grid that is 100 percent powered by clean
energy,” he said in an interview on Greentech Media’s Political
Climate podcast.
Transforming the grid comes with technical challenges,
Heinrich added. “But given how much things have changed over the last 30 years,
I have no doubt 30 years from now we will be looking at those challenges in a
very different way.”
As for how long it will take to achieve 100 percent clean
energy: “I think in my lifetime that is completely doable,” he said.
Today marks the official launch of Sen. Heinrich’s “Clean Energy
Vision,” as part of his re-election campaign for this fall. The ad and supporting document outline a multi-pronged
approach for strengthening New Mexico's clean energy economy — including
investments in energy storage, wind and solar, transmission lines and workforce
development. The plan doesn’t explicitly call for a 100 percent clean energy
grid, but Heinrich said it's a valuable concept for people to rally around.
Senator Heinrich laid out his Clean Energy Vision on Political
Climate, and outlined how he intends to make that vision a reality in these
highly partisan times.
“Renewables, storage and smart and resilient grids are key
to clean energy future, so Senator Heinrich’s focus here is right on,” former
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz wrote of Heinrich’s clean energy vision in an
email. “Furthermore, New Mexico, with its premier DOE labs Los Alamos and
Sandia, will especially benefit from more effective technology transfer and
regional innovation strategies.”
Moniz, who toured New Mexico with Heinrich last week,
praised the senator for his in-depth understanding of clean energy technology
that has “underpinned his leadership on these issues.”
Brandon Hurlbut, Political Climate co-host and
former chief of staff at the Department of Energy under President Obama, said
that Heinrich’s comments on 100 percent clean energy are significant.
“Senator Heinrich's announcement that he supports 100
percent clean energy is a big deal, because it shows that the 100 percent
movement is becoming mainstream,” said Hurlbut. As a senator from a purple
state, “It shows that support is expanding beyond liberal policymakers on the
East and West Coasts.”
More than 200 mayors across the country have publicly
committed to achieving 100 percent clean energy, and a small but growing number
of states are considering the same target. California lawmakers could pass a
100 percent zero-carbon electricity bill by the end of the month.
Five years ago, when Hurlbut started working with the Solutions Project,
an organization that advocates for a 100 percent renewable energy system, he
recalls that the mention of “100 percent” was a “radical idea.” Since then,
technology costs have dropped precipitously, making 100
percent renewables a possibility.
Powering the electric grid solely with renewables is not the
same as powering the electric grid solely with clean energy. The latter implies
a broader suite of low-carbon energy resources, most notably nuclear power, are
also included in the mix. While there’s an ongoing debate over which approach
is more technically feasible, Hurlbut said he’s excited to see that momentum is
building around the 100 percent movement.
“This is the direction that the nation needs to go in if we
are to avoid the worst effects of climate change and unlock a
multitrillion-dollar economic opportunity for the country,” he said.
Senator Heinrich’s clean energy vision comes as the Trump
administration rolls out its proposal to replace the Obama-era Clean Power
Plan. The new Affordable
Clean Energy Rule eases regulations on coal plants by allowing states
to come up with their own emissions-reduction pathways, with no minimum
reduction requirement.
Senator Heinrich, along with Senators Markey, Carper,
Whitehouse, Cardin and Smith, held a press conference today condemning the
Trump administration proposal, citing potential damage to the environment,
public health, and climate change progress.
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