Big US firms call for national clean energy standard

Adoption of federal standard can spur robust economic recovery and create millions of jobs, companies say

Nearly 80 companies including household names such as Apple, eBay, Google and General Motors have called on the US Congress to adopt a national clean energy standard (CES). The lobbying, in a letter to lawmakers, comes as President Joe Biden’s $1.7trn infrastructure plans, which include a CES as a “non-negotiable”, face an uncertain future. A CES typically requires a percentage of retail electricity sales is from low- or zero-carbon sources, such as renewable or nuclear energy. A federal CES has so far failed to gain traction in Washington in part because of fears it would raise electricity prices. “By acting now to enact a federal clean electricity standard, Congress and the president can s