WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of next week’s presidential inauguration, the U.S. Climate Alliance – a bipartisan coalition of governors representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population – today vowed to sustain and advance climate action across America and announced that it will house and lead several climate initiatives its states launched in partnership with the Biden-Harris administration.

“Our governors are equipped with the authority, the resolve, and the solutions to continue slashing harmful climate pollution across America,” said U.S. Climate Alliance Executive Director Casey Katims. “We’ve filled the void left by the federal government before and Americans can be sure, we’ll do it again.”

As part of its commitment to press forward, the Alliance will house and sustain work on two initiatives its states launched in partnership with the Biden-Harris administration in recent years – the State Buy Clean Partnership and State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative. The aim of these initiatives is to advance procurement of cleaner construction materials in publicly-funded projects and to support the adoption of high-performance conductors and grid-enhancing technologies to bolster the capacity of America’s electric grid, respectively. These multi-state partnerships provide a platform for participating members to increase collaboration, share evidence-based practices, engage experts and stakeholders, and develop scalable solutions.

The Alliance’s states and territories continue to have broad authority under the U.S. Constitution to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions. To date, across the Alliance:

• 24 members have renewable and clean energy standards for electricity.
• 19 members have 100 percent zero-carbon or carbon-neutral electricity goals.
• 15 members have adopted clean car standards.
• 11 members participate in statewide or regional carbon market programs.
• 11 members have adopted clean truck standards.

Between 2005 and 2022, the Alliance reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 19 percent, while increasing collective GDP by 30 percent, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal by reducing collective GHG emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Additionally, the coalition’s states and territories are collectively employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts than the rest of the country.

The Alliance will protect and build on this long track record of progress in the years ahead through a variety of individual and collective state-led strategies. This includes continuing to deploy billions in historic clean energy investments through the Solar for All program, which delivers cost savings to Americans on their electric bills through expanded residential solar energy, and the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, through which states are implementing ambitious measures to slash climate pollution, among other programs. Innovative state-led policy approaches will also be pursued, such as New York’s new Climate Superfund law, Massachusetts’s new law accelerating clean energy and clean technology deployment, and Colorado’s new Transportation Vision: 2035 plan. Additionally, the Alliance is continuing to up its ambition, and last month, announced a new coalition-wide pledge to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions at least 61-66 percent below 2005 levels by 2035, in alignment with the new climate target for the U.S. set by the Biden-Harris administration.

Following November’s presidential election, the Alliance came together with America’s other top subnational climate action coalitions – America Is All In and Climate Mayors – to make it clear to the country and the world that “we will not turn back.” The Alliance’s co-chairs followed with their own statements assuring Americans that climate-leading governors will tap every ounce of their authority to protect America’s progress and press forward. The coalition also took this message to the global stage at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, reaffirming America’s commitment to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.