Clean energy efforts by utility companies fall far short of America’s goals

The clean energy and jobs package Congress approved last year offers corporate tax credits to lower the cost of solar, wind and battery storage projects. But too many utilities are slow-walking projects, Ben Jealous writes. (stock.adobe.com)

Imagine telling your boss that you’ll complete less than half of the work that’s needed, getting almost nothing done over 12 months, then asking for a raise.

That’s essentially the story of the 77 utility companies still most heavily invested in fossil fuel-fired electric plants, according to a report last week by the Sierra Club and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The utilities plan to replace only 30% of that coal and gas with clean energy by 2030, and more than half of them have made no progress since last year.