Louisiana task force unveils three-pronged ‘net zero’ plan

Gov. John Bel Edwards. (AP Photo/Lee Celano, File)

Louisiana’s nearly final plan for reducing carbon emissions to “net zero” by 2050 focuses on “three pillars,” reports NOLA.com. They include a dramatic shift to electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar; using that electricity to power the state’s huge industrial base; and requiring industries using high-intensity heat processes to switch from carbon-based fuels to hydrogen.

The final draft of the plan was unveiled last week during an online Zoom meeting of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Climate Initiatives Task Force. Task force members will be allowed to append objections to the plan through Jan. 31, the date of the task force’s last meeting. The plan will be delivered to Edwards Feb. 1.

The task force and its advisory committees will meet again in March to be briefed on Edwards’ priorities for moving forward with the plan’s eight broad areas of focus, which contain 28 major carbon reduction strategies and recommend 84 specific actions. Read the entire story.