California
State regulators approved a plan to determine how to weigh "non-energy benefits" in decisions about energy resources, as the state pursues 100 percent zero-carbon electricity by 2045. Inside Climate News
California
The California Energy Commission voted unanimously March 13 to begin a process to incorporate the value of "non-energy benefits," such as health impacts and job creation, in future decisions about the state's energy mix. Inside Climate News
Colorado
Bill to phase out oil and gas drilling faces an uphill battle in the Legislature. Colorado Newsline
International
Europe's response to the U.S.'s Inflation Reduction Act has been a big talking point at Giga Europe, and one panelist said the simplicity of the IRA has been key to its success. "The reason the Inflation Reduction Act is doing well versus the Green Deal Industrial Plan (Europe's response) is because it is easy to understand," said Richard Clark, global head of specialty materials and processes for Appian Capital Advisory. Energy Storage News
Maine
Environmental groups hope studies now proposed in place of a ban on new gas service will prove that expanding the industry with alternative fuels would be out of alignment with Maine's climate goals. Energy News Network
Maryland
The Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Gov. Wes Moore's closest ally in the state's environmental community, came out against one of the governor's top legislative priorities March 8. Maryland LCV Executive Director Kim Coble said the green group "regretfully" has decided to oppose Senate Bill 474, legislation designed to attract large-scale data centers to the state, and that LCV will use lawmakers' votes on the measure as part of its annual legislative scorecard -- a conundrum for Democrats who enjoy their alliance with environmental groups but support Moore's top economic development priority of the General Assembly session. Maryland Matters
Maryland
As lawmakers and consumer advocates in state capitols -- including Annapolis -- begin to more closely scrutinize the political activities of utilities across the country, a good government group is releasing a report that attempts to quantify the utilities' level of political spending and lobbying activity in the Maryland State House. Maryland Matters
Maryland
Analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute shows that Montgomery County alone will require an additional 1.8 TWh of electricity production to support anticipated levels of light-duty transportation electrification by 2030, writes Nick Bibby, a principal with Advanced Energy United. Maryland Matters
Montana
One familiar Republican and a couple of new Democrats are among the candidates who hopped into the Public Service Commission races in the last few days before filing closed. Three districts are up for grabs. The primary is June 4. News From The States
Nebraska
The 76-page "Priority Climate Action Plan," submitted March 1, is part of an effort, via the federal Inflation Reduction Act, to finance state plans and then provide $4.6 billion in competitive grants to implement the state plans. Nebraska Examiner
New Jersey
The Court did not reach the merits of the ITAs in its decision, and instead dismissed the Plaintiffs' claims because it found they did not have standing to challenge the projects JD Supra
New York
The legislation would require 100 MW of solar photovoltaic systems to be installed on the roofs of city-owned buildings by the end of 2025, with a broader goal of 150 MW by 2030. Utility Dive
North Carolina
The state is already on pace to cut emissions just over 40% compared to 2005 levels. But the steps outlined in the new blueprint, crafted as part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, would slash heat-trapping pollution even further. Renewable Energy World
Ohio
Gov. Mike DeWine continues to praise and support an aide who he said knew about a $4.3 million payoff by FirstEnergy to DeWine's pick to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio -- the entity that decides how much FirstEnergy can charge customers. The aide knew about the payment, but didn't tell DeWine until the FBI searched the regulator's home nearly two years later, the governor's office says. Now the aide, Laurel Dawson, isn't talking. And DeWine's office won't say if the governor ever punished her for not telling him of the payment, which is part of a huge bribery and money-laundering scandal that has already sent two to federal prison. Ohio Capital Journal
Oregon
Oregon lawmakers spent much of the short 2024 legislative session focused on housing regulations and drug criminalization. That often left environmental policies around wildfires, farms and climate change on the back burner. This article looks at how some of the top environmental bills that were introduced this session fared. Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon
The Department of Environmental Quality will work on a new program to limit climate emissions and help vulnerable communities Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced March 11 it would restart the process for creating a new Climate Protection Program, which was approved three years ago to confront the growing threat of climate change. The program -- requiring fossil fuel companies operating in the state to gradually reduce their greenhouse emissions 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050 -- was invalidated by the state's second highest court in December in a lawsuit over required disclosures. Oregon Capital Chronicle
South Carolina
The solution to growing electric demand in 2007 was to build faster with less oversight. The proposed solution in 2024 is to build faster with less oversight, writes John Ruoff, a 45-year participant in utility regulation and policy debates in South Carolina. The Island News
Texas
The EPA estimates the rule, first announced in 2023, could cut up to 58 million tons of methane emissions by 2038. It adds more stringent requirements for practices such as flaring and plugging leaks. The Hill
U.S.
He acknowledged that the Biden administration's ambitious Inflation Reduction Act is a step in the right direction, but also remarked that the legislation is problematic from a European and German standpoint, resulting in a subsidy competition that the U.S. won by taking on more debt. The Energy Mix
U.S.
Ten Republican-led states filed a petition to block the Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-risk disclosure rule shortly after the vote was finalized March 6. The lawsuit, led by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, was filed in the U.S. Court of the Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Decisions made by most federal administrative agencies are subject to review by a Federal Court of Appeals. The attorneys general asked the court to declare the rule "unlawful" and vacate the commission's finalization. ESG Dive
U.S.
The president's goal is for the United States to abandon the use of coal and natural gas by 2035, something that many local governments oppose. Voz Media
U.S.
The United States' former climate envoy spoke candidly about his time in the role and what he projects for the country's climate future. Inside Climate News
U.S.
President Biden and former President Trump are worlds apart on climate policy. But do voters know it? Polls show that most Americans don't know that Biden signed into law the biggest climate law in U.S. history. And many may not remember that Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the world's most important climate treaty, and rolled back more than a hundred policies to protect the environment. The New York Times
U.S.
It's been six years since cities in California started the trend of taking Big Oil to court for deceiving the public about the consequences of burning fossil fuels. The move followed investigations showing that Exxon and other companies had known about the dangers of skyrocketing carbon emissions for decades, but publicly downplayed the threat. Today, around 30 lawsuits have been filed around the country as cities, states, and Indigenous tribes seek to make the industry pay for the costs of climate change. Grist
U.S.
Research suggests concern about climate change has significantly affected voters' choices in the past two presidential elections. Climate change opinions may even have had a large enough effect to change the 2020 election outcome in President Joe Biden's favor. This was the conclusion of an analysis of polling data published Jan. 17 through the University of Colorado's Center for Social and Environmental Futures. The Conversation
U.S.
The U.S. is the second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide after China. WFMJ
U.S.
Inside the conspiracy to take down wind and solar power. Sierra Club
U.S.
The methane rule for the oil and gas sector could face "major questions" claims, which one environmental lawyer said could "curry favor with some judges." E&E News
U.S.
The push at the federal level comes as grid-enhancing technology bills and projects to relieve grid congestion advance in Minnesota. Utility Dive
U.S.
Conservatives have plans to hinder future presidents from reentering the Paris Agreement if a second Trump administration leaves the global climate accord. E&E News
U.S.
The tax code incentivizes the purchase of private jets and large SUVs, which is at odds with U.S. climate priorities. GreenBiz
U.S.
President Biden spoke about global warming in stark terms during the State of the Union address March 14, ditching the more sterile term "climate change" to instead refer twice to the climate "crisis." Without mentioning his name, Mr. Biden sought to contrast his record on climate change with that of former President Donald J. Trump, the expected Republican presidential nominee, who ridiculed climate science, unraveled policies that would have curbed greenhouse gas emissions and promoted the unfettered development of fossil fuels. The president repeated a familiar theme: that tackling climate change brings economic benefits and job gains. The New York Times
U.S.
An ambitious new climate change initiative at MIT's Sloan School of Management seeks to harness the collective knowledge of the university to help tackle the climate crisis by connecting current and future climate research to policy. The MIT Climate Policy Center will be part of a new and larger campus-wide initiative called the Climate Project at MIT, which aims to mobilize different parts of the university to "develop, deliver, and scale up practical climate solutions as quickly as possible," according to Richard K. Lester, MIT's vice provost. Inside Climate News
U.S.
The lawsuit, led by the state of Iowa, comes after 10 states separately sued the SEC over the rule last week. The Hill
U.S.
Our nation's capital would be a good place to build the first climate memorial, but we need not stop there. States like Florida and Louisiana will be among the first to suffer the worst effects of rising oceans and more severe weather. Just make sure the memorials are situated well above sea level, writes Nate Loewentheil, founder and managing partner of Commonweal Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in clean energy, health and financial technologies. The New York Times
U.S.
With the Farm Bill up for renewal, members of Congress are threatening to use the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization to revoke funding for programs like REAP that deliver real, tangible economic benefits to farmers, writes Fortunat Mueller, President of ReVision Energy. North American Clean Energy
U.S.
NARUC's winter summit showcased a wide array of state utility regulators' efforts and conversations around ways to bolster these tools. EPA can move forward expeditiously to protect public health and limit GHG emissions from the full suite of fossil fuel-fired power plants -- including existing gas-fired power plants -- as it continues to work alongside these ongoing grid transformation efforts, write Dena Adler and Jennifer Danis, a senior attorney and the federal energy policy director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU Law School, respectively. Utility Dive
U.S.
Six Democratic senators from New England are pushing the Treasury Department to say when it will issue final guidance on two bonus tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act to help offshore wind. They also want the government to strengthen the guidance. Windpower Monthly
U.S.
Norton Rose Fulbright conducted a live podcast with tax and legal experts who discussed what could be on the chopping block in the massive Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022. pv magazine
U.S.
An analysis of the bill's impact shows that for every $1 the government invested, the private sector spent nearly $5.50. Grist
U.S.
How can the world reach net zero if it keeps inventing new ways to consume energy? New Yorker
U.S.
The panel said that the clock is ticking on legislation, particularly guidance released by the Treasury, because a new administration and Republican Congress could use the Congressional Review Act to roll back any regulations that go into effect in the last 60 legislative days of the current Congress. pv Magazine
U.S.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday clean energy investments in parts of the U.S. historically reliant on fossil fuels have more than doubled to $4.5 billion per month due to Biden administration tax credits targeting such communities. Reuters
U.S.
Biden is calling on Congress for an additional $8 billion in funding for the program. Grist
Washington
The last gavel has fallen in Olympia this legislative session, marking the end of a crucial window of influence for Washington lawmakers before an initiative to repeal the state's landmark climate law appears on ballots this fall. In the two-month session, lawmakers set aside more than $1 billion for initiatives across the state intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bolster responses to natural disasters, and that's on top of $2.1 billion earmarked last year. The Seattle Times
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