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We lead off this week’s Policy & Impacts Intelligence Report with 7.3 billion things. 


That’s how many dollars the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Sept. 5 for rural electric cooperatives as part of its largest investment in rural electrification since 1936. Tom Kleckner reports that it is part of the Empowering Rural America program, designed for cooperatives seeking to buy or build new energy systems, and is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.


James Downing fills us in on a new study that demonstrates the need for standards to be established for HVDC transmission lines so that use of the technology can expand in the U.S. 


Other media have been busy writing about policy and impacts as well:

  • The Associated Press looks at rising methane emissions and at the human activity driving the increase of the potent greenhouse gas. 

  • Bill McKibben lays out what is at stake from his perspective in the 2024 presidential election, in a piece published in The Guardian

  • Grist ponders whether a new green bank could bring solar power and electric buses to Appalachia. 

  • Finally, The Washington Post marks a record many in Phoenix would probably prefer not to be reminded of: The city saw 100-degree heat for more than 100 days in a row

All this and much more is gathered in this week’s Intelligence Report: 


Jump To

Equity & Economics
Finance & Investing
Impact & Adaptation
Policy & Politics

 
 

Equity & Economics

Economic Development

Oregon

OPINION: Climate Protection Program offers opportunity for Oregon's economy

Climate-savvy businesses have a chance to let DEQ know their thoughts on having an innovative, clear, long-term plan to ensure Oregon does our share to address climate change, writes Tim Miller, director of Oregon Business for Climate, a nonpartisan, nonprofit statewide organization founded by business leaders to address climate change. Oregon Capital Chronicle


Environmental Justice

Pennsylvania

Pa. Fracking Company With 2,000 Environmental Violations Gets EJ Funds

CNX Resources is slated to receive Justice40 dollars for self-monitoring. Health and justice advocates are outraged. Environmental Health News


Workforce Development

California

How to navigate the green economy: Here are four success stories

High school and university educators are reporting increasing interest in "green" careers: jobs that help address global warming and other environmental issues, with enough of a future to pay the bills and then some. Los Angeles Times


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Finance & Investing

Finance & Investing

International

Trillions Of Dollars Of Fossil Fuel Finance Routed Via Tax Havens: Study

Trillions of dollars of bank finance to fossil fuel companies is being routed via opaque financial centres in several countries, including the Netherlands, research shows. Reuters


U.S.

A new 'green bank' could bring solar power and electric buses to Appalachia

$500 million from the EPA will support small lenders to invest in renewable energy. Grist


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Impact & Adaptation

Heat Waves

Arizona

In a first, Phoenix hits 100 straight days of 100-degree heat

The longest previous 100-degree streak since records began in 1896 was 76 days in 1993. The Washington Post


International

It's Been the Hottest Summer on Record, European Officials Say

The excessive heat worldwide suggests the full year will also be a record-breaker, according to Copernicus, the E.U. agency that tracks global warming. The New York Times


U.S.

An unlikely line of defense during heat waves: Food banks

In addition to exacerbating financial burdens, extreme heat can complicate mobility issues for older people facing hunger. Grist


Impact

International

'Flight shame is dead': Concern grows over climate impact of tourism boom

Post-Covid hunger for travel is taking a heavy toll on the environment amid race to net zero, say experts. The Guardian


International

Levels Of Potent Warming Gas Methane Soar And People Are Mostly To Blame

The amount and proportion of the powerful heat-trapping gas methane that humans spew into the atmosphere is rising, helping to turbocharge climate change, a new study finds. The Associated Press


Severe Weather

International

This Hurricane Season Was Supposed to Be Busy. What Happened?

An intermission in hurricanes across the Atlantic has people wondering where the predicted storms are. The New York Times


Maine

Shocked by Extreme Storms, a Maine Fishing Town Fights to Save Its Waterfront

After two devastating storms hit Stonington in January, plans are multiplying to raise and fortify wharves, roads and buildings. But will that be enough? The New York Times


U.S.

Coastal cities' growing hurricane vulnerability is fed by climate change and unbridled population growth

Nearly 40% of the U.S. population lives in a coastal county today. Many of these areas are increasingly exposed to disasters, including hurricanes and high tide flooding that has been worsened by sea level rise. The Conversation


U.S.

The Gulf Coast is sinking, making hurricanes like Francine even more dangerous

Hurricane Francine hits low-lying Louisiana. Subsidence could make the storm surge worse. Grist


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Policy & Politics

Policy & Politics

International

US Election Looms Over Climate Talks with China

Experts believe the outcome of the race for the White House could determine how ambitious China's climate efforts will be. The New York Times


Michigan

Michigan's ambitious clean energy laws face a peninsula-sized hurdle

Natural gas power plants put in place just five years ago to replace coal in the state's Upper Peninsula are now a conundrum for regulators. Grist


New York

Critics: Gov. Hochul slacking on meeting 2030 climate goals

Environmental critics feel New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is not doing enough to meet the state's 2030 climate goals. The concerns come after Hochul convened an energy summit to see how the state can regroup since reports suggested it will not meet its goals. Public News Service


New York

NY Senate Republicans Outline Legislation To Delay Renewable Energy Transition

It comes as the state has already fallen behind on meeting its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. New York NOW


New York

OPINION: Gov. Hochul sees NY's looming energy woes -- but won't FIX the mess

All the pixie dust in the world won't help New York meet its goals to abandon fossil fuel, the New York Post's editorial board writes. New York Post


Pennsylvania

Don't believe the talking points -- Pennsylvania natural gas can be a winner for Harris

Pennsylvania shale natural gas production, the second largest by state in America, has become an unexpectedly important issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. The Hill


Texas

A Power Plant Expansion Tied to Bitcoin Mining Faces Backlash From Conservative Texans

A noisy Bitcoin mine keeps residents up at night. Now, the power plant that fuels it wants to expand, but the neighbors are worried about the impact on their health. Inside Climate News


U.S.

At the presidential debate, fossil fuels and energy politics took center stage

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump sought to court swing state voters in gas-rich Pennsylvania in their first head-to-head match. Grist


U.S.

Bill McKibben: If Trump wins the election, it will doom our efforts to slow climate disaster

Here is the biggest thing happening on our planet as we head into the autumn of 2024: the Earth is continuing to heat dramatically. The Guardian


U.S.

Climate experts lament Harris's vow to keep fracking in debate

Harris has a progressive record on climate but indicated a shift, probably to assuage voters in swing states The Guardian


U.S.

Do Green Energy Subsidies Work?

This subsidy smorgasbord is supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting new clean energy technologies and accelerate economic growth by creating new "green" industries and high-paying jobs. RealClearEnergy


U.S.

Harris embraces US fossil fuels in showdown with Trump

Energy issues, including fracking and oil and gas production, grabbed the spotlight at times in the presidential debate. Energywire


U.S.

House fails to move on restricting manufacturing tax credits

With the solar industry divided on whether to restrict 45X tax incentives for Chinese companies and from other "foreign entities of interest," groups express concern that legislators didn't act on a recent bill. pv Magazine


U.S.

How Trump and Harris Talked About Climate Change During the Debate

Vice President Kamala Harris nodded to the urgency of climate change but also highlighted the country's record levels of oil and gas production. The New York Times


U.S.

OPINION: Saving democracy can save the climate -- and vice versa

Despite all the warnings of climate science, fossil fuels still provide more than 80 percent of America's energy, writes William S. Becker, executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project. The Hill


U.S.

Trump vows to pull back climate law's unspent dollars

The former president also pledged to establish a government efficiency commission floated by Tesla's Elon Musk, who he suggested could lead the commission. POLITICO


U.S.

Why Kamala Harris has embraced America's oil boom

The presidential debate barely touched on the subject of climate change. But when it did, Harris embraced oil production. The Washington Post


U.S.

Will lawmakers sacrifice America's public lands to the fossil fuel industry?

More than 360 environmental organizations sent a letter to the committee chair asking the vote be denied passage, calling it "the latest Dirty Permitting Deal." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists


U.S.

Youth Group Asks Supreme Court to Revive a Landmark Climate Lawsuit

The case argues the government violated young people's constitutional rights by failing to curb the use of fossil fuels. A lower court had thrown it out. The New York Times


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