Brief #130 – Environment Policy
By Katelyn Lewis
Pennsylvania’s carbon-pricing plan cleared its final regulatory hurdle on September 1, making the Keystone State the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a cap-and-trade policy.
Environment
U.S. Can Become 45% Solar Powered by 2050. Too Much to Ask or Too Important to ignore?
Brief #128 – The Environment
By Jacob Morton
A new report from the Department of Energy shows that solar power has the potential to generate 40% of the nation’s electricity by 2035 and outlines how the nation could move toward producing up to 45% of its electricity from solar power by 2050. The climate crisis suggests this is more than necessary, it is imperative. But does the country have what it takes to make it happen.
President Biden’s Important 30×30 Environmental Policy Goal
Brief #127 – Environment Policy
By Tim Loftus
President Biden wasted no time in making clear his position on climate change. One week after Inauguration Day last January, an Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad was issued that, among other things, “… encourage broad participation in the goal of conserving 30 percent of our American lands and water by 2030.”
Part 2: Drought and Our Plans to Deal With it are Running Dry
Brief #126 – Environmental Policy
By Todd J. Broadman
This brief is another segment to help further explain the megadrought in the U.S. Southwest. The megadrought now encompasses Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of California, Colorado and New Mexico. This region has undergone chronic drought conditions since 2000, the year that the Lake Mead reservoir (the largest in the U.S. and now at an historic low) was considered close to full.
Two Bills, One Climate: Breaking Down the Climate Provisions in the “Hard” and “Soft” Infrastructure Bills
Brief #125 – Environment
By Jacob Morton
Democrats in Congress are looking to pass two landmark legislations, the “Hard” and “Soft” infrastructure bills. One is bipartisan, the other is not. Both have significant climate and environmental implications. Will these two bills usher in a new era of climate stewardship for the United States, or will they continue to line the pockets of the fossil fuel industry?
What Happens When It’s Too Hot To Work?
Brief #124 – Environment Policy
By Katelyn Lewis
Around 32 million people in the United States’ workforce are risking their health for their jobs on hot summer days – a scenario likely to increase dramatically by mid-century if there is slow or no action to reduce global emissions, a new analysis finds.
Will This Summer’s Extreme Weather Affect the World’s Resolve to Tackle Climate Change?
Brief #123 – Environmental Policy
By Adrian Cole
COP 26 is the latest climate gathering in a process which began with the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC), established then, is comprised of 200 members who commit to meeting annually in a Conference of the Parties (COP). This year the UK will host, and has the presidency. The meeting has been billed as the “last, best chance” to deal with climate change. What are its goals?
The Need To Overhaul the Nation’s Aging Electric Grid Is Urgent But Challenging
Brief #122 – Environment Policy
By Todd J. Broadman
Biden’s foundational policy objectives of carbon-free power by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050 serve as the basis for his $2.25 trillion green infrastructure plan. The overarching question is “how” – particularly when nationwide carbon-free power effectively means tripling the size of the U.S. transmission system.
Biden Ups The Ante on Car Fuel Standards
Brief #121 – Environment Policy
By Katelyn Lewis
President Joe Biden’s team is working on a vehicle emissions rule that will not only restore aggressive vehicle mileage standards set under then-President Barack Obama, but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and significantly increase electric vehicle drivers in the U.S. by the end of the decade.
Colorado Takes Big Action Against Single-Use Plastics
Brief # 120 – Environment
By Katelyn Lewis
In a sweeping effort against plastic, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill enabling municipalities to enforce local plastic bag and packaging ordinances as well as implementing a ban against the use of single-use plastic bags, polystyrene cups and containers statewide.
Fishing Boat Dispatch # 6: What Have Subsidies Got To Do With It
Brief # 119 – Environmental Policy
By Katherine Cart
Corporate wealth towers like megalithic fungi about the globe. Imagine the coagulated money of the world sprouting graphically in the areas in which the owners of that money are housed, bedded, fed. This should appear rather like a globular histogram, with, say, Beijing, New York City, Hong Kong, Moscow, Shenzhen, San Francisco etc. etc. sprouting great swaying money towers. Now, conversely, consider a similar globular graph that depicts where the physical goods powering wealth are sourced from.
Maine Becomes the First State To Commit to Fossil Fuel Divestment Through Legislation
Brief # 118 – Environmental Policy
By Jacob Morton
The state of Maine has passed a law forbidding any state pension fund or other public savings funds from making new investments in stocks or securities of fossil fuel companies. As other states and organizations follow suit, divestment could spell trouble for the fossil fuel industry.