Climate 411

Professional worker installing solar panels. Shutterstock.

(This post was written by EDF Vice President for Political and Government Affairs Joanna Slaney)

Two key U.S. House committees this week advanced a tax plan that effectively ends incentives for clean energy and electric vehicles, undermining an American-made energy boom while raising costs for businesses and families and threatening people’s health with more pollution.

The draft legislation also includes repeals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s tailpipe pollution standards and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s more protective fuel economy standards for the nation’s new cars and passenger trucks – rules aimed at reducing expensive fuel use and harmful pollution while providing cleaner air.

The move is a clear abuse of the reconciliation process, which allows Congress to advance certain spending and tax bills on a simple majority vote, freeing lawmakers from the 60-vote threshold in the Senate most legislation must meet to be considered.

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(This post was written by EDF’s Magdalen Sullivan and Erin Murphy. It was originally posted here)

Many states are adopting declining emission limits as a way to address the severe and growing dangers of the climate crisis, and that means state utility regulators are grappling with how to decarbonize energy systems, manage costs, and meet demand.

Traditional approaches to meeting energy demand with natural gas have included pipeline construction, pipeline replacement, or large gas system upgrades – but these may no longer be appropriate investments in light of new policies and changing customer preferences.

Instead, increasingly popular options are Non-Pipeline Alternatives – or NPAs. They are projects designed to meet energy demand without expensive infrastructure projects that run counter to state climate goals.

EDF has a new report, Non-Pipeline Alternatives: Meeting Energy Demand Responsibly, that has guidance and analysis to help states develop regulatory frameworks for NPA evaluation and implementation, and to help utilities successfully implement NPA programs.

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