Climate 411

Strategies and Principles to Decarbonize Your Local Gas Utility

By Michael Colvin / Published: December 20, 2022
Natural gas pipelines

Photo Credit: Canva

This blog was co-authored by Jolette Westbrook, Director and Senior Attorney, Equitable Regulatory Solutions.

“What will it take to decarbonize the gas distribution system?” That was the key question that a group of stakeholders from the non-profit and utility sectors across the United States tried to answer over the last year. There are many changes required to decarbonize a system that is currently designed around the transport and distribution of a fossil fuel. So how do we do it?

In the first convening of its kind at a national scale, these stakeholders produced a new report setting out guiding principles and strategies to inform decarbonization of the gas utility and corresponding end uses. Despite uncertainties about particular technologies, fuels, and customer adoption, all of the roundtable stakeholders share the belief that urgent action is necessary. The report provides key considerations for policymakers and regulators on how to navigate this transition that will guide future utility investment and decision-making toward economy-wide decarbonization.

Read More »

Posted in California, Carbon Markets, Cities and states, Clean Power Plan, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Policy / Comments are closed

California’s final Scoping Plan sets the stage for stronger climate leadership, but next steps matter

By Caroline Jones / Published: December 13, 2022

This post was co-authored with Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director at EDF.

Sacramento cityscape

Photo Credit: Canva

Last month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released their final Scoping Plan following a lengthy process of drafting, workshops, modeling and public feedback. The Scoping Plan, which is reviewed and updated every five years, is California’s roadmap for meeting its 2030 emissions target and achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2045. Meeting these critical goals will help protect California communities from the most devastating climate change impacts, like more severe fires and droughts.

As the Board considers and votes on the final plan this week, there are some major wins and important next steps from the plan to highlight — most notably, how California will step up its climate fight in this decade.

Read More »

Posted in California, Carbon Markets, Cities and states, Policy / Comments are closed

Progress & Next Steps on Article 6: Looking ahead to COP28

By Maggie Ferrato / Published: December 12, 2022

This blog was co-authored by Maggie Ferrato, Manager, Global Climate Cooperation and Pedro Martins Barata, Associate Vice President, Carbon Markets & Private Sector Decarbonization.
 Read More »

Posted in Carbon Markets, Paris Agreement, United Nations / Tagged , , | Comments are closed

Virginians have spoken: The overwhelming majority oppose Governor Youngkin’s RGGI rollback

By Mandy Warner / Published: December 12, 2022
Richmond

Photo credit: Pixabay

On December 7, the Virginia Air Board voted to proceed with a proposed regulation ending Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a proven program in 12 states that cuts pollution and raises investments for communities.

Governor Youngkin initiated this harmful and unlawful rollback earlier this year, claiming that RGGI was a “bad deal” for Virginians. However, when the Youngkin administration asked Virginians what they thought about the program in a public comment period this fall, the overwhelming majority – 95% of respondents – said they want to stay in RGGI. 

Despite a clear message from Virginians to keep RGGI, the Youngkin administration is barreling ahead with the repeal anyway.

In the nearly 750 comments expressing support for RGGI, people across the Commonwealth –  including mayors, doctors, parents, faith leaders, young people and many more – shared a diversity of reasons for why RGGI is a good deal for their communities.

Those reasons deserve to be heard and amplified.

Here are 6 key reasons why Virginians support RGGI – in their words. 

Read More »

Posted in Cities and states, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Comments are closed

Minnesotans are ready for state lawmakers to take bold climate action

By Alex DeGolia / Published: December 8, 2022

Minnesotan Lakeshore

After the November election, Minnesota policymakers are now in the best position than they have ever been to take critical steps to put in place policies necessary to tackle climate change. In doing so, they have the opportunity to create good paying jobs, protect communities from harmful air pollution, and secure a safer future for all Minnesotans.

A recent poll, commissioned by EDF Action and conducted by Global Strategy Group, found broad support among majorities of Minnesotans for ambitious climate policies – including those that limit carbon pollution, encourage more use of clean energy, and reduce pollution from specific sectors such as transportation and agriculture. Majorities of Minnesota voters also want the Governor and state lawmakers to do more to support these and other climate policies.

As Minnesota lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session in January, the results of this poll underscore how popular climate action is among the state’s voters. Here are five key polling results:

Read More »

Posted in Agriculture, Carbon Markets, Cities and states, Innovation, Policy / Comments are closed

Banking Regulators Take Critical Steps to Account for Climate-Related Financial Risks

By Stephanie Jones / Published: November 30, 2022

(This piece was co-authored by Bridget Pals at NYU Law School’s Institute for Policy Integrity. It is also posted on the Institute for Policy Integrity’s website)

This fall, following a summer when climate change fueled catastrophic heat waves, droughts, floods, and fires, key U.S. authorities acknowledged the urgent need to act on climate risks to the banking system. Recent actions and remarks are beginning to shed light on what the next wave of policies to address these risks might entail. They’re likely to look a lot like many other, existing financial risk regulations.

The heads of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) both delivered remarks highlighting actions their agencies have already taken to address climate-related banking risks and identifying additional steps they will take. Michael Barr, the Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve (Fed), similarly stated that climate-related financial risks implicate the Fed’s “supervisory responsibilities and [its] role in promoting a safe and stable financial system,” so the Fed plans to issue guidance in coordination with fellow financial regulators and conduct scenario analyses.

The officials’ recent statements build on earlier actions by the OCC and FDIC, which both issued draft principles in the last year on how banks should manage climate risk to meet safety and soundness expectations. The Institute for Policy Integrity and Environmental Defense Fund submitted joint comments supporting both guidance documents as important steps toward addressing the risks that climate change poses to the structural integrity of our financial system.

Read More »

Posted in News / Comments are closed