Puna Geothermal Venture facility, Hawai‘i’s only geothermal plant, is reopening on the Big Island following two years of closure. As the most petroleum-dependent state in the nation, Hawai‘i is dedicated to phasing out fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy...
On Impact & Beautiful Places with Madhavan Thirumalai
Madhavan Thirumalai recently joined our Board of Directors, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team. He is a serial entrepreneur, and passionate outdoorsman with a commitment to lending his time and energy to solving the most pressing...
New Mexico Looks To Curb Methane Emissions and Channel Community Solar
In recent years, New Mexico has stood out as a state with high ambitions for climate policy. Upon taking office in January 2019, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s third executive order brought the state into the U.S. Climate Alliance, created the...
“If you’re not centering justice you’re not going to solve the problem”
Surviving the climate crisis will require collective action on a grand scale; but this action must be led by the communities facing firsthand the impacts of climate change. It is these voices from the frontlines who are most valuable to...
SCPN Spotlight: Melinda Hanson on decarbonizing urban transport
All across the country, members of our State Climate Policy Network (SCPN) are fighting to make an impact on climate change in their communities. We have individuals in our Network from all 50 states, each experiencing climate change differently in...
Oregon lawmakers are fiercely debating the cause of devastating wildfires that engulfed Western states this fall. Wildfire destruction reached a record high in Oregon this year, with over one million acres (1,562 square miles) burned just in the week following...
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - “5 N.E. governors criticize grid operator” (Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Magazine): [read article] - “Labor, Environment, and Business Groups Call on Lawmakers to Forestall Transit Cuts” (Christian MilNeil, MassStreetsBlog): [read article] - “Mass. Lost Ground...
A brand new labor-focused climate coalition just launched in the state of Illinois. The Climate Jobs Illinois coalition is composed heavily of labor union representatives and members from across the state’s energy industry, with a mission to “advocate for a...
Independent System Operators (ISOs) & Carbon Pricing: An Explainer
Independent System Operators (ISOs) & Carbon Pricing: An Explainer is a report by Lucy Davis-Hup, Emerson Johnston, Mridhu Khanna, and Sudhanshu Mathur, all of whom are State Carbon Pricing Network Fellows at Climate XChange.The next game-changing actor on the carbon...
Building Back Better: Investing in a Resilient Recovery for Washington State
This report analyzes the potential jobs and community health benefits created by a sample portfolio of investments in Washington State. We find that investing in clean transportation, forest conservation and ecosystem restoration, clean energy, water and energy efficiency, low carbon...
Cap-and-Trade in California: Health and Climate Benefits Greatly Outweigh Costs
We compare the costs of greenhouse gas reduction programs to the value of reducing the worldwide dangers of climate change and of improving health outcomes to determine whether the programs are a cost-effective means for spending large amounts of state...
Communicating the climate crisis
Communicating the climate crisis is a critical part of moving policy solutions forward and gaining the collective buy-in necessary for creating a future that is not dependent on the heat trapping gases that have resulted in this crisis. However, this...
“It’s not just this future reality, it’s a current reality”
This year, we’ve seen the devastation of climate impacts across the country that come against the backdrop of a global pandemic. It’s been one disaster after another — from unprecedented wildfires ravaging the West to an exceedingly above average hurricane...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leaves a Climate-Sized Hole on the Court
Losing a cultural and legal icon always has dramatic consequences, but in this political moment, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death could have dire implications for the future of legal protections and action on climate. Although primarily revered for her advancement of...
“COVID-19 is the pop quiz but climate change is the final exam”
It is no secret that many of those with deep ties or interests in the fossil fuel industry have worked long and hard to undermine the science and research around the causes and consequences of manmade climate change — originating...
SCPN Spotlight: Edgar Barraza on the Importance of Advocating for Environmental Justice
All across the country, members of our State Carbon Pricing Network (SCPN) are fighting to make an impact on climate change in their communities. We have individuals in our Network from all 50 states, each experiencing climate change differently in...
October 9th Roundup: Politics Loom Over Delayed Climate Bill
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - 2020 politics loom large over climate conference committee negotiation: It's been 64 days since the House and Senate entered into negotiations on a climate bill, and its status remains unknown...
Denver Sales Tax on the Ballot in November
In early August, the City Council of Denver approved a 0.25% sales tax increase proposal. Colorado has a state-wide sales tax of 2.9%, and allows local governments to collect a local option sales tax of up to 8%. The purpose...
“Systemic racism subsidizes the fossil fuel economy”
It’s hard to overstate both the chaos and the stakes surrounding this year’s election. We’re currently facing the overlapping crises of an ongoing pandemic that has shifted the way we can carry out the electoral process, an economic crisis greater...
On Changemaking and Superpowers with Camila Thorndike
We welcomed the newest member of our team a few weeks ago, and could not wait to share the news with all of you. Camila Thorndike joined our team as our very first National Advocacy Director, and will be leading...
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