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...
July 9th Roundup: John Kerry testifies at State Senate climate committee hearing
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - John Kerry testifies at State Senate climate committee hearing (Martha Merrow): Last week, at a Beacon Hill hearing focusing on climate inaction in Massachusetts, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called-in to urge state policymakers to...
Six Years Later, Flint Still Doesn’t Have Clean Water: One of the Worst Environmental Injustices in the 21st Century
Climate change is a prominent threat to the lives and livelihoods of Michiganders, and there are certain communities that are especially vulnerable — Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as low-income people and families. Many individuals within these...
The Future of Virginia’s Solar Market and Its Goal to Leave No Resident Behind
Having the opportunity to power your home with solar energy has historically been a privilege. In Virginia, a typical solar installation in 2020 costs around $13,000 upfront; therefore, as a household’s income increases, so does their likelihood of having an...
North Carolina Issues New Resilience Plan, Includes Climate Justice Concerns
In early June, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) submitted the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan to Governor Cooper’s office. The result of 11 months of discussion with numerous stakeholders — including municipal governments, federal...
On Tuesday, June 30th, Democrats on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, a committee charged with delivering climate policy recommendations to Congress, introduced the Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy and Just America,...
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...
Momentum is building in Illinois for the passage of a piece of legislation that would rapidly decarbonize the state’s economy while creating thousands of jobs in the clean energy sector. The bill, called the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), would build...
Last week, Minnesota Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the American Petroleum Institute (API), ExxonMobil, and three different Koch Industry entities for their misinformation campaigns about climate change, and for knowingly promoting fraudulent advertising and marketing strategies. The...
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...
A Global Pandemic & A Climate Crisis: Eerily Similar Impacts with Starkly Different Responses
In a matter of weeks, the world — and our lives — have transformed in response to a public health crisis. Throughout China, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, workers have been on lockdown for weeks. Now, companies across the U.S....
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...
Climate XChange releases guide to carbon pricing policy
Climate XChange recently released Recommendations for State-Level Carbon Pollution Pricing, a comprehensive guide to designing legislation or executive branch action to implement either carbon pollution fees or cap-and-trade policies. The guide is accompanied by a Sample Carbon Fee/Tax Legislation and...
July 1st Roundup: Local businesses urge 2020 climate action, pro-fossil fuel coalition disagrees
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - Shadowy fossil fuel funded coalition sends letter to House leadership discouraging climate action (Tim Cronin, Martha Merrow): Last week an organization called the Mass Coalition for Sustainable Energy sent a letter to Speaker Deleo and...
Pandemic Alters Plans, but does not Prevent Wisconsin from Progressive Climate Action
The newly created Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy and associated Climate Change Task Force are working to establish climate policy and promote state level change. Since COVID-19 spread across the country, public comments and listening sessions have gone...
SCPN Spotlight: Jamie Lockwood on Coastal Communities and the Climate Crisis
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...
June 24th Roundup: House leaders convene panel to review green energy priorities
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - House leaders convene panel to review green energy priorities (Tim Cronin): According to reporting from the State House News Service, a new legislative task force tapped by House Democrats will “explore ways to support...
Vermont bill one step closer to holding government accountable
On Friday, June 19th, the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) passed through Vermont’s Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, a major step in the bill’s progress through the state legislature. The bill is now in the Appropriations committee and, if it...
How systemic racism determines health outcomes for Black Americans
We are living in a broken system that unfairly targets black Americans in every possible way. Over the past few weeks, protests have exploded across our country demanding racial justice and the dismantling of the systems that have oppressed Black people...
June 17th Roundup: MA environmental officials violated Clean Water Act
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - State Auditor: Mass. environmental officials violated Clean Water Act: A report from State Auditor Suzanne Bump outlines how the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) failed to publicly release water quality testing data since...
June 12th Roundup: Healey challenges DPU on fossil fuels
[ Not a subscriber? Sign up here ] BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS - Attorney General asks DPU to lead on clean energy transition, investigate natural gas (Tim Cronin): Citing the state’s legally binding goal to reduce emissions by 2050, Attorney General Maura Healey filed an...
Our mission is to provide research, education, and advocacy tools to enhance climate resilience within local businesses and communities and to promote carbon pricing and bold leadership on climate change.
