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Equitable Building Decarbonization Across the Country: 2022

Expert BlogCalifornia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, OregonCaroline Keicher, Joe O'Brien-Applegate
Policies and programs aimed at new construction and existing buildings continue to gain traction as communities and elected officials realize the feasibility and benefits of ambitious and equity-centered action.

Washington on the Verge of “Cleanest Homes in the Nation”

Expert BlogWashingtonAlejandra Mejia Cunningham

The Washington State Building Code Council is poised to extend requirements that all new residential buildings must use high efficiency space and water heating equipment that can run on 100% clean power.

States Commit to Clean and Healthy New Buildings

Expert BlogWashington, ColoradoAlejandra Mejia Cunningham
These are two states that have recently felt the devastating consequences of the climate crisis and are now taking action to ensure their homes and buildings stop relying on polluting fossil fuels quickly as possible.

Gibbstown LNG Terminal: A Catastrophe Waiting to Happen

DispatchGibbstown, New Jersey, PennsylvaniaNicole Greenfield
Imagine hundreds of trucks and train cars filled with highly explosive fuel coming through your community every day. These Pennsylvanians and New Jerseyans are fighting to extinguish the project—for good.

Saving Salmon—from One Generation of Fisherwomen to the Next

DispatchOregon, Washington, WestNicole Greenfield
Keyen Singer, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, carries on a maternal legacy of conserving salmon and preserving culture. Their efforts could soon pay off.

Oregon Looks to “Reach” Code for Energy, Carbon Savings

Expert BlogOregonRalph Cavanagh
Senate Bill 1518, to be considered during Oregon’s “short” February 2022 legislative session, is a critical pushback against the embedded lowest common denominator aspect of building codes when it comes to energy and climate.

Senator and WA Governor Join Forces to Tackle Snake Dams

Expert BlogWashington, WestGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Washington Governor Jay Inslee answered advocates’ calls to energize the decades-long push to save our iconic salmon from extinction.

PennEast Gas Pipeline Cancelled by Developers

Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Delaware, PennsylvaniaSahana Rao

Development of the PennEast Pipeline has been put on hold! This fracked gas pipeline would be disastrous for the Delaware River Basin and would exacerbate the climate crisis—here’s how we can stop the pipeline permanently.

Smart RGGI Investments Can Lower Electricity Bills in PA

Expert BlogPennsylvaniaMark Szybist

Investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) can help lower electricity bills for Pennsylvanians, as well as improve public health, our climate, and Pennsylvania’s economy.

PA Bill Would Block Local Efforts to Clean Up Buildings

Expert BlogPennsylvaniaMark Szybist

After an extra dark, long, COVID winter, the trees are finally in bloom and the birds are singing. Unfortunately, it’s also the season when bills that would stifle Pennsylvania’s transition to a brighter clean energy future are popping up in…

Brief Filed in Lawsuit to Protect Delaware River from PCBs

Expert BlogNew Jersey, PennsylvaniaMarisa Guerrero, Julia Jonas-Day
Water quality in the Delaware River is under threat of PCB chemical pollution from a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal. To protect the river, NRDC filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit challenging the facility's dredging and construction…

How Cities Are Centering Equity in Benchmarking Policies

Expert BlogDenver, Colorado, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, WashingtonCaroline Keicher
A new resource from the City Energy Project—Incorporating Equity into Energy Benchmarking Requirements: Guidance for Policy and Program Practitioners—helps cities understand the opportunity to leverage benchmarking and transparency policies to address racial and social equity.

The Celilo Wy'am Are Still Here

DispatchOregonNicole Greenfield
Matriarch Lana Jack continues a decades-long fight for federal recognition of her band—and the right to continue living on the lands of her ancestors.

Fracking Banned in the Delaware River Basin!

Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, DelawareMarisa Guerrero, Kimberly Ong
The historic vote, made today by the Delaware River Basin Commission, signals a strong stance in favor of a fossil fuel–free future.

Seattle Gets Most Fossil Fuels Out of New Large Buildings

Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, SeattleElizabeth Stampe

Seattle’s City Council just voted unanimously to pass strong updates to the city’s building energy code that will significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels in new buildings.

Mussels Help Keep Watch on Pollution in Puget Sound

DispatchWashingtonStarre Vartan
The humble bivalves, which concentrate everything from heavy metals to cancer drugs in their tissues, provide an ideal way for scientists to monitor nearshore water health.