News & Commentary

The BRIC Wall: Capacity Gaps Put FEMA Grants out of Reach

February 8, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesAnna Weber

Prioritizing grant applications from underserved communities is only one piece of the puzzle. What about the communities who are unable to apply at all?

Six Colorado Basin States Lay Down a Marker for California

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogArizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, WestEd Osann

The "Consensus Based Modeling Alternative" is a positive development in addressing the current water emergency. It’s unfortunate that California did not join in this recommendation.

Proponents of CA Water Infrastructure Cause Permit Delays

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The permitting process isn’t broken. What’s most lacking is good faith by proponents of new infrastructure projects.

In the Face of a Winter Storm, Is Our Grid Reliable?

January 27, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Yes and no. Holiday power outages revealed weaknesses with fossil-based electricity, but solar and wind power came through in the clutch.

Fighting a Flood of Misinformation about CA Water

January 26, 2023 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

For more than a decade, the science has been clear that we need to reduce diversions from the Bay-Delta in average and drier years.

New Year, New Opportunities for Climate-Friendly Cooling

January 13, 2023 Expert BlogInternationalPrima Madan, Sameer Kwatra

Implementation of the Kigali Amendment, which works to phase down HFCs worldwide, can prevent the release of 70 billion tons of CO2e between now and 2050.

Climate Whiplash – California Flooding During Drought

January 13, 2023 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

While this year is off to a good start in terms of water supply, sadly it’s too early to declare that the drought is over.

Earth to EPA: “End the Threat,” Protect Bristol Bay Now

January 12, 2023 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Broad-based coalition calls on EPA to finalize its recommended Clean Water Act veto of the Pebble Mine.

Fossil Fuel Plants Are an Infirm Resource

January 9, 2023 Expert BlogUnited StatesTom Rutigliano

As below-freezing temperatures pummel the U.S., residents cannot endure fossil fuel failures.

Now We All Have to Be Wind, Solar, and Transmission Builders

December 26, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesNathanael Greene, Jacqueline Ennis

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act marks an unprecedented opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Clean energy advocates need to shift from working to make renewables and transmission cheaper—to making them easier to build.

Equitable Building Decarbonization Across the Country: 2022

December 14, 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.

It Is Past Time to Upgrade Our Power Grid for New Challenges

December 14, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesTom Rutigliano

Hurricanes, severe cold spells, ice storms, and other disasters have overwhelmed power systems, shutting down power plants that depend on it. Now is the time for action.

How Do States Distribute Federal Clean Water Grant Funds?

December 13, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesBecky Hammer

States take a wide variety of approaches to deciding which communities should have access to funds that support needed wastewater and stormwater infrastructure upgrades.

DWR's Unsustainable Initial Water Supply Allocation for 2023

December 12, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

Instead of gutting environmental protections, maybe this is the year that California finally reforms these unreasonable water supply contracts.

The United States Finally Joins a Global Climate Treaty That Phases Down HFCs

December 8, 2022 NRDC in ActionCourtney Lindwall

How NRDC leadership helped pass the Kigali Amendment and turn the tide on a common class of super-polluting refrigerant chemicals.

Hazard Planners Aren’t Planning for Heat Hazards

December 7, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesJuanita Constible

State hazard mitigation officials and their partners in FEMA should quickly work to improve their efforts to protect people from heat. Lives depend on it.

Pebble Mine Veto: China Laughing?! It’s Pebble Weeping!

December 5, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, United StatesJoel Reynolds

Replying to EPA’s recommended veto of destructive Bristol Bay mine, desperate Canadian owner argues yet again, against law and science, that the proposed agency decision after 12 years of federal review remains “peremptory,” based on “wildly speculative” assumptions, and an…

Protection for Bristol Bay Is Within Reach

December 1, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, United StatesTaryn Kiekow Heimer

EPA just released a recommendation under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act that would prohibit the Pebble Mine—a giant gold and copper mine proposed at the headwaters of the world’s greatest wild salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, Alaska. This…

Forward Progress at COP27 in Egypt and the Path Ahead

November 21, 2022 Expert BlogInternational, United StatesJake Schmidt, Joe Thwaites, Brendan Guy, Sameer Kwatra, Carolina Herrera, Shruti Shukla, Alvin Lin, Jennifer Skene

Countries leave COP27 showing that they can deliver more equity, implementation, and ambition in the global response to climate change.

A $3 Billion Milestone for the Western Grid

November 16, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, WestKelsie Gomanie

After a year of record-breaking heat waves, drought, and flooding, add to that list some good news for the Western United States: The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) is positioned to surpass $3 billion in cumulative benefits by the end…