News & Commentary

Orcas Lose a Grandmother, Matriarch L47

October 15, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, OregonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

This Saturday is Orca Recovery Day and people are coming together for some healing—and to demand action.

Madison Commits to Food Waste Reduction

September 29, 2021 Expert BlogWisconsin, MadisonMadeline Keating

A new resolution passed by the Madison, WI Common Council sets a food waste diversion goal of 50% from the landfill by 2030 and commits to establishing metrics for measuring and tracking progress.

Maryland Workers Need Strong, Enforceable Heat Protections

September 23, 2021 Expert BlogMarylandTeniope Adewumi-Gunn

Heat-related health harms are entirely preventable, yet heat stress is a major occupational hazard in Maryland. Maryland workers urgently need a strong, enforceable occupational heat standard that protects their right to a safe and healthy working environment.

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

August 30, 2021 Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

A year after the launch of the Food Matters Regional Initiative, we are pleased to report considerable progress and accomplishments from the 15 regional initiative participants.

Washington State Adds Emergency Rules to Protect Workers from Heat and Wildfire Smoke

August 13, 2021 DispatchWashingtonLora Shinn

But many advocates point out that to fully address our new climate reality, we also need national solutions.

Sockeye Salmon Dying, Temperature Rises on Snake River Dams

July 28, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, OregonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

Columbia River Basin sockeye salmon are migrating upriver from the ocean, but new underwater videos show that this summer the fish have large chunks of flesh missing and bulbous growths across their bodies. The fish are rotting to death in…

Climate Must Be Central to US-Mexico-Canada Relationship

July 9, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Mexico, CanadaCarolina Herrera

Mexico is creating hurdles for renewable energy investment and doubling down on fossil fuels.

Monster Heat Wave Harming Health in Pacific Northwest

June 30, 2021 Expert BlogOregon, WashingtonJuanita Constible

Workers and other at risk populations need better protections from extreme heat.

The West Coast: Carbon Free by 2045 . . . or Earlier

June 28, 2021 Expert BlogWest, California, Oregon, WashingtonRalph Cavanagh

HB 2021, Oregon’s “100% Clean Electricity” bill just approved by the legislature and sent to Governor Brown’s desk for signing, aligns with New York for the most aggressive state clean electricity goal in the country—zero greenhouse gas emissions in the…

Washington State Amps Up Controls on HFC Emissions

May 17, 2021 Expert BlogWashingtonChristina Theodoridi

Ambitious new law in Washington sets a maximum limit—or, global warming potential (GWP), threshold on the HFCs used in stationary air conditioning and refrigeration, and mandates that a refrigerant management program be created to combat HFC releases from large existing…

Six of the Worst States to Be a Wolf

May 17, 2021 Expert BlogIdaho, Utah, Montana, Wisconsin, South Dakota, WyomingDr. Jennifer Sherry

To get on a better track towards national recovery, wolves will need proactive and science-driven action by the federal government.

Setting the Stage for an EV Future in Washington State

May 3, 2021 Expert BlogWashingtonDr. Simon Mui, Noah Long

Washington State has passed two leading laws on electric vehicles as the state moves toward a new goal of all new passenger vehicles being zero-emitting by 2030.

Quieting Puget Sound for Endangered Southern Resident Orcas

April 27, 2021 Expert BlogWashingtonRegan Nelson

Quiet Sound, an innovative new program to reduce vessel noise in Puget Sound, receives crucial state funding.

Latin America at the Leaders Summit on Climate

April 23, 2021 Expert BlogArgentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, MexicoCarolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce, Amanda Maxwell

The five Latin American countries that participated in the Leaders Summit on Climate – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico – displayed a broad range of ambition. Once again, some countries demonstrated their willingness to be climate action leaders while…

How Cities Are Centering Equity in Benchmarking Policies

April 20, 2021 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.

Holding Mexico Accountable for Vaquita Extinction

March 31, 2021 Expert BlogMexicoZak Smith

Mexico has a choice. It can save the vaquita by enforcing its laws and regulations or it can let the vaquita go extinct. It has already shown that it is inclined to choose extinction. The United States and others, like…

Lowe’s Bans PFAS in Fabric Protector Sprays

March 29, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, WashingtonSujatha Bergen

In a step forward for public health, Lowe’s has banned the sale of fabric protectors that contain toxic PFAS chemicals in its stores.

Stressed by Heat, Farmworkers Deserve Federal Protections

March 26, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, Washington, MinnesotaTeniope Adewumi-Gunn

Unprotected from many basic workplace rights and in the face of a growing climate crisis that threatens their well-being, farmworkers deserve federal safeguards from extreme heat and its dangerous effects.

Feed People and the Soil, Starve Landfills and Incinerators

March 15, 2021 Expert BlogBaltimore, MarylandYvette Cabrera, Darby Hoover

At a time when one in four American adults face hunger, it is imperative that we look for ways to ensure food is eaten, not disposed.

Mexico Energy Law Goes Against North American Climate Action

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogMexicoCarolina Herrera

The bill is a major setback for climate action and renewable energy investments in Mexico that will likely raise trade disputes under Mexico’s trade agreements with the U.S. and other nations.