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Aerial view of the National Petroleum Reserve in northwestern Alaska

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant
The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.
Two adults and a child walk along a sandy shoreline

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

ExplainerUnited StatesMolly M. Ginty, Courtney Lindwall
These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.
A river with green trees on either side, with yellow hills in the background

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool
Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

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This EE Day: Celebrate Energy Efficiency Wins

Expert BlogUnited StatesKit Kennedy, Sheryl Carter, Emily Deanne

Energy efficiency (using less energy to get the same or higher benefit) is one of our best tools in the climate fight. In fact, energy efficiency measures alone could provide more than 40 percent of the emissions reductions required to…

Gas Leaks—and It’s Worse Than We Thought

Expert BlogUnited StatesSheryl Carter
There is no question that gas extraction, production, and use is a significant contributor to our climate crisis, but just how bad it is depends a lot on how much the gas system leaks.

Customers Need Debt Relief: Commissions, Utilities Can Help

Expert BlogUnited StatesSheryl Carter
With millions of Americans drastically behind on their energy and water utility bills, no additional federal assistance on the horizon, and moratoria on utility shutoffs expiring, the United States is facing a deepening economic and public health crisis.

Energy Efficiency Still Abundant and Cheaper than Gas

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
A new study shows that programs to increase the energy efficiency of our homes and businesses remain even cheaper than natural gas, demonstrating once again that this abundant energy “resource” is the most cost-effective path to a cleaner future. The…

Historic New Commitment to Slash Southeast Carbon Pollution

Expert BlogSheryl Carter, Luis Martinez
For too long, the Southeast has lagged behind the rest of the nation on commitments to cut carbon pollution and build the clean energy economy. According to Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning, that’s about to change. Today, Fanning made a…

Don’t Let Gas Provide False Sense of Climate Security

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
In the midst of our climate crisis, and unprecedented calls for action, 2019 is turning out to be another record year for climate warming greenhouse gas pollution. And we are still not on track to meet our emissions-reduction goals.

The Climate Crisis Requires That We Move Away from Gas

Expert BlogSheryl Carter, Bobby McEnaney
Natural (or “fossil”) gas, so long thought of by many as a bridge fuel to a clean energy future, needs to be replaced as fast as possible with cleaner, no-emissions solutions, given the climate crisis facing us.

Efficiency Saving Energy When We Need It Most – And Cheaply

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
A key energy trend, detailed in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) annual survey of electric utilities, is actually a longstanding one: energy efficiency continues to deliver energy and customer bill savings -- at low cost -- when we need it…

Reduce Electric Industry Uncertainty to Speed Climate Action

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
America’s cities and states have continued to make tremendous progress to increase clean energy and reduce climate pollution despite the Trump Administration’s efforts to push in the opposite direction. And many utilities also have been leaders, largely because it makes…

Efficiency Could Ensure Total Emissions Decline After 2020

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
A new report offers a powerful argument for stepping up investment in energy efficiency to combat dangerous climate change, reduce other harmful pollution, and save consumers money while promoting strong economic growth. The Energy Efficiency 2018 report, produced by the…

Electric Uses Are Important Part of Our Clean Energy Future

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
It used to be that using electricity for things like heating water and rooms was more expensive and dirtier than using natural gas or other fuels, so programs to promote switching to electric technologies a generation ago generally didn’t benefit…

Climate Action Makes (Business) Sense for U.S. Utilities

Expert BlogSheryl Carter, Elisheva Mittelman
Michigan’s DTE Energy recently pledged to reduce carbon pollution by more than 80 percent by 2050. Another Michigan utility, Consumers Energy, committed to phase out coal generation over the next two decades and generate at least 40 percent of its…

Utilities Important Partners to Achieve Clean Energy Future

Expert BlogSheryl Carter, Ralph Cavanagh
As we look back at a year marked with doses of exasperation and bewilderment, one bright spot is continued progress in America’s clean energy transition, and the jobs and economic development that go with it. Substantial acceleration is still needed…

Happy Energy Efficiency Day: Buy an LED Bulb to Celebrate

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
It’s officially Energy Efficiency Day so why not celebrate the virtues of smarter energy use—and the savings--by joining the Light Bulb Challenge and pledging to swap out at least one old, energy-guzzling bulb for an LED that can last for…

Energy Efficiency Leads Climate Fight at Lowest Cost, Impact

Expert BlogSheryl Carter, Dr. David B. Goldstein
What role can energy efficiency play in meeting the U.S. share of global climate goals? This question has been asked in many forums and models, and the answers are always consistent: smarter use of energy in buildings, transportation, and industry…

Energy Efficiency: The Foundation of Our Clean Energy Future

Expert BlogSheryl Carter
Energy efficiency has fundamentally reshaped our energy system, allowing Americans to power their homes and businesses with less energy. Today, as we seek to avoid dangerous climate impacts and clean up our energy system, we need energy efficiency more than…