Climate 411: Health

(This post was co-authored by EDF attorney Richard Yates) The Environmental Protection Agency is soon expected to update our national protections against mercury and other toxic pollution from coal-fired power plants – pollution that is extremely dangerous to human health and has been linked to brain damage in children. EPA proposed strengthening the Mercury and […]

This blog was co-authored by Janet Zamudio, Western States Climate Policy Intern The last week has been eventful in Washington, seeing the end of legislative session last Thursday and the first quarterly cap-and-invest auction of 2024, which posted results today. With the legislative session wrapped up and budgets passed, we now know what additional spending […]

This blog was co-authored by Dara Diamond, Federal Climate Innovation Intern Historic climate investments from the Biden administration have put a much-needed down payment toward cutting emissions from industry — a major economic sector that makes up over a quarter of U.S. emissions. Still, a lot of hard work remains to meaningfully scale up solutions […]

In leading climate states, you’ll find trailblazing projects that are benefiting people’s lives and cutting costly pollution right now. In Washington, young people ride the ferry across Puget sound and buses around the state for free. In California, low-income residents get money-saving home energy efficiency upgrades at no cost. And in New York, businesses and […]

The U.S. government recently released the Fifth National Climate Assessment, a comprehensive report that shows the harmful impacts of extreme weather and other climate hazards are increasing for people across the United States. The Fifth National Climate Assessment confirms messages in previous reports but brings the details into sharper focus for U.S. regions. Climate change is increasingly […]

(This post originally appeared on EDF’s Energy Exchange) Our new website, Community Voices in Energy — a collaboration with Chicago-based Blacks in Green — equips frontline communities to participate as experts in climate and energy proceedings and influence energy investments. By ensuring that community members are able to share their direct experience on the record in public utility commission […]

Last legislative session, Oregon’s lawmakers had the opportunity to update Oregon’s statutory climate targets. This would have been the first time that Oregon updated its outdated climate targets in 15 years and would have brought Oregon’s climate goals in line with the level of ambition of President Biden’s national climate targets and from other climate […]

Results were released today for Washington’s third quarterly cap-and-invest auction, which was held on August 30th. The results from this sold-out auction continue to demonstrate strong demand for allowances in this program, which has brought in significant revenue for the state of Washington to reinvest in its communities. These results follow on two previous sold-out […]

Yesterday, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) released the results from Washington’s first Allowance Price Containment Reserve (APCR) auction, held on August 9th. At this auction, all 1,054,000 of the available APCR allowances were sold at the two APCR tier prices of $51.90 and $66.68, with 527,000 allowances available at each price tier. This […]

This blog was co-authored by Mary Catherine Hanafee LaPlante, Intern, U.S. Climate Policy As the hottest summer on record scorches the state, California leaders are working to tackle the impacts of climate change head-on by strengthening an essential tool in their climate policy toolbox: the state’s cap-and-trade program. Last year, the California Air Resources Board […]

This blog is co-authored by NRDC’s Britt Carmon, Guillermo A. Ortiz, and David Pettit. It originally appeared here. California has long grappled with the challenge of improving its air quality, which ranks as the worst in the country. Heavy-duty diesel trucks, which are significant contributors to air and climate pollution, make it difficult for the state […]

This blog was co-authored by Alex DeGolia, Director, U.S. Climate. As Governor Hochul and her administration advance a major cap-and-invest program, a new EDF analysis on state emissions reveals how New York’s progress stacks up against its climate goals. New York has done more to move from pledges to policy than most states, but our […]

This blog was co-authored by Alex DeGolia, Director, U.S. Climate. With historic federal climate investments in law, states are now in the driver’s seat to leverage this funding to drive U.S. climate progress forward — adopting bold policies of their own that limit pollution, boost jobs and bring down energy costs. States that have made […]

This blog was authored by Delia Novak, Western States Climate Policy Intern, U.S. Region. Since the launch of Washington’s cap-and-invest program in January, the state has raised over $850 million in revenue through two consecutive, sold-out auctions under the program. These cap-and-invest auctions provide critical funding for the clean energy and climate resilience projects that […]

Our country is going to rapidly deploy and manufacture clean energy technologies to a scale never seen before, thanks in large part to historic laws passed by the Biden-Harris administration and Congress. This shift is already unleashing new jobs and economic opportunities around the country, but many communities reliant on fossil fuel production – coal, […]

With each passing year, communities across New Mexico feel the mounting and undeniable pressures from climate change. At times last year, nearly three-fourths of the state was experiencing severe drought. The largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history ripped through New Mexico communities. And mountain snowpack, even in snowy winters, produces less and less water […]

This blog was co-authored by Dr. Grace Tee Lewis, Senior Health Scientist, Climate and Health Last month, Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University published a new study that found all states in the U.S. are at risk from the effects of climate change, particularly neighborhoods experiencing disproportionate environmental harms and risks, health disparities and […]

(This post was co-authored by EDF analyst Jolie Villegas)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just finalized its Good Neighbor Plan this month and that means millions of people in downwind states will be protected from unhealthy smokestack pollution that blows across state lines. The new plan will significantly reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution […]

Blog co-authored by Kjellen Belcher, Manager, U.S. Climate Washington state is getting ready for an exciting development in its new nation-leading climate program, the Climate Commitment Act, which is slated to deliver healthier air, more clean energy jobs and a safer climate future for communities. After experiencing costly and historic wildfires, heat waves and flooding […]

This legislative session, Minnesota state leaders wasted no time getting to work on a strong clean electricity bill that achieves 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, reduces health-harming air pollution, builds more good-paying jobs and sets the stage for economy-wide, climate action. Pro-climate leaders have pushed for years to reclaim Minnesota’s early lead on climate action, […]