Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 27, 2023

Fossil fuel power plant owners are facing increased accountability for their air and water pollution, including from a new round of environmental and public health protections that are being rolled out by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We’ve heard these lazily disingenuous narratives before.

Fossil Fuels 206

Fossil Fuels Electricity 2014 Climate Change 206

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 22, 2024

When it comes to the transition to clean energy, 2023 was quite a year for progress: record-breaking amounts of solar installed in the United States, a solid drop in carbon emissions from the US power sector, more than one million electric vehicles sold in the country for the first time, “breakneck” growth in renewable energy globally, and more.

Clean Energy 159

Clean Energy Renewable Energy 2024 Electricity 159

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

So today I’m glad to share some good news: a new UCS study that gives me fresh hope and determination to keep fighting for necessary actions to drive deep cuts in US heat-trapping emissions. Our research makes tangible why the healthier, fairer clean energy future we want and need is directly linked to the choices we make today.

Fossil Fuels 272

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2030 Climate Change 272

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

A recent National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study shows that it would take less than 1 percent of the land in the Lower 48—that’s an area comparable to or even smaller than the fossil fuel industry’s current footprint. Examining Supply-Side Options to Achieve 100% Clean Electricity by 2035.)

Electricity 349

Electricity Fossil Fuels Solar Power 2030 349

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 9, 2024

As the Biden administration works to finalize implementation guidance for the new clean hydrogen production tax credit , 45V, the fossil fuel industry and a select set of other industry actors are aggressively lobbying to loosen the rules—while everyone else is scrambling to stop them. Here’s why. Extremely generous.

Clean Energy 299

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Carbon Emissions 299

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 30, 2023

On January 26, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 7 —the 100% Clean Energy Bill. Now it’s on to the state Senate, where the question is: Will this be the year Minnesota sets a path toward 100-percent carbon-free electricity?

Electricity 223

Electricity Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 223

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 21, 2022

The most consequential vote to advance a clean energy future won’t be happening in Washington, D.C., It will be happening in the (virtual) boardroom of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which has authority over the bulk electric transmission system across much of the Midwest. or your state capital next week.

Clean Energy 264

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity Fossil Fuels 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 12, 2022

All told, they represent 56 percent of the US population, generate 62 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, and are responsible for 43 percent of the country’s annual carbon emissions. We found that states have technically feasible and highly beneficial ways to achieve 100-percent renewable energy.

Electricity 257

Electricity Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nitrogen Oxides 257

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 26, 2023

There’s no question that the US electricity transmission system has to be modernized to enable a transition to an equitable clean energy economy, but how to do it is up for grabs.

Environmental Protection 217

Environmental Protection Electricity Clean Energy Fossil Fuels 217

Legal Planet

APRIL 29, 2024

Fourteen states now have net-zero emissions targets for the economy as a whole, and sixteen have zero-carbon targets for the grid. New California legislation will require corporations to disclose their carbon emissions. Climate policy has been boosted by dramatic changes in the economics of clean energy.

Fossil Fuels 245

Fossil Fuels 2008 2010 Clean Energy 245

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 14, 2023

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new power plant carbon pollution standards that, if strengthened, would go a long way to help meet the Biden administration’s goal of slashing carbon emissions in half from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. In 2012, coal generated 37 percent of US electricity.

Fossil Fuels 210

Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Nitrogen Oxides Clean Air Act 210

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 3, 2023

Last year’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included a clean hydrogen production tax credit (known as “45V”) that is one of a slew of new incentives intended to help catalyze the next and necessary phase of advancing the nation’s clean energy transition as a whole. The costs will be too great otherwise.

Clean Energy 229

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Renewable Energy 229

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Over three-fourths of Indonesia electricity comes from fossil fuels: 60% from coal and 16% from gas. Carbon emissions from land use change (mostly logging) are comparable to Brazil’s, though Brazil gets a lot more publicity. The Asian Development Bank has a detailed guide to Indonesia’s energy issues.

Paris Agreement 251

Paris Agreement Sea Level Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions 251

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 29, 2024

In my retelling of the show, I quickly pointed out that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had by then concluded that “most” of the increase in average global temperatures since 1950 was “very likely” due to the increase in human-made carbon emissions. His reply ? ExxonMobil is still funding those folks, big time.”

Fossil Fuels 343

Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2007 Carbon Emissions 343

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 18, 2024

Today, hydrogen is overwhelmingly produced through a heavily polluting fossil fuel-based process. But hydrogen can be cleanly produced and, with the right guardrails in place, that clean hydrogen can then be used to clean up polluting parts of the economy that can’t readily convert to running on renewable electricity.

Fossil Fuels 188

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2028 Carbon Emissions 188

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 22, 2022

Minnesotans are facing concurrent crises of climate change, high energy prices and inflation, and the inequitable public health impacts of fossil fuel air pollution. Renewable energy will help with all of that—but we need a grid that is designed for wind and solar instead of having to rely on expensive coal and gas plants.

Renewable Energy 346

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 346

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 25, 2022

Today, the regional entity overseeing much of the electric power grid in the Midwest—the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)—approved a set of major new transmission system upgrades that will bring billions of dollars in benefits to the region while better enabling states and utilities to pursue transitions to clean energy.

Solar Power 273

Solar Power Clean Energy Carbon Emissions Electricity 273

PA Environment Daily

JUNE 7, 2023

The Pittsburgh 2030 District , a project of the Green Building Alliance , has released its 2022 Progress Report , revealing District property partners have reduced carbon emissions by 44.8% This achievement moves the District within range of reaching its target goal of 50-65% reduction in carbon emissions before the 2030 deadline.

Carbon Emissions 98

Carbon Emissions 2030 Paris Agreement Natural Gas 98

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 1, 2022

That’s because the case, which was about the nature and scope of EPA authority in regulating carbon emissions from existing power plants, turned on a rule that does not exist. First and foremost, despite some fossil fuel interests swinging for the fossil fuel-favored fences, the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v.

Fossil Fuels 257

Fossil Fuels Clean Air Act Clean Energy Greenhouse 257

Legal Planet

JANUARY 3, 2023

The most notable were the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia case, striking down the Clean Power Plan, and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, with its huge economic incentives for clean energy. EPA, the agency will have to come up with a new approach to regulating carbon emissions from existing power plants.

Fossil Fuels 224

Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Clean Energy Regulations 224

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 23, 2024

Both fossil fuel and utility companies bear some responsibility for wildfires’ damage, and must be held accountable to ensure disadvantaged and low-income communities aren’t left to shoulder the costs and impacts of these disasters. But first, it’s critical to understand this phenomenon’s connection to climate change.

Fossil Fuels 170

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Electricity 2019 170

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2023

Here’s the bottom line: Because of decades of politically motivated inaction from policymakers, especially in richer countries, and the greed of fossil fuel companies bent on extracting every last bit of profit, scientific projections show that we are currently on a trajectory to exceed 1.5˚C Even at about 1.1˚C

Fossil Fuels 280

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Clean Energy Politics 280

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 8, 2022

To get an assessment of the progress thus far, as well as an idea if what has to happen next, I turned to two of my colleagues in the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Climate & Energy Program: Principal Climate Scientist Rachel Licker and Transmission Policy Manager Sam Gomberg. In 2021, EIA reported that coal generated 21.8

Clean Energy 271

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Climate Change 271

Legal Planet

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

The plan calls for repealing the Inflation Reduction Act’s multi-billion-dollar funding for clean energy, repealing EPA’s keystone finding that carbon emissions are harmful, opening new areas to oil and gas drilling, and installing climate deniers in key positions in the executive branch. Download as PDF

Climate Change 173

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Politics 173

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 9, 2021

My last post argued that EPA should immediately repeal the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan. It attempted to move away from fossil fuels and toward zero-carbon sources like solar power to supply electricity. Fossil fuel plants — coal-fired power plants in particular — cause serious air pollution problems.

Clean Air Act 215

Clean Air Act Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Renewable Energy 215

Circle of Blue

APRIL 19, 2022

” Quebec becomes the first jurisdiction in North America to ban fossil fuel extraction. A Pennsylvania judge blocks the governor’s attempt to put a price on carbon emissions. A pivotal decision last week brought New York one step closer to achieving its clean energy goals. In the News.

Fossil Fuels 263

Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Renewable Energy Regulations 263

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 30, 2022

Wider repercussions, including the inequitable impacts of rising food and energy prices and the potential for a food crisis hitting vulnerable populations around the world, must also be urgently addressed by global leaders. Other countries are dependent upon these fossil fuels, they don’t make themselves free of them.

Fossil Fuels 260

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Clean Energy 2030 260

Legal Planet

MARCH 31, 2022

It turns out that most of them are 50-60% reliant on fossil fuels, with a lot of the remainder coming from nuclear and hydro. However, there are important differences in the mix of gas and coal in generation, which matters a lot since coal-fired generators emit much more carbon per kilowatt. Fossil Fuel Use.

Natural Gas 214

Natural Gas 2030 Fossil Fuels 2007 214

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 20, 2023

This is despite the clean energy progress the power sector has experienced to date—and despite the groundwork laid for more progress from leading states, as well as the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Section 111 of the Clean Air Act constrains how EPA sets standards—but gives states wide latitude in implementation.

Clean Air Act 196

Clean Air Act Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Clean Energy 196

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 31, 2022

The US House Oversight and Reform Committee kicked off its investigation of the fossil fuel industry’s decades-long climate change disinformation campaign last fall by inviting top executives from BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell to testify about their role and subpoenaing their companies for internal documents.

Climate Change 361

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2018 361

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 18, 2022

The US Supreme Court’s recent decision dramatically limiting EPA’s ability to curb carbon emissions is bad news for our fight against climate change. In Massachusetts, this near-term opportunity would drive progress on clean energy, clean transportation, and equity. Accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption.

Clean Energy 230

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Renewable Energy 230

Legal Planet

MAY 11, 2023

still does not limit carbon emissions from existing power plants, which generate 25 percent of our greenhouse gases. The EPA is proposing a new standard for fossil fuel-fired power plants to avoid 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2042. In the year 2023, the U.S.

Clean Air Act 216

Clean Air Act Carbon Emissions Greenhouse Fossil Fuels 216

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 30, 2023

But the result would surely be a surge in carbon emissions, dooming us to even more severe climate change. The federal government has gotten a late start in cutting US emissions anyway, due to Republican resistance. into a petro-state like Saudi Arabia, viewing fossil fuels as the key to national wealth.

Paris Agreement 248

Paris Agreement Fossil Fuels Politics Carbon Emissions 248

Legal Planet

JUNE 4, 2021

Some events last week sent a strong signal that the tide is turning against fossil fuels. To paraphrase Churchill, this may not be beginning of the end for fossil fuels, but at least it is the end of the beginning of the campaign against them. Each of the events standing alone would have been noteworthy.

Fossil Fuels 246

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Climate Change Carbon Emissions 246

PA Environment Daily

MAY 21, 2024

Between 2005-2022, the last year of available data, 11,127,515 fewer tons of SOx and 1,317,335 fewer tons of NOx were emitted from Pennsylvania’s electric power sector, according to DEP data. Overall carbon emissions from the state’s power sector are down 46% compared to peak 2005 levels. billion in NOx and $445.1 billion - $1.02

Natural Gas 116

Natural Gas Nitrogen Oxides 2005 Air Pollution 116

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 3, 2022

The majority 6–3 decision sharply curtails the EPA’s authority to set standards based on a broad range of flexible options to cut carbon emissions from the power sector—options such as replacing polluting fossil fuels with cheap and widely available wind and solar power coupled with battery storage.

Climate Change 235

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Nitrogen Oxides 235

PA Environment Daily

NOVEMBER 20, 2021

This winter, however, is expected to bring higher than usual energy prices that could hit U.S. And it reveals how American families and businesses bear the brunt of wild price fluctuations in fossil fuels and deserve more stable, cleaner sources of energy. And the costs of clean energy continue to rapidly fall.

Clean Energy 93

Clean Energy Natural Gas Fossil Fuels Electricity 93