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 annual benefits of the Clean Air Act are up to 32 times greater than the cost of these regulations.
Charging an electric truck or bus at a fleet depot — or an electric car at an apartment, workplace, or a public fast-charging station — should be far cheaper than filling up on gasoline or diesel. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case at sites that receive electricity under utility rates designed for commercial buildings and industrial operations that don’t reflect the flexible nature of electric vehicle (EV) charging. Fortunately, a newly-released report explains how utilities can remedy that mismatch by offering rates designed for commercial EV charging.
The Trump administration seems not to care that we are headed toward climate catastrophe with carbon dioxide pollution driving global average temperatures up some 6 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) and rendering places that hundreds of millions of people call home virtually unlivable. This monumental disregard for human health and well-being underpins the administration’s senseless rollback of clean car and fuel economy standards, being published today in the Federal Register.
With production slowing and a few fossil fuel projects on hold, industry is focusing on squeezing taxpayers for every dime they can.
Sadly, big polluters are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to attack vital environmental rules by pressuring government agencies for regulatory delays, rollbacks, or weaken enforcement. One target of their lobbying is the ongoing Advanced Clean Truck rulemaking, which would put clean, zero-emission trucks on California’s roads starting in 2024.
Some good news for cleaner air: the City of Chicago is taking decisive steps to ensure it is a hub for electric vehicles (EVs). The City Council passed an ordinance on Friday strengthening requirements for EV readiness at commercial and residential buildings, promoting more equitable access to this emerging technology throughout the city.
This pandemic has been an eye-opener on many fronts. It has exposed our personal resilience, the true leadership of some of our state governors, our dependence on rigorous science to inform effective policy making, the grit of our healthcare workers, and our ability to band together in times of struggle. However, the pandemic has also shone a light on the fragility of not only our medical system, but the broken U.S. food system as well.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health crisis that has overwhelmed our already thinly stretched public health resources and forced Americans to make difficult economic choices. With millions of workers finding themselves unemployed or working through this pandemic there are big questions about how we can keep workers safe while still allowing everyone to make ends meet.
Ten years ago, people all over the U.S. gasped in horror, glued to news broadcasts trained on the fallout from a massive oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
