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The document provides a comprehensive Q&A on battery energy storage, distinguishing between behind-the-meter and front-of-the-meter systems. It highlights how storage enhances grid flexibility, supports renewable energy integration, and improves community resilience during extreme weather. While noting the environmental and health benefits of displacing fossil fuel plants, it addresses safety risks like thermal runaway and the ethical concerns surrounding the mining of lithium and cobalt. It emphasizes the need for inclusive stakeholder engagement and strong policy design to ensure equitable deployment and sustainable supply chains.

The Union of Concerned Scientists outlines how state legislation can leverage energy storage to advance equity, focusing on replacing fossil fuel peaker plants, increasing community resiliency, and expanding access to distributed energy resources for low-income and overburdened communities.

The briefing advocates for a 'Clean Trucks New Jersey' program, combining the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) and Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO) rules to replace diesel trucks with zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Based on an MJ Bradley & Associates study, the program is projected to deliver $11.6 billion in societal benefits by 2050, including significant reductions in NOx and PM2.5, avoided premature deaths, and nearly 19 million metric tons of avoided CO2-equivalent emissions. The authors emphasize that while these rules are a start, additional targeted measures are necessary to protect environmental justice communities, particularly in areas like Camden County, Newark, and Elizabeth, which suffer disproportionate pollution impacts.

The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends strategic investments in USDA conservation programs, agricultural research, and debt relief for underserved producers to help the US reach its 2030 and 2050 climate goals. Key recommendations include $4 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and $9 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), both of which are currently oversubscribed. The brief also calls for $500 million each for SARE and AFRI to address research gaps in agroecology and systems science, $50 million for USDA Climate Hubs, and at least $200 million for Conservation Technical Assistance to support the adoption of climate-beneficial practices.

The report finds that without action to reduce emissions, outdoor workers in the US will face a three- to fourfold increase in exposure to dangerous heat (heat index above 100°F) by midcentury, putting up to $55.4 billion in annual earnings at risk. It highlights that Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino workers are disproportionately represented in outdoor occupations and will bear a heavier burden of these losses. The authors argue that current voluntary heat guidelines are insufficient and call for the enactment of the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Prevention Act of 2021 to establish mandatory, enforceable federal heat safety standards.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that the US can technically achieve a 50% reduction in heat-trapping emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050 through widespread electrification and renewables. However, it emphasizes that carbon-only modeling is insufficient; a transformative transition must actively dismantle structural racism and economic inequality by prioritizing marginalized communities, ensuring a fair transition for fossil fuel workers, and shifting power from corporate interests to community governance.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is undergoing an organizational transformation to center justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) following a 2020 racial reckoning. The organization has identified that previous decentralized efforts failed to address structural inequities for BIPOC staff and that rapid growth outpaced its human resource capacity. To address this, UCS is integrating racial equity into its technical analysis and policy advocacy, recruiting diverse leadership, and establishing a dedicated JEDI office and Advisory Committee. Key goals include promoting equitable outcomes for overburdened communities and redefining a unified organizational vision to better integrate science with JEDI principles.

The document outlines how federal agencies implement laws through regulations, detailing the legal obligations for content and process, the role of public commentary, and the influence of the White House via the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

The document contends that US concerns regarding a nuclear-armed Japan are unfounded and should not prevent President Biden from declaring a no-first-use policy. It bases this on two secret government inquiries (1970 and 1995) that rejected the nuclear option, overwhelming public opposition to nuclear weapons in Japan, and the fact that a small minority of conservative officials lack the political agency to pursue such a program. The report asserts that a no-first-use declaration would not undermine the US nuclear umbrella's deterrent function for Japan.

The document identifies a critical gap in U.S. federal regulations regarding 'natech' (natural hazard-induced technological) disasters, where climate-driven events like floods and wildfires trigger catastrophic chemical releases. Analysis shows that approximately one-third of the 12,331 RMP-regulated facilities in the U.S. face increasing risks from climate change. The authors highlight severe environmental justice disparities, noting that people of color are disproportionately located near these facilities and that facilities in communities of color are nearly twice as likely to experience disasters. The brief proposes seven key reforms for the EPA, including mandatory natech risk assessments, real-time fenceline monitoring, expanded RMP coverage, and enhanced community emergency response planning.

The document details a modeling framework combining EnergyPATHWAYS (EP) for demand-side stock accounting and the Regional Investment and Operations (RIO) model for supply-side least-cost optimization. It outlines nine scenarios for the U.S. energy transition, including a 'Zero CO2 2050' case and various electric vehicle (EV) adoption speeds. The methodology emphasizes high temporal and spatial resolution, co-optimizing electricity and fuel systems to meet economy-wide emissions constraints.

The document outlines a comprehensive modeling framework designed to assess the impact of three policy scenarios—the California Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) Rule, the NOx Omnibus Rule, and a '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario—on the U.S. medium- and heavy-duty (M/HD) vehicle fleet. The framework integrates five analyses: fuel use and emissions, health impacts, economic and jobs effects, utility impacts, and infrastructure gaps. It utilizes tools such as the STate Emission Pathways (STEP) Tool, EPA's MOVES3 and COBRA, and IMPLAN software to quantify changes in greenhouse gases, criteria pollutants (NOx and PM), and macroeconomic metrics like GDP and employment. The report details specific assumptions regarding battery cost trajectories, charging infrastructure requirements, and the social cost of greenhouse gases to ensure a standardized approach for subsequent state-specific reports.

The document explores low- and zero-emissions zones (LEZs and ZEZs) as tools for cities to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It compares international examples from Europe and Singapore with a voluntary pilot in Santa Monica, California. A significant portion of the guide is dedicated to ensuring equity, arguing that ZEZs in California must be designed to avoid regressive financial burdens on low-income residents and people of color, who are disproportionately exposed to vehicle-related PM2.5 pollution. The authors recommend that California provide enabling legislation for cities to implement these zones and suggest targeting high-pollution sectors, such as heavy-duty freight, to maximize public health benefits in disadvantaged communities.

The document outlines how low- and zero-emissions zones can improve air quality and achieve climate goals while addressing racial and economic equity. It highlights critical equity concerns, such as the risk of financial burdens on low-income residents and the need for community-led enforcement mechanisms. The text provides policy recommendations for California states and cities to ensure public oversight and technical support for pilot projects, particularly in under-resourced communities.

The document outlines the legal and procedural steps of federal rulemaking and place-specific environmental actions, such as permitting and Superfund cleanups. It provides strategic advice for citizens to submit effective comments, request meetings with officials, and use legal mechanisms like citizen suits to ensure agency accountability. A significant portion of the guide is dedicated to environmental justice, explaining how marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change and detailing resources and grants available to help these communities participate in decision-making.

A group of Connecticut-based academics and professionals expresses support for legal action against ExxonMobil, alleging the company spent decades spreading disinformation about climate change despite internal knowledge of the risks since the 1960s. The letter highlights specific climate threats to Connecticut, including increased extreme heat and tidal flooding, and argues that the company should pay for damages and adaptation measures.

The document is a formal letter of support for the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021, arguing that standardized climate risk reporting is essential for investor protection and financial stability. It highlights that current corporate disclosures are unstandardized and insufficient, while noting that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has identified climate change as a major risk to the U.S. financial system.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that hypersonic weapons are an evolutionary rather than revolutionary technology, providing limited tactical or strategic advantages over existing ballistic missiles. The report claims that claims of superior speed, stealth, and evasiveness are not backed by technical evidence, and that the current arms race between the US, Russia, and China is driven by hype rather than military necessity. It recommends that the US government subject these programs to strict evidence-based scrutiny to avoid wasteful spending and global security risks.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) under the Trump administration suppressed, delayed, or sidelined at least 46 clean energy studies from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and seven national labs. This was achieved through a two-tiered review system implemented in May 2018 by Daniel Simmons and Alex Fitzsimmons, which required political sign-off for 'Tier 1' research on politically sensitive topics, such as comparisons between fossil fuels and renewables. The report notes that this system led to at least 25 reports being delayed by over six months, a significant increase compared to the previous 16 years under the Bush and Obama administrations. The document asserts these actions violated the DOE's scientific integrity policy, which prohibits the suppression or alteration of scientific findings.

The report analyzes the trend of farmland consolidation—the shift toward larger, fewer farms—and its role in hollowing out rural communities. It finds that consolidation creates significant barriers for new farmers, particularly in the Midwest, and has disproportionately harmed Black farmers through a combination of market pressures and systemic racism. The author argues that reversing this trend is essential for rural revitalization and social equity, recommending national initiatives for land transition and the redress of historical land theft from BIPOC farmers.