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The report finds that while most US states meet the minimum legal requirements for Title V air permitting notices, there are substantial gaps in transparency, accessibility, and the actual influence of public input on final decisions. It highlights that many public notices are written at a college reading level and lack plain language, and that few agencies transparently report how public comments shape permit outcomes. The analysis suggests that states with specific environmental justice or cumulative impacts laws tend to have better engagement practices. It recommends that agencies adopt plain language, provide multilingual resources, and establish clear mechanisms for reporting how community input affects regulatory decisions.

The United States has established a regulatory path for commercial fusion energy that avoids the frameworks used for nuclear fission reactors, instead adapting regulations for radioactive byproduct materials. Under the 10 CFR Part 30 framework, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its Agreement State Program share authority, allowing compatible state agencies to license fusion facilities. The NRC is currently finalizing specific regulatory guidance in NUREG-1556, Volume 22, with a final rule expected by December 31, 2027. This proportional approach focuses on the confinement of radioactive materials, such as tritium, rather than fission criticality safety, aiming to provide the regulatory certainty needed for private investment and deployment.

The South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) is a proposed short-term trading platform for bulk electricity, expected to commence at the end of 2026. Governed by the Market Code and Rules, it allows power producers and large buyers to trade electricity one day ahead or in real-time. While intended to increase competition and transparency, concerns are raised regarding the conflict of interest since the Market Operator is housed within the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), a subsidiary of Eskom. The document highlights that the market's design could either facilitate a transition to affordable renewable energy or entrench fossil fuel generation and financial risks for municipalities.

The report examines Colombia's electrical transmission sector in 2025, highlighting a structural lag in infrastructure that threatens the integration of renewable energy. It details the operational limits of the National Interconnected System (SIN), significant project execution delays, and the technical exhaustion of transport and short-circuit interruption capacities. The document also outlines the regulatory framework and the proposed 'Master Plan for Modernization and Expansion of Electrical Transmission Infrastructure' as a means to resolve these bottlenecks.

The document examines energy storage as a structural resource for flexibility in Latin American electrical systems facing high penetration of variable renewable energy. It highlights that while Chile leads in battery deployment to manage curtailment, other countries like Colombia, Peru, and Brazil are at earlier stages, often focusing on reliability or specific industrial uses. The report argues that the primary barriers to deployment are institutional and regulatory rather than technological, and recommends shifting from a capacity-focused approach to a functional one that prioritizes specific flexibility needs.

The document outlines the complex regulatory and permitting landscape for transmission in Colorado, contrasting the processes for public utilities and independent developers. It highlights the role of the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority (CETA) in addressing transmission gaps identified in a 2024 study, specifically through its ability to issue revenue bonds, exercise eminent domain, and facilitate public-private partnerships to advance complex projects that traditional utility planning might overlook.

The document outlines a 'playbook' of industry tactics used to block chemical regulations, including the suppression of harmful data, the funding of biased research, and the use of front groups. It provides detailed case studies on PFAS, Bisphenol A (BPA), benzene, and pesticides to illustrate these patterns. The authors argue that because of this history of manipulation, chemical manufacturers and their trade associations should be prohibited from participating in the regulatory processes that govern their products, similar to the WHO's approach to the tobacco industry.

The Canadian Climate Institute argues that current federal benchmark tests for large-emitter trading systems (LETS) create 'false positives' by verifying market liquidity without ensuring the price signals are strong enough to drive decarbonization. Through modelling of 57 scenarios for Alberta's TIER system, the Institute found that 77% of systems passing federal tests failed to meet the $130-per-tonne stringency target. The report recommends anchoring equivalency to the Effective Marginal Credit Price (EMCP) and prioritizing benchmark tightening while limiting dilution mechanisms like direct investment credits.

The document details Canada's mining landscape, highlighting its significant reserves of potash, gold, and iron ore, and its strategic focus on critical minerals for the green and digital economies. It examines the sector's economic impact, where mining contributes 5% to GDP, and its environmental efforts to reduce GHG emissions. The report also outlines the regulatory environment, noting the shared jurisdiction between federal and provincial authorities and the importance of trade with the United States.

The document examines the evolution of carbon pricing globally and regionally, with a deep dive into Southeast Asian markets. It analyzes the impact of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on regional exports and the progress of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Specific country updates detail Indonesia's operational ETS, the Philippines' legislative efforts toward a cap-and-invest system, and Viet Nam's pilot phase for a national compliance market.

Executive Order 14300 directs a fundamental shift in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) mission, moving from exclusive risk minimization to weighing nuclear energy's benefits to national and economic security. The order mandates a wholesale regulatory revision within 18 months, establishes binding licensing deadlines (18 months for new reactors, 12 months for renewals), and aims to expand U.S. nuclear capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050. To achieve this, the document suggests streamlining exemptions for advanced reactors, adopting science-based radiation limits, and reducing the scope of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).

The report argues that temporary CRCF units from carbon farming are currently of low quality due to insufficient management of non-permanence and additionality risks, making them unsuitable for offsetting emissions. It assesses proposed EU agri-food policies—including an Agricultural Emissions Trading System (AgETS) and Mandatory Climate Standards (MCS)—concluding that allowing these units as offsets would undermine environmental integrity. The authors recommend shifting toward activity-based payments, either through a reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) or other public funding mechanisms, to promote carbon farming without the integrity risks associated with result-based crediting.

The report documents a significant increase in private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) ownership within the U.S. PACE sector, noting that 15% of all programs now have such backing. It highlights the risks of leveraged buyouts and debt-driven strategies, using InnovAge as a case study to illustrate how aggressive growth and investor payouts can lead to financial instability and regulatory sanctions for care deficiencies. The document also examines the use of federal Opportunity Zone tax incentives to attract healthcare investment and calls for stronger oversight to prevent extractive financial practices in publicly funded elder care.

The document examines the proliferation of trade-climate measures and the resulting risks of trade barriers and disadvantages for developing countries. It proposes a multi-level approach to cooperation at the WTO, ranging from high-level legal principles and good regulatory practices to specific design features and technical interoperability of carbon accounting.

The briefing identifies regulatory uncertainty, slow permitting, and the lack of a cohesive strategy as primary barriers to geothermal energy in California. It proposes establishing a statewide strategic plan, streamlining environmental reviews, updating decades-old well regulations to accommodate next-generation technologies, reforming interconnection and resource adequacy frameworks to reflect year-round value, and increasing funding for high-upfront pre-development costs.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the EU ETS1 fails to drive industrial decarbonisation due to the continued allocation of free emission allowances, which it claims undermines the carbon price signal for sectors like steel, cement, and chemicals. The submission calls for the complete phase-out of free allocations and indirect cost compensation, suggesting that any remaining benefits be tied to decarbonisation milestones. It further advocates for expanding the ETS scope to cover all departing flights from 2027, including non-CO2 effects and flights to third countries, and extending maritime coverage to 100% of extra-EEA routes and all small ships by 2027. Regarding market stability, the document suggests maintaining existing Market Stability Reserve (MSR) and Linear Reduction Factor (LRF) rules until 2035 to preserve investment signals. Finally, it strongly opposes the integration of carbon removals into the EU ETS to avoid mitigation deterrence and the risk of using removals as a substitute for actual emission reductions.

The document evaluates a proposed Conama resolution aimed at standardizing the issuance of Vegetation Suppression Authorizations (ASV) to control legal deforestation in Brazil. While the authors praise the proposal for establishing minimum transparency criteria, mandatory geospatial data, and linking validity to the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), they identify critical flaws. Specifically, they argue the scope is too narrow—restricted to agrosilvopastoral activities—and criticize the unnecessary distinction between ASV and Authorizations for Alternative Land Use (UAS). The briefing recommends expanding the scope to include infrastructure and mining, unifying the authorization nomenclature, and improving the technical interoperability of the national Sinaflor system.

The report identifies a wide array of solutions to reduce agricultural methane, which accounts for approximately half of global anthropogenic methane emissions. Key strategies include improving livestock feed efficiency, using methane inhibitors like 3-NOP and Asparagopsis seaweed, implementing advanced manure treatments such as acidification and solid-liquid separation, and adopting water-management practices in rice cultivation like alternate wetting and drying. The authors emphasize that while many technologies are market-ready, widespread adoption is hindered by financial and regulatory barriers, necessitating stronger government support and private sector engagement.

The document examines the necessity of a Europe-wide CO2 transport network, estimating a need for 15,000 to 19,000 km of infrastructure by 2050 to move 250 million tonnes of CO2 annually. It highlights the risk of 'natural monopolies' in pipeline transport and advocates for a shift from negotiated third-party access to a regulated access regime to prevent excessive tariffs. The brief proposes inter-temporal cost allocation mechanisms, such as Germany's 'amortisation account', to solve the 'first mover disadvantage' where early users bear disproportionate costs for oversized infrastructure. It also addresses 'cross-chain' financial risks and the need for standardised CO2 purity specifications to ensure network interoperability and safety.

The document examines how South Africa's current growth model and monetary governance reinforce a capital-intensive economy and inequality. It identifies significant unexploited liquidity in the banking and retirement sectors and proposes reforms to the South African Green Finance Taxonomy (SAGFT), the adoption of corporate transition plans, and the use of direct and indirect credit allocation tools to fund a just transition for workers.