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The document argues that renewable energy investments in China, India, and the US must increase significantly—doubling in China and the US and tripling in India—to meet Paris Agreement warming limits. While China and India are rapidly expanding renewable capacity and moving away from coal, the US faces worsening federal policy ambition despite strong state-level support for renewables.

The Clean Air Task Force asserts that President Trump's Executive Order to rescind the Climate Action Plan and related rules cannot be implemented by 'administrative fiat' due to the requirement for notice and comment rulemaking. The author argues that the Clean Power Plan is a cost-effective method for reducing emissions from power plants and that curbing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry is essential for public health and the climate, noting that methane is '70 times as potent a warmer as CO2' over its first 20 years.

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes that New Hampshire establish a clean energy finance authority to leverage public funds for private investment. An analysis suggests that an initial $14 million capitalization could drive $300 million in total investment over 15 years, resulting in 70 MW of new solar and wind capacity, $40.3 million in annual electricity bill savings, and a reduction of 222,900 tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2031.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) proposes that Vermont could leverage an initial $7 million public investment into $148 million of total clean energy investment over 15 years. This expanded financing capacity would support nearly 50 MW of new solar and wind power, save homes and businesses $14.6 million annually on electricity bills, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 111,500 tons by 2031. The report details existing Vermont programs—such as Efficiency Vermont, PACE financing, and the Clean Energy Development Fund—and suggests a more comprehensive, coordinated public-private financing initiative to meet the state's long-term goal of 90% renewable energy and efficiency by 2050.

California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires utilities to source 50 percent of retail electricity from renewables by 2030. As of 2015, the program has led to over 500 projects generating nearly 50,000 gigawatt-hours annually, accounting for roughly 25 percent of the state's electricity. The policy has driven significant investments in solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and biogas, while supporting over 79,000 jobs in the wind and solar sectors. The document highlights that the RPS has helped reduce electricity sector emissions by 14 percent between 2003 and 2013 and argues for the establishment of new policy signals to guide investments beyond 2030.

The policy brief asserts that global climate success depends on the 20 largest emitting nations adopting a small set of high-impact policies across four sectors: electricity, buildings, industry, and transportation. It emphasizes that policy design is critical to avoid inefficiencies and suggests the use of 'Best Practice Networks' (BPNs) to provide technical expertise to governments to ensure these policies are effectively implemented.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that Massachusetts is over-reliant on natural gas, which exposes consumers to price volatility and hinders climate goals. The report proposes a policy mix including increased hydropower, land-based wind, and 2,000 MW of offshore wind to reduce natural gas's share of New England's electricity generation from a projected 52% to 42% by 2030, while keeping cost increases for residential consumers to approximately $3.00 per month.

The report finds that global geothermal operating capacity reached 13.3 GW across 24 countries by January 2016, with a forecast to reach 18.4 GW by 2021. While international growth is supported by COP21 commitments and the Global Geothermal Alliance's goal of 65 GW by 2030, the U.S. market has nearly stalled at 3.7 GW of nameplate capacity due to cheap natural gas and unbalanced tax incentives. The report highlights that only 6-7% of global geothermal potential has been tapped and emphasizes the need for increased public financing to drive private investment in developing nations.

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a "Clean Path Case" for New Mexico to meet its Clean Power Plan (CPP) target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 24 percent below 2012 levels by 2030. This pathway involves strengthening the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and energy efficiency resource standard (EERS), alongside a mass-based carbon emissions trading program. The analysis indicates that this approach would diversify the electricity mix, reduce household electricity costs, and generate significant health and economic benefits.

New Mexico's Clean Power Plan target is a reduction of 4.1 million tons of CO2, or 24 percent below 2012 levels, by 2030. A proposed "Clean Path Case" involving renewable energy and energy efficiency policies, combined with carbon emissions trading, is projected to yield 2,400 MW of new wind and solar capacity and $2.7 billion in capital investments by 2030. This transition could reduce typical household electricity costs by 4.3 percent (approximately $33 annually) and generate $115 million in average annual revenue from carbon allowance sales between 2022 and 2030. Additionally, the reduction of CO2, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) is estimated to provide cumulative health and economic benefits worth $223 million through 2030. To achieve this, the document recommends that the New Mexico Environment Department develop a mass-based compliance plan, the legislature authorize carbon allowance auctions and expand the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS), and electricity providers prioritize low-cost renewables.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that Illinois can cost-effectively meet its Clean Power Plan (CPP) target—reducing carbon emissions by 34 percent below 2012 levels by 2030—by adopting a "Clean Path Case." This approach involves strengthening the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and energy efficiency portfolio standard (EEPS) alongside a mass-based emissions trading program. The analysis suggests this pathway would yield nearly 6,000 MW of new wind and solar capacity, reduce typical household electricity costs by 9.4 percent by 2030, and generate $14.3 billion in cumulative health and economic benefits through 2030 by reducing CO2, SO2, and NOx pollution.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) utilized the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) to assess the Clean Power Plan. The analysis incorporates modified cost and performance assumptions for various energy technologies, including a rejection of EIA 'learning' curves for mature technologies and specific adjustments for nuclear, coal, and renewables. The study compares four scenarios: a Reference Case, a CPP National Trading Case, a CPP No Trading Case, and a 'Clean Path' Case involving enhanced state-level policies in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a "Clean Path" for Virginia to comply with the Clean Power Plan by transitioning from voluntary to mandatory renewable energy and energy efficiency targets and implementing a mass-based carbon emissions-trading program. The analysis suggests this approach would reduce CO2 emissions by 77 million tons through 2030 compared to a reference case, lower typical residential electricity bills by 5% by 2030, and generate an average of $241 million in annual auction revenue for state investments. The report highlights Virginia's current underutilization of its renewable potential, noting that non-hydro renewables accounted for only 2.8% of electricity generation in 2014.

The report analyzes the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC) study to demonstrate that aggressive carbon reductions in the U.S. electric sector are achievable with minimal additional cost. By re-evaluating EIPC data, Synapse Energy Economics found that a 'Carbon Reduction' scenario—featuring massive wind build-out and coal retirements—costs approximately the same as a 'Business as Usual' scenario when carbon revenues are recycled. The analysis shows that this path would allow the MISO and PJM regions to significantly over-comply with the Clean Power Plan's emissions targets while maintaining grid reliability.

The document details the use of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) to model energy pathways for Virginia. It outlines specific adjustments made to capital costs, performance projections, and policy assumptions for various electricity generating technologies compared to EIA benchmarks. The analysis compares a 'Reference Case' of existing policies against a 'Clean Path Case' involving Clean Power Plan compliance, mandatory energy efficiency standards, and a Renewable Portfolio Standard for Virginia.

California has successfully decoupled economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions through a policy blend of performance standards and a broad cap-and-trade program. Since 2006, the state has seen a 7 percent decline in emissions while experiencing robust job growth, particularly in the green technology sector. Key achievements include significant adoption of plug-in electric vehicles, a growing renewable energy portfolio, and the influence of its building and appliance codes on other U.S. states and federal policy. The state is now shifting focus toward 2030 targets, including a 50 percent renewable portfolio standard and a goal to reduce economy-wide emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels.

The document argues that the Arecibo Waste-to-Energy and Resource Recovery Project is unnecessary, economically unviable, and environmentally hazardous. It claims the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) fails to meet National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) standards by ignoring reasonable alternatives, underestimating public health risks—particularly lead exposure in a non-attainment area—and omitting cumulative impacts on human health and biological resources. The authors contend that the project violates the Rural Electrification Act's mandate to serve rural areas and would cause irreversible damage to the Caño Tiburones Natural Reserve.

Fuel cells generate electricity through a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, offering a high-efficiency, low-emission alternative to combustion engines and batteries. While they excel in reliability, scalability, and energy density, widespread adoption is hindered by high costs—particularly the need for platinum in PEM cells—and the lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Applications range from portable electronics and stationary power (including combined heat and power systems) to transportation. In the U.S., the Department of Energy and various state-level policies, such as Renewable Portfolio Standards and tax credits, are working to reduce system costs and expand infrastructure to make fuel cells more competitive with gasoline-powered vehicles.

The report analyzes the financial landscape of large-scale renewable energy in California, concluding that while most projects are well-supported by existing policies like the Production Tax Credit and Renewable Portfolio Standard, specific gaps remain. These gaps include high transaction costs for tax equity, limited financing access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and high risks for early-stage innovative technologies. The document proposes that a public institution or 'green bank' could address these by aggregating and securitizing projects, providing alternative loan security (such as property tax-based repayment), and offering loan guarantees or concessional lending for innovative technologies.

Virginia is required by the U.S. Clean Power Plan to reduce power sector emissions by 23 percent below 2012 levels by 2030. The document argues that by improving energy efficiency, increasing renewable energy use to meet voluntary goals, and maximizing the output of existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants, the state could reduce emissions by up to 43 percent by 2030. These actions are presented as cost-effective measures that could increase GDP, provide billions in net benefits, and generate revenue through the sale of unused emissions allowances.