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WESTERN WILDFIRES
Climate Central's analysis of U.S. Forest Service records shows that the average annual number of large wildfires in the western U.S. more than tripled between the 1970s and 2010s, with the area burned increasing more than six-fold. The report attributes these trends to rising temperatures, decreased snowpack, and earlier snowmelt. Projections using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) suggest that high-risk fire days will increase substantially by 2050, particularly in Southwestern states. The report also highlights the growing risk to populations living in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and the health impacts of wildfire smoke.
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Document type: Report
Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester
The community of Manchester in Houston, Texas, faces significant public health threats due to a dense concentration of industrial facilities, including oil refineries and chemical plants. Residents, who are 98 percent minority and 65 percent low-income, are exposed to hazardous air pollutants such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene. The document highlights the disproportionate burden of pollution on low-income communities of color and calls for local officials to prioritize public health and safety in fence-line communities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Poor Governance of Mining and the Violation of Environmental Rights in Mpumalanga
The report details how systemic governance failures by the DMR and DWS in Mpumalanga have led to widespread environmental degradation, health crises in mining communities, and threats to water and food security. It highlights the lack of enforcement, a culture of secrecy, and the conflict of interest inherent in the DMR's dual mandate to promote and regulate mining.
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Document type: Report
REGULATIONS FOR THE PROCEDURE AND CRITERIA TO BE FOLLOWED IN THE DETERMINATION OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE FINE IN TERMS OF SECTION 22A OF THE ACT, 2016
These 2016 regulations, issued by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, establish the procedure and criteria for determining administrative fines for persons operating listed activities without a valid atmospheric emission license under section 22A of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.
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Document type: Guide
REGULATIONS PRESCRIBING THE ATMOSPHERIC EMISSION LICENCE PROCESSING FEE, 2016
The Regulations Prescribing the Atmospheric Emission Licence Processing Fee, 2016, establish the mandatory fees for various types of atmospheric emission licence applications under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.
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Document type: Guide
APPELLANT’S ANSWERING STATEMENT IN TERMS OF REGULATION 63(2) (b) OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS, 2010 GN R543 IN GG 33306
This Answering Statement, filed by groundWork through the Centre for Environmental Rights, challenges the environmental authorisation granted to Kuyasa Mining (Pty) Ltd for a 600 MW coal-fired power plant near Delmas, Mpumalanga. The Appellant argues that the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) lacked independence, the project's location in a Highveld Priority Area hotspot will exacerbate air pollution, and the environmental impact assessment failed to adequately address climate change and water scarcity.
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Document type: Statement
alabama_cpp_letter_3.2.16-c8023a5e89d78dbf.pdf
A coalition of organizations wrote to Governor Robert Bentley of Alabama advocating for the expansion of energy efficiency programs as the most cost-effective strategy for complying with the Clean Power Plan. The letter highlights that efficiency measures could meet 25 percent of Alabama's 2030 compliance goal, potentially saving the state over $939 million and avoiding 4.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The authors recommend adopting energy-savings targets, updated building codes, and the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP), while noting that non-utility programs like energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) provide significant investment opportunities.
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Document type: Statement
colorado_cpp_letter_3.2.16-46cd48e6eb4f5785.pdf
A coalition of organizations advises Governor John Hickenlooper to maximize investments in energy efficiency to achieve Colorado's 2030 Clean Power Plan compliance limits. The letter argues that efficiency is the cheapest demand-side resource, capable of saving Colorado residents $1.5 billion and avoiding nearly 16 million tons of carbon dioxide. It recommends expanding non-utility programs, such as combined heat and power generation and updated building energy codes, and suggests opting into the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP).
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Document type: Statement
georgia_cpp_letter_3.2.16-25826315c90474a0.pdf
A coalition of organizations advocates for Georgia to prioritize energy efficiency to meet Clean Power Plan goals, arguing that such measures are the cheapest way to reduce emissions while supporting local job growth and reducing consumer costs. The letter suggests that a combination of energy-savings targets, updated building codes, and combined heat and power could meet 73 percent of the state's 2030 compliance goal, potentially saving Georgians $1.9 billion and avoiding 12 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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Document type: Statement
kansas_cpp_letter_3.2.16-2f5fd3821b320f76.pdf
A coalition of organizations encourages the Governor of Kansas to prioritize energy efficiency as the lowest-cost strategy for reducing emissions and meeting Clean Power Plan goals, noting that specific policies could meet 54 percent of the state's 2030 compliance target.
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Document type: Statement
kentucky_cpp_letter_3.2.16-8070c39b814de919.pdf
A coalition of organizations advocates for Kentucky to expand energy-efficiency programs, arguing they are the cheapest method to reduce emissions and lower consumer costs. The authors suggest that adopting specific policies, such as updated building codes and combined heat and power, could meet 43 percent of the state's 2030 Clean Power Plan compliance goal, potentially saving over $1.6 billion and avoiding nearly 13 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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Document type: Statement
louisiana_cpp_letter_3.2.16-adb9d54206c89531.pdf
A coalition of organizations urges Governor John Bel Edwards to prioritize energy efficiency as the lowest-cost method for Louisiana to reduce emissions and comply with the Clean Power Plan. The letter argues that expanding utility and non-utility efficiency programs—such as building energy codes and energy savings performance contracts—could meet 50 percent of the state's 2030 compliance goal, potentially saving residents over $1 billion and avoiding 4.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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Document type: Statement
north_dakota_cpp_letter_3.2.16-a6efe988b826abc0.pdf
The document argues that energy efficiency is the lowest-cost method for reducing emissions and managing energy demand in North Dakota. It recommends expanding loan programs, adopting utility performance incentives, and opting into the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP). The authors claim that implementing specific energy-efficiency policies could meet 20 percent of North Dakota's 2030 compliance goal under the Clean Power Plan, potentially saving residents $335 million and avoiding over 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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Document type: Statement
pennsylvania_cpp_letter_3.2.16-aac3896910652a05.pdf
A coalition of organizations advocates for the use of energy efficiency measures in Pennsylvania to meet Clean Power Plan compliance limits, arguing that such policies would save residents $4.7 billion and avoid over 20 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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Document type: Statement
south_dakota_cpp_letter_3.2.16-baab3717883b6bb9.pdf
A coalition of organizations wrote to Governor Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota advocating for the use of energy efficiency as the most cost-effective strategy for complying with the Clean Power Plan. The letter argues that energy efficiency can reduce emissions, create local jobs, and lower utility bills for residents and businesses. It suggests expanding existing programs like the South Dakota Energy Smart initiative and adopting non-utility measures such as updated building energy codes and combined heat and power. According to the authors, implementing these policies could allow South Dakota to meet over 100 percent of its 2030 compliance goal, saving customers $239 million and avoiding 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
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Document type: Statement
tennessee_cpp_letter_3.2.16-55e845e41dd46896.pdf
A coalition of organizations advocates for Tennessee to utilize energy efficiency as its primary mechanism for meeting Clean Power Plan goals, arguing it is the lowest-cost option for reducing emissions and lowering consumer bills. The letter suggests adopting energy-savings targets, updated building codes, and combined heat and power to meet nearly 50 percent of the state's 2030 compliance goal, potentially saving residents $689 million and avoiding 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide.
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Document type: Statement
texas_cpp_letter_3.2.16-88cceda7dcdc5f00.pdf
A coalition of organizations wrote to Governor Gregg Abbot advocating for the use of energy efficiency as the most cost-effective strategy for Texas to comply with the Clean Power Plan. The authors argue that implementing specific efficiency policies—such as updated building codes and combined heat and power—could meet 89 percent of the state's 2030 compliance goal, saving Texans $5.5 billion and avoiding 55 million tons of carbon dioxide.
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Document type: Statement
virginia_cpp_letter_3.2.16-bcc4ad55b9873a89.pdf
A coalition of organizations wrote to Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia on March 2, 2016, advocating for the maximization of energy efficiency investments to comply with the Clean Power Plan. The authors argue that efficiency is the lowest-cost demand-side resource and can provide rapid emissions reductions while creating local jobs. They specifically recommend that Virginia opt into the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) and utilize non-utility programs such as energy savings performance contracts and updated building energy codes. According to the letter, implementing a set of common efficiency policies could meet 85 percent of Virginia's 2030 compliance limit, potentially saving the state over $1.8 billion and avoiding more than 7 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution.
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Document type: Statement
The ABCs of Global Climate Change
The document outlines the role of human activity in increasing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, the resulting environmental and health risks, and the emission reduction targets required to limit temperature increases to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius by 2050.
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Document type: Briefing
1.letter-to-federal-minister-of-environment-and-climate-change-catherine-mckenna-re-phasing-out-coal-plants-across-canada-within-ten-years-feb-2016-322af5f4419006fa.pdf
A consortium of health groups, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, recommends that the Government of Canada phase out all coal-fired power plants within ten years. The letter argues that this action would substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide significant public health benefits, citing Ontario's successful phase-out between 2004 and 2014 as a model. The authors note that while Alberta has a phase-out plan for 2030, provinces such as Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia intend to use coal into the 2040s.
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Document type: Statement