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The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) decision to stop insuring new mortgages on homes with property assessed clean energy (PACE) loans is misguided. RMI contends that the FHA overstates the risks of PACE while ignoring the significant default risks associated with high energy costs in inefficient homes.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute examines the potential impact of the Trump administration's climate policy rollbacks on U.S. and global greenhouse gas emissions, while evaluating the capacity of subnational actors to offset these increases.

This RMI insight brief presents the 'Sunshine for Mines' program, which provides a methodology for transforming legacy or inactive mine sites from financial liabilities into revenue-generating assets through the development of renewable energy and storage solutions.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) issued $556,850,000 in Proposition A First Tier Senior Sales Tax Revenue Bonds in October 2017. This includes $471,395,000 in Series 2017-A 'Green Bonds' for rail transit projects and $85,455,000 in Series 2017-B refunding bonds. The bonds are secured by a first lien on a one-half cent retail sales tax in Los Angeles County and carry high credit ratings (Moody’s Aa1, S&P AAA).

This research paper examines the 'utility information problem'—the lack of data regarding the locational value of distributed energy resources (DERs)—which obscures the boundaries of the electric distribution utility's natural monopoly. The author proposes that integrated distribution planning (IDP) is necessary to reveal this information, enabling a transition toward a Distribution System Optimizer (DSO) role. The paper evaluates two pathways to this transition: an information-intensive approach compatible with cost-of-service regulation and an outcome-focused approach utilizing performance-based regulation (PBR).

A report by the NewClimate Institute and The Climate Group analyzing decentralized climate commitments in the US, finding that 342 commitments could enable the US to meet half of its Paris Agreement goals by 2025.

This insight brief by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (R-PACE) financing can accelerate the adoption of net-zero energy (NZE) new construction in the United States. By attaching financing to the property rather than the owner, R-PACE addresses key market barriers such as high up-front capital costs and the split incentive between builders and homebuyers.

Fourteen environmental organizations are opposing amendments to California Senate Bill 488, which seek to limit the Insurance Commissioner's authority to issue data calls and collect financial information regarding climate risk. This opposition aims to protect the Climate Risk Carbon Initiative, a program designed to evaluate the financial risks of climate change for insurance companies operating in California.

A letter from the Center for International Environmental Law and other organizations opposing an amendment to California Senate Bill 488 (SB 488). The authors argue that Section 7 of the bill would restrict the Insurance Commissioner's authority to request data from insurance companies, thereby undermining the state's ability to monitor climate-related financial risks and ensure market stability.

This fact sheet describes the formation and goals of the United States Climate Alliance and other subnational efforts to uphold the 2016 Paris Agreement following the Trump Administration's decision to withdraw the United States from the accord.

This fact sheet describes the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) program for implementing minimum energy and water efficiency standards for appliances and equipment under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. It details the economic, environmental, and technological benefits of these standards, the role of voluntary programs like ENERGY STAR, and the impact of regional standards on heating and cooling products.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute provides an overview of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It details the environmental and economic benefits of PEVs, the current state of the U.S. and global markets, charging infrastructure, battery technology trends, and government incentives.

This fact sheet describes the role of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in implementing and enforcing minimum energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. It details the economic and environmental benefits of these standards, the distinction between mandatory federal standards and voluntary programs like ENERGY STAR, and the impact of regional standards on heating and cooling equipment.

This briefing from the World Resources Institute discusses the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue (FD 2018), a process designed to assess collective efforts toward the Paris Agreement's goals and inform the creation of more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020.

This report by Friends of the Earth International critiques the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California, Acre, and Chiapas to create a REDD+ carbon credit system. The document argues that such mechanisms prioritize market logic over structural climate causes, leading to land dispossession, human rights violations, and the marginalization of indigenous and traditional communities in Brazil and Mexico.

This report by Friends of the Earth International analyzes the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California, Acre (Brazil), and Chiapas (Mexico) to create a REDD+ carbon credit system. The author argues that these market-based mechanisms, including jurisdictional REDD+ programs and cap-and-trade offsets, facilitate the commodification of nature and lead to human rights violations, land dispossession, and the marginalization of indigenous and traditional communities.

RMI opposes the Protecting Americans from Credit Exploitation bill, arguing that regulating Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) as a mortgage product would undermine its unique structure as a property-attached assessment. RMI advocates for national consumer protection standards tailored to the nature of PACE, citing California's existing regulatory framework as a successful model for balancing consumer protection with the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits.

This policy brief by RMI argues that traditional utility demand charges are a significant barrier to the viability of public direct current fast charger (DCFC) networks. Based on an analysis of EVgo stations in California, the document recommends shifting cost recovery from demand-based charges to time-varying volumetric rates to support the societal objective of vehicle electrification.

This research paper analyzes options for using carbon tax revenues to achieve climate goals in Washington State. It warns against focusing solely on the lowest-cost emission reductions, which often leads to pitfalls such as overpayment (economic rents), lack of additionality, and long lead times for project supply. Instead, the authors recommend a strategic approach that targets market failures, promotes social equity and long-term decarbonization, and leverages existing state energy and transportation programs.

This statement by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) defends its 2014 research on 'grid defection'—the economic viability of customers disconnecting from utilities in favor of on-site solar and battery systems—against interpretations of a subsequent study by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). RMI argues that while full grid defection may currently only be economical in Hawaii, the downward trajectory of distributed energy resource (DER) costs creates a systemic risk of stranded utility assets and empowers customers to influence the pace of decarbonization and grid investment.