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The National Program for fuel efficiency and emissions standards is a cornerstone of New York's strategy to reduce transportation emissions, which account for 33 percent of statewide emissions. The program has already reduced annual transportation-related emissions in New York by 2 million metric tons and saved drivers $1.5 billion in fuel costs since 2011. By 2030, the program is projected to lower the state's global warming emissions by 21 million metric tons per year, save consumers $7 billion in gas expenses, create over 40,000 jobs, and increase the state's GDP by more than $6 billion.

The document assesses the impact of the US National Program's fuel efficiency and emissions standards on Pennsylvania, highlighting reductions in global warming emissions, oil consumption, and consumer costs. It argues that maintaining these standards through 2025 is essential for the state to meet its climate goals and stimulate economic growth through job creation and increased GDP.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds a significant disparity in how automakers deploy electric vehicles (EVs) across the United States. While BMW, General Motors, Nissan, and Tesla are identified as leaders, others like Honda, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler are labeled laggards due to limited model availability or a lack of plug-in offerings. The report highlights a stark geographic divide, noting that California's Zero Emission Vehicle policy has made it the only state where all available US EV models are offered, while consumers in other regions face severe shortages of EVs at dealerships.

The report analyzes the US electric vehicle (EV) market as of 2016, finding that while cumulative sales were nearing 500,000, progress among automakers is uneven. BMW, General Motors, Nissan, and Tesla are identified as leaders, while Honda, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler are characterized as laggards. A significant disparity in vehicle availability exists between California and the rest of the US, largely attributed to California's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program. The authors argue that limited model availability and poor dealership inventory outside California hinder the national transition to electric transportation.

The report analyzes various policy scenarios for China's energy transition, highlighting that carbon pricing and renewable energy standards are the most powerful tools for reducing emissions. It emphasizes that regulatory policies, particularly energy efficiency standards in buildings and industry, are highly cost-effective. The analysis suggests a transition toward a service-based economy and a decarbonized electricity grid to meet emissions peaking goals by 2030.

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 National Program for fuel efficiency and emissions standards is critical for the Northeast, where passenger vehicles account for over 25% of regional emissions. The program has already reduced oil consumption by 1.3 billion gallons since 2011 and is projected to lower global warming pollution by 75 million metric tons per year by 2030. Economically, it is estimated to save the average Northeast household over $2,400 annually by 2030 and create more than 125,000 regional jobs.

The report details the technical specifications, deployment history, and systemic failures of the US Ground Based Interceptor (GBI) and its associated kill vehicles. It highlights a pattern of deploying hardware and software before adequate flight testing, resulting in numerous design flaws, manufacturing errors, and failed intercept tests across multiple versions of the kill vehicle (CE-I, CE-II, and CE-II Block 1). The document also outlines future development plans for the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) and Multi-Object Kill Vehicles (MOKV), while discussing the kinematics of SM-3 interceptors as potential alternatives.

The report analyzes the testing history of the Ground-based Midcourse (GMD) missile defense system, highlighting a low success rate and a lack of tests against realistic ICBM-range targets, salvo modes, and multiple targets. It notes that both CE-I and CE-II interceptors were deployed before successful intercept demonstrations and compares GMD's slow testing pace and high costs to the more rigorous testing of the Aegis BMD and THAAD systems.

The report argues that the US Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system is in a state of disarray due to a 'schedule-driven' development process that bypassed standard DOD5000 acquisition rules. This approach led to the fielding of interceptors before successful testing, systemic design flaws like the 'track gate anomaly', and a poor test record where only a third of intercept tests have succeeded since deployment began. The authors conclude that the system cannot reliably protect the US from nuclear attack and may increase security risks by encouraging adversaries to modernize their arsenals.

The document outlines a carbon offset mechanism designed to allow South African firms to reduce their carbon tax liability by investing in external GHG mitigation projects. It establishes a framework where offsets can provide a tax-free allowance of 5% or 10%, primarily relying on international standards like the CDM, VCS, and Gold Standard. The scheme is restricted to projects located within South Africa and those outside the direct scope of the carbon tax to prevent double counting. Administration is tasked to the Designated National Authority (DNA) within the Department of Energy, supported by an Independent Expert Committee and a national registry to track the transfer and retirement of credits.

The analysis found that while human-induced climate change slightly increased the probability of the 2016 record-breaking heat in Rajasthan, the effect was not statistically significant. The study suggests that the warming effect of greenhouse gases in India is being partially offset by the cooling effects of aerosols and increased irrigation. Despite the lack of a strong temperature trend, the combination of high heat, pollution, and humidity is increasing the health risks and mortality associated with heat waves.

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.

The paper argues that traditional Cost of Service Regulation (COSR) creates a capital bias that motivates utilities to pursue expensive infrastructure projects over more cost-effective, non-utility-owned, or distributed energy resource (DER) alternatives. Through three case studies—distribution circuit upgrades, grid modernization, and regional capacity requirements—the author demonstrates that COSR often misaligns shareholder value with public interest. The analysis finds that multiyear revenue caps, particularly those with 'stretch factors' to encourage efficiency, and Performance Incentive Mechanisms (PIMs) targeting specific outcomes like CO2 reduction or peak demand, are more effective at aligning utility motivation with societal goals. The document recommends a gradual transition toward these PBR tools to manage investor risk while accelerating the energy transition.

The document addresses four perceived barriers to the clean energy transition: the 'duck curve' ramping problem, the necessity of curtailing excess generation, the high cost of renewables, and the role of natural gas in emissions reductions. It argues that demand response and battery storage can manage variability, regional electricity trading can prevent waste, and energy efficiency combined with falling technology costs keeps customer bills low. Finally, it asserts that renewable energy and energy efficiency have contributed more to U.S. carbon emission declines since 2007 than the shift to natural gas.

The report argues that electric vehicles (EVs) represent a significant demand-side opportunity for the electricity grid. By treating EV charging as a distributed energy resource (DER), utilities can use smart charging—even without vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities—to avoid infrastructure investment, integrate more variable renewables, and reduce system costs. The authors emphasize that charging behavior is most effectively influenced in the first few months of ownership, necessitating early action on rate design and infrastructure planning. Through modeling in five U.S. states and analysis of California pilots, the report demonstrates that optimized charging can substantially flatten load profiles and prevent peak demand increases. It outlines various roles for utilities (facilitator, manager, provider) and recommends the use of time-of-use (TOU) and dynamic pricing to shift loads to off-peak hours.

A group of legal scholars supports California SB 1161, which would revive certain civil claims under the Unfair Competition Law (UCL) related to climate science misinformation. The authors argue that fossil fuel companies may have misled the public about climate risks as early as the 1950s and that the bill's time-limited revival of causes of action is a reasonable way to ensure these cases are decided on their merits rather than being barred by the statute of limitations.

The report evaluates alternative electricity rate designs for mass-market customers, focusing on time-based rates and demand charges. It finds that well-designed time-based rates can significantly reduce peak load (0-50%) and total energy consumption (0-10%) without harming customer acceptance. Key drivers of success include high peak/off-peak price ratios, active enabling technologies, and opt-out enrollment. In contrast, the report notes a significant lack of empirical evidence regarding the impact of mass-market demand charges on peak reduction or customer acceptance, describing current claims as largely speculative. The document provides a framework of design dimensions—such as cost allocation, peak coincidence, and financial mechanisms—to guide utilities and regulators in implementing more sophisticated pricing structures that reflect system costs.

The survey found that approximately 43-44% of households in California and the Northeast are technically suitable for current plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) based on parking, hauling, and passenger needs. Consumer interest in EVs is higher in California, where 54.63% are likely to consider one for their next vehicle, compared to 34.86% in the Northeast. The most cited barrier to ownership is the purchase price, and the most desired policy is a tax credit or rebate. While there is strong agreement that EVs reduce climate emissions, awareness of specific government and utility incentives remains low.

The document outlines technical recommendations for the California Air Resources Board (ARB) on monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and accounting for CO2 sequestration. It emphasizes the priority of subsurface plume tracking over surface monitoring, argues that only anthropogenic CO2 should be credited, and suggests pragmatic 'haircut' approaches to credit reductions in the event of atmospheric leakage. For EOR applications, it clarifies that recycled CO2 should not require mass balance accounting and stresses the critical importance of wellbore integrity in brownfields.