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A 50-state survey by Global Energy Monitor reveals that major U.S. corporations in the tech, banking, and insurance sectors frequently employ lobbyists who also represent fossil fuel interests. This creates a paradox where companies with public net-zero pledges provide political cover and credibility to lobbyists promoting continued fossil fuel dependence. The report highlights specific companies—such as Amazon, State Farm, and Bank of America—and notes that weak state disclosure laws and the absence of a national database hinder accountability.

The report details the ownership of Prospect Medical Holdings by Leonard Green & Partners from 2010 to 2021, alleging that the firm used dividend recapitalizations and sale-leaseback transactions to siphon $658 million in fees and dividends. This financial extraction occurred while Prospect hospitals suffered from low quality ratings, staffing shortages, and severe financial losses, eventually leading to service cuts and facility closures in states like Pennsylvania and Texas. The document argues that Leonard Green exited its majority stake in 2021, leaving the hospitals with substantial liabilities and diminished resources.

The report examines the shift from traditional energy efficiency programs, which focus on raw energy savings, toward 'climate-forward efficiency' that prioritizes GHG reductions. It identifies two types of performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs): 'explicit GHG' PIMs, which directly reward carbon reductions, and 'policy intent' PIMs, which implicitly encourage GHG reductions through fuel switching or time-based savings. The document highlights early implementations in New York, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., and suggests that tracking metrics and scorecards can serve as a starting point for states not yet ready for full PIMs.

The document outlines how U.S. local governments can leverage federal incentives, such as those in the Inflation Reduction Act, to advance community solar for low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. It details specific actions including proactive community engagement, advocacy for state-level enabling legislation, providing direct financial subsidies, and reducing developer risks by acting as anchor subscribers or providing public land. The guide highlights various municipal examples from cities like Denver, Pueblo, and Anaheim to demonstrate how to integrate job training, bill discounts, and loan funds into solar initiatives.

The report details a corporate campaign to implement municipal preemption laws that block local governments from accessing courts to recover climate-related damages. It identifies a 'triumvirate' of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ALEC, and NAM as the primary architects of this strategy, drawing parallels to previous industry efforts to avoid liability in the tobacco and opioid sectors. The document outlines specific legislative tactics used to stifle litigation and provides a framework for municipal leaders to recognize and repeal such preemption laws, while suggesting proactive legislative measures to protect local legal autonomy.

The report evaluates the climate action plans and policies of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire using the UCS Resilience Gap Framework. It identifies a regional trend where mitigation and adaptation efforts remain siloed and equity goals are often articulated in policy but poorly implemented. Maine and Vermont are highlighted as regional leaders in alignment with the framework, while New Hampshire is noted for having an outdated plan and a lack of state leadership. The assessment reveals a widespread failure across all six states to account for maladaptation in their planning.

The report argues that traditional US public utilities commission (PUC) processes are too slow and restrictive to meet urgent decarbonization and equity mandates. It recommends four primary reforms: setting clear proceeding objectives, expanding stakeholder roles in solution development, reducing information asymmetry by unlocking utility data, and initiating new inclusive processes such as regulatory sandboxes and updated benefit-cost analysis frameworks.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) outlines four primary criteria for successful clean hydrogen hubs: minimizing greenhouse gas intensity across the production value chain, prioritizing hard-to-abate end-use sectors, committing to environmental justice and community engagement, and delivering immediate local environmental benefits. These recommendations are directed at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) following the authorization of $8 billion under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 to establish at least four regional hubs.

RMI identifies three promising electric mobility modes—microtransit, carsharing, and micromobility—to address transportation gaps for low- to moderate-income communities in Connecticut. The briefing emphasizes that electric utilities are critical partners, capable of providing administrative support, capital for infrastructure and vehicles, and optimized electricity rate designs to ensure these services are affordable and accessible.

The report 'Electric Mobility for All' examines how to extend the benefits of electric vehicle (EV) adoption to low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities in Connecticut, who face barriers such as cost premiums and limited charging infrastructure despite being most affected by poor air quality.

The report finds overwhelming public and organizational support for priority climate legislation in Connecticut, yet a significant gap exists between this support and legislative outcomes. While 91.7% of testimony positions supported priority bills, most legislation died in committee. The study highlights a stark imbalance in lobbying resources, with electric and gas utilities spending over $24 million—far exceeding the spending of environmental groups and renewable energy firms. Opposition to climate action has shifted from denying climate science to employing 'climate delay' discourses, such as arguing that Connecticut is too small to matter or that policies would disproportionately harm low-income residents.

The report argues that insurance is an underutilized tool for urban climate resilience, providing not only financial recovery but also risk awareness and incentives for mitigation. It details various insurance mechanisms—micro, meso, and macro—and the roles municipal governments can play as consumers, stewards, and conveners. The document highlights a significant 'protection gap,' noting that 76% of natural catastrophe losses were uninsured in 2020. Key barriers to scaling include a lack of technical capacity in city governments, behavioral biases among urban dwellers, and the difficulty of incorporating long-term climate projections into short-term insurance products. It recommends increased investment in risk assessment, the development of integrated resilience plans with the insurance sector, and the use of concessional finance from development finance institutions to support vulnerable cities.

The Union of Concerned Scientists outlines how state legislation can leverage energy storage to advance equity, focusing on replacing fossil fuel peaker plants, increasing community resiliency, and expanding access to distributed energy resources for low-income and overburdened communities.

As of March 2022, 12,275 electric school buses have been committed across 38 US states, with California leading in adoption. While a large portion of these commitments stem from a single 10,000-bus contract between Midwest Transit Equipment and SEA Electric, the report finds that adoption is trending toward historically underserved communities, particularly those with high PM2.5 pollution and high populations of non-white and/or Hispanic people.

Phosmet is a U.S. registered pesticide used in 40 states, primarily on orchards and grapes, and is currently under registration review. It is associated with serious health effects, including cancer, neurodevelopmental harm, and reproductive toxicity, with exposure occurring via food, drinking water, and occupational contact. The pesticide is applied to a significant percentage of several common crops, including peaches (55%) and nectarines (50%).

The report details a pattern of acquisitions by OpenGate Capital that resulted in the closure of at least five companies and the loss of over 1,300 U.S. jobs. It examines specific cases including HUFCOR, Golden Guernsey Dairy, Fusion Paperboard, Hamilton Scientific, PennySaver, and Pacific Crest Transformers, alleging that the firm extracted fees and dividends while eroding the value of these businesses. The document highlights legal disputes over unpaid wages, lack of worker notice, and allegations of 'cash stripping' and 'looting' by bankruptcy trustees.

A group of Connecticut-based academics and professionals expresses support for legal action against ExxonMobil, alleging the company spent decades spreading disinformation about climate change despite internal knowledge of the risks since the 1960s. The letter highlights specific climate threats to Connecticut, including increased extreme heat and tidal flooding, and argues that the company should pay for damages and adaptation measures.

Attorneys General from Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia have urged US Attorney General Merrick Garland to withdraw or reverse Department of Justice (DOJ) amicus briefs filed during the previous administration. These briefs supported fossil fuel defendants in climate litigation, arguing that state-law claims were preempted by federal law or should be removed to federal court. The signers argue these positions undermine efforts to hold companies accountable for a "decades-long deception campaign" regarding climate dangers and contradict President Biden's pledge to support plaintiff-driven climate litigation.

The analysis models three policy scenarios for Southern New England, ranging from the adoption of California's Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule to a more aggressive '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario. The findings indicate that transitioning the M/HD fleet to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) would yield significant net societal benefits, including reduced premature deaths, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term cost savings for fleets and electricity customers. While initial purchase costs for ZEVs are higher, the report projects lifetime cost parity with combustion vehicles by 2035. Macroeconomic analysis suggests the transition would result in national net job gains and increased GDP, with new jobs in electrical component manufacturing and infrastructure construction offering higher average wages than the jobs they replace.

The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is a regional program designed to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector by limiting total emissions and requiring fuel distributors to pay into a fund. This fund could generate an estimated $68 billion over ten years for participating states, including Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. The document highlights that rural residents, who drive more than 13,000 miles annually—over 20% above the regional average—stand to save up to twice as much per capita as urban residents by switching to electric vehicles (EVs). To support this transition, the author suggests higher purchase incentives for low- and moderate-income drivers, expanded rural charging infrastructure, and the growth of vanpools and paratransit services. Additionally, the document emphasizes the need for climate-resilient infrastructure, citing the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont as a precedent for the increasing intensity of storms in the region.