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The report analyzes the environmental, health, and economic impacts of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) pollution in the US and advocates for an accelerated transition to battery-electric trucks. It highlights that while MHDVs make up a small fraction of road vehicles, they contribute a disproportionate share of NOx, PM2.5, and greenhouse gas emissions. The document argues that battery-electric vehicles (BETs) are technically and economically superior to hydrogen fuel-cell alternatives for most duty cycles. It details the role of state policies like California's Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation and federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in driving adoption. The report concludes with recommendations for expanding charging infrastructure, implementing indirect source rules for warehouses, and maintaining high-road labor standards during the transition.

The Federal Hydrogen Hub Program aims to establish a national hydrogen network through seven regional hubs, with funding distributed across four phases over 8-12 years. While hubs claim local economic and environmental benefits, the guide notes that many proposed projects may increase pollution or waste energy. As of January 28, 2025, the DOE has instructed all recipients to cease activities related to Community Benefits Plans, pending further guidance.

The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile, 2,100-MW underground transmission line connecting wind energy from MISO jurisdiction states to the PJM market. By co-locating the line within existing railroad rights of way and utilizing undergrounding, the project has significantly reduced community opposition and simplified siting. The developer has implemented a variety of benefits, including 'good neighbor payments' to adjacent landowners, municipal franchise agreements that fund local infrastructure like broadband expansion, and apprenticeship programs for underserved youth. While the project faces skepticism regarding the higher upfront costs of undergrounding compared to overhead lines, the developer argues that lifecycle costs are competitive, particularly when accounting for extreme weather resilience and reduced siting delays.

Climate change in Illinois is manifesting as increased precipitation, rising temperatures, and intensified summer droughts, leading to significant infrastructure damage and public health risks. Since the 20th century, average annual precipitation has risen by 12-15%, while extreme events have increased by 40%, causing frequent flooding and sewage overflows in cities like Chicago. Rising temperatures are most pronounced in winter, with a predicted average increase of up to 9°F by 2100, which threatens agricultural yields—potentially reducing corn yields by 23-34% by mid-century—and necessitates an estimated $6.1 billion for school air conditioning by 2025. Additionally, intensified summer droughts threaten crop yields and river navigation, notably impacting barge transportation on the Mississippi River, while increasing the risk of wildfires and health issues from Canadian wildfire smoke.

GreenLatinos' 2025 Impact Report details a year of advocacy against federal environmental rollbacks and the implementation of community-led resilience projects. Key achievements include securing $10B in Proposition 4 funds in California, passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act in Illinois, and managing over $30 million in funding for urban forestry and community grants. The organization mobilized over 250 environmental justice organizations to respond to EPA rollbacks and expanded its 'Climate Lotería' project to combat Spanish-language climate disinformation. Its Urban Greening Initiative diverted over 611,000 pounds of organic waste and planted hundreds of trees across Chicago, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque.

The document outlines the framework for state Clean Electricity Standards (CES), emphasizing that effective policies must be mandatory, technology-inclusive, and ambitious. It contrasts CES with Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) by highlighting the inclusion of clean firm resources like nuclear and carbon capture. The brief details various design options—such as retail sales vs. emission-based standards—and explains how federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) reduce implementation costs. It also discusses advanced features like clean capacity standards and hourly matching to accelerate the deployment of long-duration storage and firm clean power.

Friends of the Earth US evaluates the Biden-Harris administration's 6-point framework to reduce US imports of deforestation-linked commodities. The analysis highlights the role of seven forest risk commodities—palm oil, beef, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and corn—and argues that the US must adopt a holistic approach to combat illegal deforestation, which is often linked to human rights abuses and land grabbing. The organization recommends the creation of a public, transparent federal due diligence procedure independent of third-party certification, the use of Earth-observation data, and coordination with the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). It also advocates for the passage of the federal FOREST Act and contributions to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.

The report examines a range of legislative and regulatory efforts to address private equity's role in the US healthcare system, highlighting a shift toward increased oversight of mergers and acquisitions at the state level. It details successful laws in Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, and New York, while noting failures in states like California and Massachusetts. Federally, it discusses proposed acts to penalize corporate looting and increase transparency, alongside CMS rules on staffing and spending. The document also tracks antitrust and fraud enforcement actions and concludes with policy recommendations to curb financialization through stricter transparency, debt limits, and joint liability.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that industrial agriculture is the leading cause of wetland loss over the last 250 years, which increases flood risks and releases stored carbon. In the Upper Midwest, 30 million acres of wetlands provide approximately $23 billion in annual residential flood mitigation benefits, with long-term value estimated between $323 billion and $754 billion. The document urges the US government to use the upcoming farm bill to increase funding for USDA conservation programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetland Reserve Easements, to protect these ecosystems.

Industrial agriculture is a primary driver of wetland loss in the US Upper Midwest, where 30 million acres of wetlands provide critical flood mitigation and carbon sequestration. The report estimates that these wetlands provide nearly $23 billion in annual residential flood mitigation benefits, with long-term value between $323 billion and $754 billion. Recent legal shifts, specifically the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA, have reduced federal protections under the Clean Water Act, leaving many wetlands vulnerable. The author argues that the next farm bill should expand the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) cap, increase funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and link crop insurance to conservation practices to mitigate flood risk and support environmental justice for marginalized communities.

The document details a modeling analysis of Illinois' energy storage requirements using the Python for Power System Analysis (PyPSA) framework. It outlines the grid's representation as two RTO subregions (ComEd and Zone 4), the data pipelines used for solar and wind production, and the specific technology assumptions and policy incentives—such as the Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits—integrated into the model. The analysis considers various demand growth scenarios and the impact of scheduled fossil fuel plant retirements.

A coalition of advocates argues that the EPA's disparate impact regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are essential for protecting marginalized communities from disproportionate environmental harms. The document details systemic environmental racism, provides case studies of both successful and failed civil rights enforcement, and urges the EPA to strengthen rather than roll back these protections.

The report details how Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for stripping local newspapers, has expanded into manufactured housing. Through its affiliate Homes of America, the firm has acquired over 10,000 lots in 138 parks across 17 states, spending over $275 million. The document argues that Alden employs a 'strip and flip' model, characterized by aggressive rent increases, high eviction rates, and the neglect of property maintenance to maximize profits. It highlights specific cases of resident displacement and financial abuse, particularly in Florida, and calls for state and federal policy interventions to protect vulnerable residents.

The U.S. transportation sector, responsible for nearly one third of national greenhouse gas emissions, is undergoing decarbonization through a combination of federal strategies, such as the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, and significant funding from the IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act. While progress is evident in the buildout of EV and hydrogen corridors and the growth of clean energy manufacturing jobs, the document argues that the U.S. is not yet on track to meet its goal of cutting all transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Regional efforts are concentrated in the West Coast (hydrogen and EV corridors), Midwest (battery manufacturing and freight networks), Gulf Coast (low-emissions shipping and hydrogen trucking), and East Coast (EV manufacturing and I-95 freight corridors). To accelerate progress, the document recommends a federal clean fuel standard, improved inter-agency coordination, and stronger community engagement.

The report finds that July 2024 temperatures were elevated in the eastern and western thirds of the United States, with the West Coast showing particularly high anomalies. Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the analysis identifies the Southwest as having the strongest climate signal, with cities averaging at least 14 days where temperatures were at least three times more likely due to climate change. Specific cities like Spokane, Washington, and Reno, Nevada, showed significant temperature anomalies and long-term warming trends since 1970.

The US electric school bus (ESB) market is expanding rapidly, with 12,167 commitments across 1,514 districts as of June 2024. While upfront costs remain three to four times higher than diesel buses, federal programs like the EPA's Clean School Bus Program and the Inflation Reduction Act provide significant subsidies. The market now offers 26 models across Types A, C, and D, with nameplate ranges between 100 and 300 miles. The transition involves complex integration of high-voltage vehicle systems, charging hardware (Level 2 and Level 3 DCFC), and charge management software to optimize costs and grid impact. Emerging solutions like repowering existing diesel buses offer a lower-cost alternative, typically ranging from $110,000 to $180,000.

As of June 2024, the U.S. has 12,164 committed electric school buses, with 67% funded by the EPA's Clean School Bus Program. Adoption is widespread across 49 states, with California leading in total numbers, while the Southeast has seen significant recent growth. The report finds that deployment is increasingly equitable, with a majority of buses now located in high-poverty districts and areas with high air pollution, though adult asthma rates show a more even distribution.

The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) is projected to create 13,600 direct jobs, including 12,100 in construction and 1,500 permanent positions, through eight major projects in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan.

The document argues that traditional cost-of-service regulation (COSR) creates perverse incentives—such as 'gold plating' and 'capex bias'—that hinder the affordable deployment of clean energy and demand-side management. It proposes a transition toward Performance-Based Regulation (PBR), which compensates utilities based on target outcomes rather than costs. The guide details a 'Four Pillars Model' for comprehensive PBR: incentivizing cost-efficiency, removing the throughput incentive, equalizing capex and opex incentives, and incentivizing targeted outcomes. Key tools discussed include revenue decoupling, multi-year rate plans (MYRPs), and performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs). The text contrasts incremental PBR, which layers tools onto COSR, with comprehensive PBR, which fundamentally restructures the regulatory framework, citing Hawaii's 2020 framework as a comprehensive example.

The paper identifies systemic barriers in US school transportation, such as unreliable wheelchair lifts and the segregation of disabled students into separate buses. It argues that the transition to electric school buses (ESBs) presents an opportunity to improve health and equity, particularly for students of color in underresourced areas, provided that disabled youth are included in decision-making and universal design is adopted. The authors highlight the 'early adopter tax' and the risk of 'echo exposure'—where old diesel buses are transferred to other vulnerable community settings—and recommend that policymakers prioritize funding for accessible ESBs and enforce compliance with the ADA and IDEA.