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The document criticizes Nippon Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs for investing in coal-fired infrastructure despite public commitments to green steel. It highlights a $350 million renovation of a blast furnace at Gary Works by Nippon Steel and the refurbishment of a 73-year-old furnace by Cleveland-Cliffs in Middletown, Ohio, despite the latter receiving a $500 million Inflation Reduction Act grant for decarbonization. The author suggests that automotive companies and international markets, particularly in Europe, should use their purchasing power to pressure steelmakers to transition away from coal.

Mighty Earth reports that major US RV manufacturers (Winnebago, Thor, Forest River) source meranti plywood from Mayawana Persada in Borneo, Indonesia. This sourcing is linked to the destruction of 40,000 hectares of carbon-rich peatlands, which have become highly susceptible to wildfires during the 'Godzilla El Niño', resulting in orangutan deaths. The organization is campaigning for the industry to switch to FSC-certified wood or low-footprint composites.

The report details a pattern of labor violations at Grimmway Farms since its 2021 acquisition by Teays River Investments, including disability discrimination, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions. It highlights a 2023 fatal accident involving Rosa Miriam Sanchez and argues that the private equity business model can exacerbate poor working conditions in the US agricultural sector.

In Q2 2026, private equity firms acquired over 70 US companies with at least 500 employees, primarily in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services and Manufacturing sectors. The report details specific instances of plant closures, layoffs, and labor disputes following these acquisitions, such as the closure of an MW Components plant in Houston one week after its purchase by Rosebank Industries. It also highlights systemic issues including OSHA violations at SunOpta and child labor scandals at Charlesbank Capital Partners' portfolio company, Hearthside Food Solutions. Additionally, the report notes environmental and regulatory concerns, including wastewater pollutant violations by Inframark in Texas and community resistance to GI Partners' data center projects in California due to power and emission concerns.

Climate change accounted for 27% of the rate of heat-related emergency room visits in the U.S. during 2018-2025. August 2026 was the warmest August on record globally, with record warmth affecting 13.2% of global land and ocean areas. In the U.S., Summer 2026 was the warmest on record for the contiguous region, and August 2026 was the warmest August for average, maximum, and minimum temperatures since 1895. Drought affected at least 81% of the contiguous U.S. as of September 8, 2026, and nearly 8.3 million acres burned year-to-date, driven by increased 'fire weather' days. Attribution analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) indicates human-caused climate change drove summertime warming trends in 91% of analyzed U.S. cities. Additionally, a strong El Niño event is projected to peak around February 2027, with global temperature anomalies potentially reaching 1.7C above pre-industrial levels.

Between January and May 15, 2026, over 100 companies backed by asset management firms and venture capital notified labor departments of layoffs, resulting in nearly 13,000 job losses. The report highlights how private equity models—characterized by leveraged buyouts, dividend recapitalizations, and market consolidation—contribute to plant closures and bankruptcies. Specific examples include Walgreens, where Sycamore Partners added $13.3 billion in debt, and Albertsons, where Cerberus Capital Management received a $1 billion dividend payout despite ongoing layoffs. The report also notes a high concentration of layoffs in the manufacturing sector (34%) and discusses state-level legislative efforts in New Jersey, Maine, California, and Michigan to mandate severance pay and extend notice periods.

Over 30 environmental organizations have petitioned the U.S. Senate to oppose 'year-round E15' legislation, asserting that increasing the ethanol blend from 10 percent to 15 percent would raise food and fuel costs, increase greenhouse gas emissions through land-use changes, and cause environmental degradation.

In Q1 2026, U.S. clean energy investments were heavily influenced by executive branch implementation and policy certainty. While electric power investments increased—driven by a massive nuclear project in Texas—manufacturing investments declined for the sixth consecutive quarter. Federal support strongly favored critical minerals and battery storage, while sectors like hydrogen, solar, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) faced mixed outcomes due to fragile policy support and tightened tax credit eligibility windows.

The United States has established a regulatory path for commercial fusion energy that avoids the frameworks used for nuclear fission reactors, instead adapting regulations for radioactive byproduct materials. Under the 10 CFR Part 30 framework, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its Agreement State Program share authority, allowing compatible state agencies to license fusion facilities. The NRC is currently finalizing specific regulatory guidance in NUREG-1556, Volume 22, with a final rule expected by December 31, 2027. This proportional approach focuses on the confinement of radioactive materials, such as tritium, rather than fission criticality safety, aiming to provide the regulatory certainty needed for private investment and deployment.

The report compares two pathways for meeting U.S. electricity demand growth through 2030: one relying on fossil fuels and another on clean energy. It finds that a clean energy scenario reduces the incremental cost of meeting demand by $5.1 billion annually in 2030 and offers greater protection against fuel price volatility. To realize these savings, the authors recommend setting ambitious clean energy targets, updating electricity system planning with market-based assumptions, reducing permitting and interconnection barriers, implementing fuel cost sharing to manage risk, improving grid utilization through technologies like surplus interconnection and high-performance conductors, and harnessing demand-side resources such as virtual power plants and distributed energy technologies.

The paper examines the UK's Enhanced Trade Partnerships (ETPs), which are non-binding memoranda of understanding that sit between informal commercial meetings (JETCOs) and binding Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). While ETPs frequently reference sustainability and can facilitate 'green' trade and regulatory diplomacy, the author argues they primarily serve offensive trade interests and lack the civil society oversight necessary to prevent 'greenwashing'.

Environmental organizations oppose the 'year-round E15' bill, claiming it would increase greenhouse gas emissions through land-use changes, harm wildlife and water resources, and increase costs for consumers while primarily benefiting land investors.

Climate Central analyzed data from 476 weather stations to track fire weather trends in the contiguous U.S. between 1973 and 2025. The analysis reveals a significant increase in fire weather days, particularly in the western U.S., where conditions are intensifying in spring and summer. While the eastern U.S. has seen smaller increases, some areas in the Southeast and Northeast are experiencing more frequent fire weather. The report highlights that climate change is driving these trends through warming temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, which prime landscapes for wildfires to ignite and spread.

The PJM region expects approximately 30 GW of new electricity demand by 2030, primarily from data centers, amid rising capacity market prices and slow interconnection timelines. In response, the PJM Board's January 2026 CIFP-LLA decision establishes a regional framework for load forecasting, 'bring-your-own resource' options, a 'connect and manage' curtailment approach, and a 'reliability backstop' capacity auction. RMI argues that states must operationalize this framework through specific retail-level actions: establishing large load tariffs (LLTs) to prevent cost-shifting, improving load forecast validation to reduce speculative requests, and implementing non-firm service tariffs to prioritize the curtailment of large loads over residential customers. Additionally, the briefing recommends that states pursue permitting reforms to accelerate new generation, deploy virtual power plants (VPPs) and advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) to expand grid capacity, and coordinate regionally to advocate for deeper PJM generator interconnection reforms.

RMI analysis indicates that wind and solar revenues in some US agricultural states are approaching the scale of major commodities, providing farmers with predictable income and counties with tax revenue for public services. While wind projects typically maintain agricultural land use, solar arrays have a larger footprint, leading to the exploration of agrivoltaics. In 2024, nine states generated over $1 billion each in wind and solar revenue, totaling $23 billion.

The document examines the rapid growth of private equity-backed autism therapy services, specifically Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and its impact on Medicaid budgets. It highlights a pattern of widespread improper payments and billing issues identified in state audits, while noting that rising demand for services coincides with projected federal Medicaid funding cuts.

After a record year in 2024, the U.S. EV market experienced a 4% sales decline in 2025, driven by the expiration of federal tax credits and a volatile regulatory environment. While charging infrastructure continues to grow through private investment, nearly $20 billion in manufacturing projects have been canceled, particularly in the Midwest and South. Major automakers are shifting strategies toward hybrids and affordable models to mitigate losses, while workers face increased layoffs and production pauses. Despite these setbacks, long-term forecasts from BloombergNEF and the IEA suggest continued, albeit slower, EV adoption through 2030.

In Q4 2025, U.S. clean energy investments were characterized by significant uncertainty driven by a record 43-day government shutdown, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), and Department of Energy (DOE) funding cuts. While utility-scale solar and storage remained strong, with $18 billion in actual investments, other sectors like wind, hydrogen, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) faced substantial project cancellations. Nuclear energy showed signs of growth through large-scale partnerships and DOE loans, while the manufacturing sector saw $8.4 billion in EV supply chain cancellations, partly due to shifting federal incentives and corporate pivots toward gas and hybrid vehicles.

Earthjustice reports that the EPA has proposed a rule to gut the 2015 and 2024 coal ash regulations, which would exempt hundreds of dumps from regulation and allow companies to delay or avoid cleaning up toxic contamination. The briefing details specific proposed rollbacks, such as removing safety standards for waste piles and permitting higher levels of heavy metals in contaminated water. Earthjustice intends to challenge these actions in court and urges members of Congress to oppose the proposal.

The report examines the growth of private equity (PE) in the autism therapy sector, highlighting a pattern of aggressive acquisitions and debt-driven management. It argues that PE-backed providers often prioritize profit over patient care by using standardized treatment plans, pressuring parents for more therapy hours, and engaging in fraudulent billing. State audits in Massachusetts, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Colorado reveal millions of dollars in improper Medicaid payments and inadequate staffing. The document concludes with policy recommendations, including facility-level licensure and rules to ensure a high percentage of Medicaid payments go directly to care worker compensation.