Search Climate Insights Directory
41 results
Over 30 Organizations Issue Letter to US Senate Opposing Year-Round Ethanol 'E15' Proposal
An open letter from over 30 environmental organizations to the U.S. Senate opposes legislation that would allow gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol (E15) to be sold year-round, arguing it would increase costs for consumers and harm the climate.
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Document type: Statement
Tracking the Growth of Wind and Solar in Rural America
This briefing by RMI analyzes the economic impact of utility-scale wind and solar energy on rural American agricultural lands, noting that revenues from these sources are becoming comparable to major agricultural commodities in several states.
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Document type: Briefing
The myth of renewables pushing up power prices
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics challenges the claim that renewable energy increases electricity prices, arguing that real-world data from the US, EU, Australia, and India often show a correlation between high renewable uptake and below-average power prices.
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Document type: Briefing
FLEXIBLE, CLEAN INDUSTRY AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY POWER STRONG ECONOMIES
This case study proposes the development of an "energy park" in Pueblo, Colorado, as a clean, reliable replacement for the Comanche Unit 3 coal-fired power plant slated for retirement in 2031. The energy park model integrates renewable generation, short-duration batteries, flexible industrial loads (such as thermal batteries and electrolyzers), and long-duration energy storage to mimic the dispatch profile of a firm power resource while driving local economic development.
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Document type: Case study
For the first time, wind and solar produced more electricity than coal nationwide
In 2024, wind and solar combined to produce 17% of US electricity, surpassing coal for the first time nationwide. This shift is driven by market dynamics, cost-effective renewables, and state-level policies, with 24 states now generating more electricity from wind and solar than from coal.
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Document type: Report
During a Historic Hurricane Season, Microgrids Kept Communities Running
RMI describes the role of solar-plus-battery-storage microgrids in creating community resilience hubs, particularly during extreme weather events like hurricanes. Based on a cohort of leaders from various institutions, the guide outlines five key factors—facility suitability, electricity costs/net metering, energy efficiency, battery sizing strategies, and available funding—that can help non-taxable entities successfully implement microgrid projects in low-to-moderate income US communities.
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Document type: Guide
Community Benefits Snapshot: SOO Green Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits
The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile underground electricity transmission line connecting wind energy in MISO jurisdiction states to the PJM market, running from Mason City, Iowa to Yorkville, Illinois. The project is the first of its kind in the United States and is designed to be the longest underground HVDC line in the country, utilizing existing railroad rights of way to minimize community opposition and siting challenges.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Climate Crisis Domino Effect
This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law examines how climate-induced extreme weather is driving an insurance crisis in the United States, which in turn threatens housing affordability and financial stability. The authors argue that insurance companies are exacerbating the crisis by raising premiums to recoup losses while simultaneously reinvesting profits into fossil fuel companies.
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Document type: Research paper
Maximizing the Value of the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program for Utility Customers
This briefing by RMI explores how the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program, established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), can be used for "capital recycling" to accelerate the clean energy transition. The author argues that by using low-interest federal loans to displace costly utility equity and refinance "low-quality" rate base components (legacy fossil fuel costs), utilities can reduce ratepayer costs while maintaining sustainable shareholder earnings. The document provides a five-step implementation framework and applies it to case studies of utilities in Iowa and Missouri, while also detailing federal compliance requirements such as NEPA.
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Document type: Briefing
The Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program: Federal financing for an equitable, clean economy
This report by RMI analyzes the US Department of Energy's Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program, specifically how utilities can use its low-cost financing to refinance legacy fossil fuel asset costs and invest in clean energy. Through modeling of two utilities—Alliant in Iowa and Ameren in Missouri—the report demonstrates that EIR financing can significantly reduce costs for ratepayers compared to traditional utility financing or securitization.
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Document type: Report
Electric Vehicle (EV) And Battery Manufacturing in the Great Lakes Region
This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for the Great Lakes region to lead the electric vehicle (EV) and battery supply chain. While the region possesses historical automotive strengths and significant R&D capacity, it faces competition from the 'Battery Belt' in the Deep South and gaps in state-level industrial policies. The document outlines the four stages of the supply chain—upstream, midstream, downstream, and reuse/recycling—and provides a gap analysis of regional policies compared to federal initiatives, urging Great Lakes states to coordinate on strategic coordination, production incentives, and end-of-life regulations to maintain competitiveness.
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Document type: Briefing
By the Numbers: Low-Income Energy Assistance
This RMI fact sheet analyzes the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the United States, concluding that federal funding is insufficient to cover the energy costs of all eligible low-income families and that significant numbers of eligible households remain unserved due to barriers like lack of awareness and complex application procedures.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Green Bond Fact Sheet
The Interstate Power and Light Company issued a USD 500 million senior unsecured green bond on September 26, 2018, to fund the construction and development of wind and solar electric generating facilities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Stopping Trump’s Anti-Science USDA Nominee
Friends of the Earth led a campaign to oppose the nomination of Sam Clovis as Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, citing his lack of scientific background and climate denial. The effort, which included gathering over 70,000 signatures and coordinating with progressive organizations, contributed to pressure on the Senate. Clovis eventually withdrew his nomination following reports of his involvement in the Russia investigation.
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Document type: Case study
Organic Valley Goes 100% Renewable through Community Solar
This case study describes how the Organic Valley agricultural cooperative partnered with OneEnergy Renewables and the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group (UMMEG) to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2019. By utilizing a community solar model in the U.S. Midwest, the partnership developed 12 MW of solar for Organic Valley and an additional 17 MW for local communities, totaling approximately 29 MW of new installations.
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Document type: Case study
The U.S. Climate Alliance and Related Actions
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.
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Document type: Fact sheet
CLEAN ENERGY JOBS GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES
This World Resources Institute fact sheet provides data on employment growth within the United States clean energy economy, focusing on solar, wind, energy efficiency, and alternative fuel vehicle sectors as of early 2016 and 2017.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Building a Climate-Resilient City: Transportation infrastructure
This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development outlines strategies for building climate-resilient urban transportation infrastructure, with a particular focus on Alberta's cities. It emphasizes the need for robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness to mitigate the risks posed by rising temperatures and extreme weather events.
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Document type: Briefing
Addressing Water Quality through Nutrient Management
This fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines the impact of agricultural nutrient runoff—specifically nitrogen and phosphorus—on water quality in the United States, focusing on the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. It details the environmental consequences of eutrophication and hypoxia, the legal and regulatory landscape including the Clean Water Act's exemptions for irrigated agriculture, and the role of the USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in funding voluntary conservation efforts to reduce pollution.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Special Review of Atrazine: Proposed Decision for Consultation (REV2015-11)
A letter from the David Suzuki Foundation, Équiterre, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), and Environmental Defence to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) criticizing the lack of rigour and limited scope of the special review of atrazine (REV2015-11).
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Document type: Statement