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New research from Climate Central indicates that climate change accounted for 27% of the rate of heat-related emergency room visits in the U.S. during the warm seasons from 2018 to 2025. The study found that all U.S. regions experienced increased visit rates due to climate change, with the highest rates occurring in southern and western states. A notable peak occurred during the June 2021 northwestern U.S. heat wave, where daily visit rates were approximately 50 times higher than the regional average, with 27% of that rate attributed to climate change.

Analysis of cooling degree days (CDD) shows that 97% of 241 major U.S. cities experienced increased cooling demand since 1970, with an average increase of 37%. This trend, combined with a 31% rise in residential electricity prices between 2020 and 2025, increases the financial burden on households, particularly low-income families. In 2020, the ten states with the highest cooling costs saw average household expenditures between $378 in Hawaii and $712 in Arizona. Future projections suggest U.S. household cooling demand will rise 43% by 2050. The report also highlights systemic risks, including electricity grid strain, increased carbon emissions from fossil-fuel-reliant cooling, and the urban heat island effect caused by waste heat from air conditioners.

Mighty Earth is campaigning to accelerate the decarbonization of the automobile industry, targeting Hyundai Motors Corporation. The organization highlights the need for fully fossil-free steel and green hydrogen investments, while criticizing the environmental and human rights risks associated with Hyundai's global steel supply chain, including a planned facility in Louisiana and suppliers linked to abuses in Mexico.

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 report details a 50-year campaign by the natural gas industry to brand its product as "clean energy" and a "bridge fuel." It argues that this was a strategic fraud designed to protect residential markets from electrification and later to facilitate a massive expansion of infrastructure. The document highlights the role of industry-funded research, specifically the Gas Research Institute (GRI), and a flawed 1996 joint study with the EPA that underestimated methane emissions to legitimize gas as a climate solution. It further describes how the industry used voluntary programs like Natural Gas STAR to fend off mandatory regulations and co-opted environmental organizations to lend credibility to its claims.

Japan has become a major global LNG trader, significantly increasing its resales of US-sourced LNG to Asian markets between 2021 and 2025. This trade pattern, supported by Japanese government initiatives and financing, contributes to substantial lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis shows that 16.5 billion kg of US LNG resold by Japan to Asia released 63.5 billion kg of CO2, with methane leaks and combustion being the primary drivers. The document argues that promoting LNG infrastructure in Asia risks locking in fossil fuel dependence and exacerbating climate-induced disasters in a region already vulnerable to extreme weather.

Earthjustice's Counter/Act report details its multifaceted legal and advocacy response to the second Trump administration's environmental policy rollbacks. The organization has scaled up litigation, launched a dedicated enforcement team to fill gaps in federal oversight, and shifted focus toward state-level protections for clean energy and public health. Key achievements include defending electric vehicle infrastructure, challenging the repeal of the endangerment finding, and securing state-level wins on landfill emissions in Colorado and environmental justice laws in New Jersey.

The testimony evaluates the Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act, the RECHARGE Act, and the Enrichment Licensing Modernization Act, arguing that while the intent to accelerate nuclear deployment is correct, some legislative approaches should be shifted to agency rulemaking to ensure transparency and regulatory flexibility.

The document argues that the EPA's 2026 proposed rule to weaken the Risk Management Program (RMP) is unlawful, arbitrary, and contrary to the Clean Air Act's mandate to prevent accidental chemical releases. The commenters contend that the proposal prioritizes industry cost savings and deregulatory executive orders over public health and safety, specifically threatening vulnerable populations and children. They call for the full implementation of the 2024 SCCAP Rule, the restoration of the RMP Public Data Tool, and the retention of critical safety requirements including safer technology analyses, third-party audits, and natural hazard planning.

The United States is well-positioned to lead the next-generation geothermal supply chain due to significant overlaps with the oil and gas industry, though gaps remain in superhot rock (SHR) compatible rigs and power conversion turbomachinery. While investment in the sector grew from $22 million in 2018 to $2.2 billion in 2025, the report warns that equipment supply chains could become a bottleneck for national-scale adoption. Developing a domestic supply chain could create over 100,000 jobs in wellfield and plant operations and catalyze manufacturing growth in regions like Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina. To secure this advantage, the report recommends expanding the 45X advanced manufacturing production tax credit to geothermal and improving data on equipment capacity and production costs.

The policy brief outlines seven critical functions that U.S. states perform to advance clean energy and climate goals, emphasizing that state-level action is resilient to federal political swings and provides scalable models for emissions reductions and economic development.

The Gulf Coast is a primary hub for U.S. hydrogen due to its concentration of petroleum refining and chemical production. With Texas and Louisiana leading in refining and ammonia capacities, the region is well-positioned to transition to clean hydrogen to meet domestic needs and international demand from markets like Japan, South Korea, and the European Union.

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 document outlines technical adjustments made to the ReEDS database for a study on data center threats in Louisiana. Key modifications include restricting wind power deployment in Louisiana until 2029 due to slow growth and interconnection delays, and updating retirement dates for several coal and gas plants in Louisiana and Arkansas to reflect current utility filings and legal settlements.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) warns that Louisiana's current regulatory trajectory could lead to up to $26 billion in electricity system costs and $3 billion in public health damages between 2026 and 2041 due to data center growth. The report highlights a systemic overreliance on fossil gas, which is projected to peak in 2038, and criticizes the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) for a lack of transparency and inadequate ratepayer protections, specifically citing the 'Lightning Amendment' and the Entergy/Meta project as examples of risky policy. UCS recommends reforming the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process, implementing standardized tariffs for data centers, and expanding wind, solar, and grid connectivity to reduce costs and emissions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that under current policies, Louisiana will meet increased electricity demand from data centers using gas-fired generation, leading to significant costs for ratepayers and environmental damage. Between 2026 and 2041, cumulative electricity system costs attributed to data center growth are projected to be between $14 billion and $26 billion. The analysis further estimates that electricity generation for data centers will result in $1.5 billion to $3.0 billion in public health costs and $35 billion to $87 billion in climate damages by 2041. The report urges the Louisiana Public Service Commission to reform resource planning, ensure technology companies pay for the costs of new demand, and diversify the energy mix with non-fossil resources.

The report details how the EU's strategy to diversify energy supplies has led to an increased reliance on US LNG, which is expected to reach up to 80% of European imports by 2030. This demand fuels infrastructure expansion in the US Gulf Coast and Permian Basin, resulting in ecosystem destruction, hazardous living conditions for residents, and significant methane emissions. The text highlights the role of Italian entities, including the bank Intesa Sanpaolo and energy companies like Eni and Edison, in financing and purchasing this gas, while noting legal disputes over delivery obligations and the environmental 'sacrifice zones' created by relentless extraction.

The author contends that the Trump administration's approval of BP's Kaskida project, an ultra-deepwater drilling venture in the Gulf, risks a disaster similar to Deepwater Horizon and exacerbates toxic air pollution in refinery hubs like Port Arthur, Texas. The text highlights that Kaskida could access 10 billion barrels of oil but carries a six-fold increase in incident risk compared to other deepwater projects, with a potential worst-case spill of 4.5 million barrels. The author criticizes the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for a limited 10-day public comment period and argues against new drilling given that the U.S. is already producing record levels of oil.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Trump administration has granted Clean Air Act exemptions to over one-third of 546 eligible industrial facilities, including coal plants and chemical manufacturers. This policy affects nearly 4.6 million people and over 4,300 schools and daycares, with a disproportionate impact on communities already facing high environmental and social stressors. The administration utilized a national emergency provision in March 2025 to allow a two-year exemption, which the EPA intends to make permanent.