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The briefing assesses the critical role of the Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) in U.S. national security, highlighting its success in developing medical countermeasures for threats like Ebola and swine flu. Despite these capabilities, the authors report a decade-long decline in CBDP funding, which continued during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document recommends doubling the budget to $2 billion in the short term and increasing it to $6.5–$7 billion annually in subsequent years. It advocates for a shift toward 'rapid response platforms,' including nucleic-acid based therapeutics and metagenomic sequencing, while calling for clarified mission authorities to allow CBDP to respond to natural pandemics.

Climate Central's analysis indicates that a significant number of sites along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway are currently or will become exposed to coastal flood risk by 2100. Under a high-emissions scenario (RCP 8.5), 16 locations will face at least occasional flood risk by 2050, increasing to 25 by the end of the century. Specific historic sites, including the Tubman Visitor Center and Malone's Church, are projected to experience chronic flood risk—defined as at least one event per year—by 2050 or 2060. The report also highlights risks to infrastructure, such as Taylors Island Road, and ecological threats to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where sea level rise may outpace sediment accumulation and drown habitats.

The document examines how autonomous vehicles (AVs) could either reduce or increase greenhouse gas emissions depending on whether they are deployed as shared, electric mass transit or as private, single-occupancy vehicles. While AVs offer potential efficiency gains through 'platooning' and reduced vehicle weight, they risk increasing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and urban sprawl. The brief highlights the necessity of integrating AVs into multimodal urban systems and reviews current testing and regulatory efforts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

The fact sheet explains the structure of revolving loan funds (RLFs) as self-replenishing financing tools that lower financial barriers for environmental improvements. It highlights the Maryland Shore Erosion Control (SEC) RLF, which shifted from 'hard armor' to 'living shoreline' projects, and a feasibility study for a similar RLF in Puget Sound, Washington, aimed at armor removal and structure relocation to combat sea level rise and erosion.

The document describes revolving loan funds (RLFs) as self-replenishing financing mechanisms that provide low-interest loans to help property owners and municipalities fund environmental improvements. It highlights the Maryland Shore Erosion Control Revolving Loan Fund, which has provided approximately 700 loans over 52 years to support 'living shoreline' projects. It also discusses a feasibility study for a proposed RLF in Puget Sound, Washington, aimed at funding armor removal, soft shore protection, structure relocation, and structure elevation to combat sea level rise and coastal flooding.

The report analyzes rural transportation in four Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, finding that while rural households face barriers like lower incomes and limited charging infrastructure, they stand to gain the most financially from electric vehicle (EV) adoption due to higher mileage and less efficient existing fleets. It proposes a comprehensive strategy including EV incentives, expanded public transit, active transportation planning, and broadband expansion to reduce the need for travel.

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.

RMI proposes a green stimulus strategy for the United States focused on four pillars: a national building retrofit program, the electrification and diversification of mobility, debt forgiveness linked to emissions reductions, and the creation of a federal Economic Recovery Facility to finance clean projects.

The Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance (NJEJA) argue that New Jersey waste incinerators are ineligible for Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) subsidies because they have consistently violated Clean Air Act permits. The authors claim that ratepayers have paid approximately $30 million in subsidies to these facilities between 2005 and 2019, despite legal requirements that eligible 'Class II renewable energy' sources must meet the 'highest environmental standards'. The document highlights that these incinerators are located in environmental justice communities and that the BPU and DEP have failed to provide the same level of oversight for in-state facilities as they do for out-of-state ones.

The document outlines the technical approaches used to estimate children's exposure to chlorpyrifos and PFAS, the process for tracking children's product recalls, and the use of EPA Regulatory Impact Analyses to quantify the health benefits lost when air pollution standards were weakened or repealed.

A coalition of national environmental organizations is calling on the Governor of New York to sign Senate bill S5343, which would phase in a ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos over two years. The organizations cite evidence that the chemical harms children's brain development and jeopardizes 1,200 endangered species, noting that the Trump administration blocked a federal ban despite EPA findings that children are exposed to the chemical on food at levels 140 times higher than safe limits.

The document is a transcript of a congressional briefing on West Coast coastal resilience. Experts from the USGS, California coastal agencies, and the Puget Sound region discuss the physical drivers of sea level rise, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and various adaptation strategies. Key discussions include the 'coastal squeeze' effect on beaches, the use of nature-based 'soft shore' stabilization in Washington, and the implementation of regional planning and environmental justice policies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that energy storage can provide direct public health, economic, and resilience benefits to underserved communities if policymakers intentionally design targets, incentives, and utility planning processes to prioritize equity. The brief highlights the potential for storage to replace polluting 'peaker' plants, reduce demand charges for low-income residents, and maintain critical services during disasters, while warning that these outcomes require explicit policy mandates and stakeholder engagement.

The report argues that HIG Capital's consolidation of the correctional food and commissary markets through TKC Holdings (comprising Trinity Services Group and Keefe Group) incentivizes the provision of low-quality cafeteria food to drive incarcerated individuals toward expensive commissary purchases. It documents instances of food contamination, riots, and contract terminations in states like Michigan, as well as allegations of bribery and extensive political lobbying. The document also highlights the public health risks of poor nutrition and foodborne illness in correctional facilities, suggesting that improving diets could reduce taxpayer healthcare costs.

A coalition of organizations urges the Governor of New York to sign Senate bill S5343, which would ban the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos. The document argues that the chemical poses severe risks to pregnant women and children, including cognitive development issues and reduced IQ, and notes that the federal EPA has failed to enact a ban despite its own scientific findings. It highlights that other states like Hawaii and California have taken action and that safer alternatives for crops are available.

The report finds that 91% of analyzed coal plants have unsafe levels of coal ash constituents in their groundwater. It highlights systemic failures in the 2015 Coal Ash Rule, such as the exemption of older dumps and inadequate monitoring of 'upgradient' wells. The analysis identifies the ten most contaminated sites in the U.S., noting that many impact low-income communities and communities of color. The authors argue that current regulations are insufficient and recommend regulating all ash dumps, requiring 'high and dry' storage, and increasing transparency and drinking water testing.

The analysis finds that Latino, Asian American, and African American residents in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are exposed to significantly higher levels of vehicle-related PM2.5 pollution than white residents. The report highlights that white residents comprise 85% of those in the lowest pollution areas, while people of color are overrepresented in the most polluted census tracts, often located near major highways in urban centers. The document argues for targeted investments in clean transportation, such as electric vehicles and buses, to reduce these environmental inequities.

The report details how Securus Technologies, under the ownership of Platinum Equity, extracts high fees from incarcerated individuals and their families for phone calls, money transfers, and e-messaging. It highlights the disproportionate impact on women of color and low-income communities, noting that one in three families go into debt to cover these costs. The document also outlines regulatory risks, including FCC fines and legislative efforts to make prison calls free, as well as severe privacy breaches involving the recording of attorney-client privileged calls and the use of biometric voice prints.

The document details the costs and benefits of transitioning to clean transportation in Maryland, projecting a cumulative net benefit of nearly $40 billion by 2050 through fuel efficiency, electrification, and low-carbon fuels.

The report analyzes the potential impacts of automated vehicles (AVs) on the Washington, DC, metro area, arguing that the best outcomes for equity and environment occur when AVs are electric, pooled, and integrated with robust mass transit. Without such policies, AVs could increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by up to 66%, exacerbate congestion in low-income neighborhoods, and undermine public transit.