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The document outlines the difficulties small rural communities encounter when attempting to access federal disaster preparedness funding and mapping programs due to limited local government capacity. It highlights specific governance challenges in repairing critical infrastructure, using the Midland dam floods as an example, and discusses the need for workforce development and watershed management to build flood resilience.

The guide advises utility regulators to avoid postponing key climate and energy proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic by adopting virtual engagement tools and prioritizing high-impact projects. It emphasizes that maintaining momentum on emissions reductions and utility business model reforms is critical to limiting global warming to 1.5°C and stimulating economic recovery through the clean energy sector.

California's bottle bill, once successful with 85% recycling rates, has seen redemption rates fall to 66% due to the closure of recycling centers. This has resulted in consumers receiving only 2.65 cents of their 5-cent deposit on average, with $400 million in deposits failing to return to residents annually. A YouGov poll from March 2020 indicates 37% of Californians are unaware of the bill and 53% do not use redemption centers. The COVID-19 pandemic has further decreased onsite redemption. The document proposes reforming the system using "no-touch" reverse vending machines (RVMs) and bag-drop systems, and increasing the number of redemption sites. It suggests using part of the $400 million in the Beverage Container Recycling Fund for modernization. A system with a 90% redemption rate could provide $1.2 billion in annual refunds to residents, secure 8,000 existing jobs, and create 5,000 new ones. The briefing references a study by Eunomia Research & Consulting comparing California to best-in-class systems in Oregon, Michigan, Norway, and Germany.

The briefing highlights a crisis in California's bottle bill, where redemption rates have fallen to 66% due to the closure of over 1,200 recycling centers between 2013 and 2019. It proposes reforming the system by implementing 'no-touch' reverse vending machines (RVMs) and bag-drop systems, and expanding the scope to include wine and liquor containers. According to analysis by Eunomia Research & Consulting, moving to a 'best-in-class' (BiC) system with a 96% redemption rate would create 5,000 additional jobs, save 400,000 metric tons of GHG emissions annually, and significantly reduce plastic and aluminum litter in the environment and oceans.

The report argues that rate-regulated utilities use 'self-commitment' to bypass market merit order, running coal plants that are objectively uneconomic and passing the resulting losses to captive customers through state fuel-cost-recovery processes. Using PLEXOS modeling for the MISO region in 2018, the authors find that this practice cost customers $350 million and suppressed regional market clearing prices by 2.4%. The report identifies Cleco and DTE Energy as significant contributors to these distortions and recommends that state regulators disallow the recovery of imprudent, above-market costs to incentivize efficient dispatch.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project and other organizations demand that American Securities end the 'predatory behavior' of its portfolio company, GTL, by providing unlimited free phone, video, and email services to incarcerated individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors argue that GTL's high rates—sometimes as much as $16.50 for a 15-minute call—exploit vulnerable populations, disproportionately women of color, and exacerbate the health risks of isolation during the pandemic.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project and partner organizations demand that H.I.G. Capital address the 'predatory behavior' of its portfolio companies, Wellpath and TKC Holdings, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors argue that Wellpath's history of understaffing and denying care, alongside TKC Holdings' high costs for commissary and telecom services, exploits incarcerated people and their families. The letter calls for immediate actions, including the release of emergency response plans, free hygiene products, and unlimited free communication to mitigate the health and social impacts of the pandemic in correctional facilities.

The document details efforts to enhance coastal resilience in the Great Lakes region through nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration and climate-smart agriculture. It highlights the role of the Coastal Assembly in coordinating bi-national wetland restoration and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission's (GLIFWC) use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to assess species vulnerability. The briefing also emphasizes the importance of soil health in carbon sequestration and the need for federal policy modernization, including updates to the Stafford Act and expanded funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The report examines performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs) designed to motivate US utilities to implement strategic demand reduction (SDR)—a combination of energy efficiency and demand response that optimizes the electricity system. Analyzing seven state case studies, the authors find that while PIMs are effective, the potential for cost-effective load flexibility remains largely untapped. Most current PIMs focus on 'shape' (long-term demand adaptation) and 'shed' (peak demand reduction) services, with limited focus on 'shift' (moving demand between times of day) or 'shimmy' (real-time grid balancing). The report argues that durable, long-term incentives with periodic updates, supported by complementary policies like decoupling and time-varying rates, are most effective at aligning utility business models with public interest and decarbonization goals.

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.

The document asserts that low-income and minority communities disproportionately suffer from negative environmental impacts and that the transition to a decarbonized economy must embed environmental justice to ensure no one is left behind. It highlights the importance of centering the lived experiences of impacted residents, citing the Green Door Initiative's efforts to provide workforce training for brownfield cleanup in Detroit and the LA SAFE program's community-centered resilience work in coastal Louisiana.

A February 2020 survey of 1,934 registered voters across 26 U.S. primary states reveals strong support for government action on climate change and a preference for renewable energy over fossil fuels. A majority of respondents support the Green New Deal and specific policies such as a 100% national renewable portfolio standard by 2050. Climate change is a top-tier voting issue for Democrats in these states, and voters indicate they are more likely to support candidates who favor stronger pollution and fuel efficiency standards.

A survey of registered voters across five U.S. states reveals significant concern over extreme weather, trade wars, and water pollution as threats to agriculture. There is broad support for government programs that help farmers build "living soil" and protect soil health, with a majority of respondents indicating they would be more likely to support a political candidate proposing such measures.

The report argues that a negative feedback loop exists in the United States where restrictive voting laws and partisan gerrymandering insulate legislators from accountability, leading to the adoption of policies that exacerbate public health disparities. Using data from America's Health Rankings and the Cost of Voting Index, the author finds that states with greater partisan bias and higher barriers to voting are associated with lower life expectancy and more severe health declines between 2010 and 2017. Specifically, the report links extreme gerrymandering to higher increases in opioid deaths among African Americans in high-poverty states and higher infant mortality for non-Hispanic black communities. To break this cycle, the document recommends reforms to reduce the costs of eligibility (such as automatic voter registration), reduce the costs of casting a vote (such as early in-person voting), and protect the equal value of votes through independent redistricting commissions and public campaign financing.

The report examines the impact of electronic monitoring services provided by Attenti, a company acquired by Apax Partners in 2017. It argues that these technologies prolong the effects of incarceration by creating 'digital prisons' that hinder employment and social reintegration. The document highlights significant technical failures leading to civil liberty violations, the financial burden placed on low-income users through 'user-funded' schemes, and the lack of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of electronic monitoring in reducing recidivism. It also details Attenti's lobbying efforts in several US states to promote the adoption of its services despite these risks.

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.

The report argues that the Trump administration has systematically undermined science-based decision-making, which exacerbates existing environmental and health inequities for marginalized communities. It documents rollbacks in air and water pollution enforcement, the suppression of scientific data, and the dismantling of social safety nets and community participation programs. The document provides specific examples of these failures, such as the refusal to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos and the suppression of PFAS contamination data, while highlighting state and local victories where communities have successfully pushed back against these trends.

Members of Congress are questioning H.I.G. Capital, LLC about its ownership of prison support service providers, including Keefe Group, ICSolutions, and Wellpath. The letter argues that private equity investment in the correctional sector leads to market consolidation, exorbitant fees for incarcerated individuals and their families, and a decline in the quality of essential services such as healthcare, food, and telecommunications. The authors request specific disclosures on revenue, ownership stakes, and legal settlements to inform the 'Stop Wall Street Looting Act'.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of 'green jobs', highlighting that the U.S. energy efficiency sector employs over 3 million people and the global renewable energy sector employed 11 million people in 2018. It details specific employment figures for various technologies—such as solar, wind, and biofuels—and identifies China as the global leader in renewable energy employment. Additionally, it notes the emergence of climate adaptation and resilience jobs, though standardized data collection for these roles remains limited.

The document details various direct and indirect U.S. tax subsidies for coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as federal R&D funding and overseas financing. It highlights the contradiction between these subsidies and global climate targets, noting that global fossil fuel subsidies reached $5.2 trillion in 2017. The text also analyzes the 'externalities' of fossil fuels, including the social cost of carbon, public health crises, and environmental degradation, while reviewing legislative efforts in the 116th Congress to reform energy tax credits.