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34 results
Residential Clean Technologies Still Make Sense — Even Without Tax Credits
An RMI analysis evaluates the viability of residential clean technologies—electric vehicles (EVs), air-source heat pumps (ASHPs), and rooftop solar—in the US following the expiration of federal tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. The report finds that these technologies still provide significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and household cost savings, though the most effective technology varies by region and household archetype.
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Document type: Report
Drilling Down on Methane Loss
A report by RMI analyzing oil and gas data in Texas finds that methane waste is significantly underreported, particularly through venting from low-production oil wells. The study estimates that actual gas waste for a 12-month period ending November 2024 could be up to 4.5 times higher than the 120 billion cubic feet (Bcf) self-reported by operators, resulting in an estimated 7.6 million metric tons of methane emissions.
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Document type: Report
How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable
This guide by RMI outlines how state regulators in the United States can implement recently passed legislation to deploy advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), such as grid enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors, to lower electricity costs and improve grid reliability.
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Document type: Guide
Why No State Stands Alone: The Shared Power of Regional Transmission
This briefing by RMI explains the critical role of regional transmission in the western grid, describing it as an interconnected system where states act as both importers and exporters of electricity to maintain reliability and affordability.
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Document type: Briefing
Reality Check: We Have What’s Needed to Reliably Power the Data Center Boom, and It’s Not Coal Plants
This RMI briefing argues that aging coal-fired power plants are an unreliable and inflexible solution for meeting the rising electricity demand driven by the data center boom in the United States. The document asserts that clean, scalable resources such as battery storage and demand flexibility are better suited to the real-time operational needs of data centers and can meet over 95 percent of future demand.
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Document type: Briefing
ASSESSING IMPACTS OF THE 2025 RECONCILIATION BILL ON U.S. ENERGY COSTS, JOBS, HEALTH, AND EMISSIONS
This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the potential economic, environmental, and health impacts of the U.S. House of Representatives' 2025 budget Reconciliation legislation. The analysis compares a 'Current Policies' scenario against an 'EI Reconciliation May 2025' scenario, finding that the proposed repeals and modifications of clean energy tax credits and funding would increase household energy costs, lead to significant job losses, reduce electricity capacity, and increase greenhouse gas emissions and premature deaths.
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Document type: Report
Energy Reinvestments in the Intermountain West Can Save Ratepayers Hundreds of Millions
RMI analysis suggests that replacing coal-fired units at Montana's Colstrip Generating Station with a portfolio of solar, wind, and battery storage could save ratepayers $500 million to $1.17 billion over 30 years. The case study urges Northwestern Energy and the Montana Public Service Commission to utilize Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) financing and integrated resource planning to transition to affordable, carbon-free energy.
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Document type: Case study
Community Benefits Snapshot: North Plains Connector Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits
The North Plains Connector (NPC) is a proposed 420-mile, 525 kilovolt high-voltage direct current transmission line designed to connect the western and eastern electricity grids between eastern Montana and central North Dakota. Developed by North Plains Connector LLC (a subsidiary of Grid United), the project aims to add 3,000 megawatts of bi-directional transfer capacity to improve reliability and economic benefits across the US. The project is distinguished by a "landowner-first" engagement strategy, avoiding eminent domain and modifying its route by adding 50 miles to accommodate local preferences, thereby reducing community opposition.
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Document type: Case study
Electrify Your Community
The "Electrify Your Community" guide by RMI provides a five-step framework for local governments and community-based organizations to implement residential heat pump deployment programs. The guide focuses on scaling air-source and ground-source heat pumps and heat pump water heaters to reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions, leveraging federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
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Document type: Guide
States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity
RMI reports that expanding regional electricity transmission in the Western US is a 'win-win' economic opportunity. It finds that energy export states (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming) could increase their market access from $3 billion to $40 billion per year by 2050 with better transmission, while states with clean energy standards could reduce costs by over 30% through expansive regional planning.
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Document type: Report
The Economic Tides Just Turned for States
RMI's analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) quantifies the potential economic and health benefits for US states, highlighting that ambitious adoption of clean energy technologies could secure significant investment, create thousands of jobs, and improve public health outcomes by 2030.
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Document type: Report
A Severe Winter Means High Energy Bills
This briefing by RMI outlines the energy affordability crisis in the US, driven by high fossil fuel prices and rising electricity rates, and provides a toolkit of short-term and long-term regulatory solutions for state public utility commissions to reduce the energy burden on vulnerable households.
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Document type: Briefing
Small Changes Could Yield Big Savings for Georgia Electricity Customers
This policy brief by RMI outlines how the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) can reduce the high energy burden on Georgia electricity customers through specific regulatory reforms. It argues that while Georgia has low electricity rates, it has some of the highest bills in the contiguous US, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority households. The document proposes four primary levers for the PSC: implementing securitization, reforming the Return on Equity (ROE) for Georgia Power, establishing fuel-cost sharing mechanisms, and updating system planning to align with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
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Document type: Policy brief
How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future
This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.
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Document type: Policy brief
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analyzes the adoption of electric school buses (ESBs) in the United States as of March 31, 2022. It tracks 'committed' buses—those awarded funding, ordered, delivered, or in operation—highlighting a significant increase in commitments driven by large-scale contracts and specific funding sources like the Volkswagen Settlement. The report also examines the distribution of these buses across different demographics and pollution levels to assess the equity of the transition.
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Document type: Report
COAL COST CROSSOVER 2.0
The report 'COAL COST CROSSOVER 2.0' analyzes the economic viability of the United States coal fleet compared to new wind and solar energy. It finds that a vast majority of existing coal capacity is now more expensive to operate than building new nearby renewable projects, a trend that is accelerating faster than previous forecasts.
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Document type: Report
Securitization in Action: How US States Are Shaping an Equitable Coal Transition
This briefing by RMI examines how several US states are using securitization—a financing tool that replaces high-cost utility capital with low-interest ratepayer-backed bonds—to facilitate the equitable retirement of coal-fired power plants. The document details how this mechanism can lower electricity rates for consumers, enable utility investment in clean energy, and provide funding for displaced workers and affected communities.
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Document type: Briefing
How Coal Country Can Adapt to the Energy Transition
This issue brief by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines the economic and workforce challenges facing coal-dependent communities in the United States as they transition to a clean energy economy. It analyzes the drivers of coal's decline, evaluates proposed federal strategies for a 'just transition,' and highlights regional opportunities for economic diversification in sectors such as renewable energy, environmental remediation, broadband deployment, and entrepreneurship.
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Document type: Briefing
Taking a Regional Approach to Electric Vehicle Readiness
This report by RMI analyzes the regional readiness of 60 prominent US cities for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, focusing on infrastructure beyond city centers to address 'range anxiety'. The analysis evaluates metropolitan area readiness, day-trip destination readiness, and airport readiness, highlighting that while some cities and regions (particularly in California) are well-prepared, significant gaps in DC fast-charger coverage persist along major highways in several states.
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Document type: Report
COMPARING 2019 SECURITIZATION LEGISLATION IN COLORADO, MONTANA, AND NEW MEXICO
This briefing by Energy Innovation compares 2019 securitization legislation passed in Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico. These laws allow utilities to issue ratepayer-backed bonds to refinance investments in early-retired electric generation plants, primarily coal, to reduce consumer costs by replacing high-cost corporate finance with low-cost debt.
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Document type: Briefing