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The report identifies a critical need for coordinated transmission planning to integrate projected offshore wind (OSW) generation, which could reach 200-460 GW by 2050. It argues that current incremental, project-by-project interconnection processes are inefficient and costly. Proactive planning is projected to save U.S. consumers at least $20 billion, reduce shore crossings and onshore upgrades by 60-70%, and decrease marine cable installations by 50%. The document outlines significant barriers, including siloed planning, lack of HVDC technology standardization, and uncertain tax credits. It provides a phased roadmap of 12 recommendations, ranging from immediate staffing increases and the creation of multi-state decision-making bodies to long-term grid operation and wholesale market design modifications.

The document argues that current US electricity market designs—including energy-only, capacity, and hybrid models—fail to support the rapid deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE) because they lack a functional 'energy markets cascade' that connects long-term investment to real-time pricing. To resolve this, the author proposes Organized Long-Term Markets (OLTMs), which would standardize long-term energy delivery contracts, increase liquidity and transparency, and allow for the optimization of diversified resource portfolios. The paper details the design of OLTMs, including the roles of producers, consumers, and facilitators, and applies the concept to the specific challenges faced by ERCOT, CAISO, and ISO New England.

The report evaluates the climate action plans and policies of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire using the UCS Resilience Gap Framework. It identifies a regional trend where mitigation and adaptation efforts remain siloed and equity goals are often articulated in policy but poorly implemented. Maine and Vermont are highlighted as regional leaders in alignment with the framework, while New Hampshire is noted for having an outdated plan and a lack of state leadership. The assessment reveals a widespread failure across all six states to account for maladaptation in their planning.

The Trump administration is accused of rolling back protections for ocean sanctuaries, including the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, to benefit corporate interests like StarKist Tuna. The author asserts that these sanctuaries are essential for climate resiliency, mitigating risks such as rising sea levels, and allowing fish populations to rebuild, which ultimately supports the seafood industry and vulnerable coastal communities.

The report finds that Rhode Island can feasibly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70-80% by 2030, 2040, or 2050 by focusing on electrifying transportation and heating, improving energy efficiency, and transitioning the electricity grid to renewables. A critical finding is that updated science on methane leakage from natural gas infrastructure reveals that 2017 emissions were approximately 45% higher than previously estimated in 2016. While the 2050 pathway is relatively low-cost, the 2030 pathway requires a significant spending spike, resembling a 'Green New Deal' approach. The study emphasizes that reaching net-zero requires the complete phase-out of natural gas and further research into industrial decarbonization and carbon sequestration.

The Clean Air Task Force supports the USE IT Act as a critical tool for developing a diversified portfolio of low-carbon technologies. The testimony emphasizes that meeting global temperature targets requires not only emission reductions but also negative emissions, which can be achieved through carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and direct air capture (DAC). The author argues that the USE IT Act will catalyze innovation through prize competitions and facilitate the expansion of the US CO2 pipeline network, which currently stands at 4,500 miles but may need to reach 66,000 miles to support large-scale deployment.

Climate Central's analysis of 244 U.S. cities reveals that 93% have seen an increase in cooling degree days and 87% have experienced more warm nights since 1970. The report highlights the role of urban heat islands and the increasing reliance on air conditioning, which costs Americans over $27 billion annually for home cooling as of 2015. While energy efficiency standards may reduce cooling electricity consumption by nearly 20% by 2040, the report warns that fossil-fuel-powered cooling and improper appliance disposal exacerbate climate change.

The document examines the challenges RTOs face as the U.S. grid shifts from large central generators to variable renewables and distributed energy resources (DERs). It argues that 'flexibility'—the ability to respond to changes in supply and demand across various timeframes—is essential for reliability and cost minimization. The authors recommend eliminating self-scheduling for all generators and imports, preserving negative pricing, and improving the coordination between natural gas and electricity markets. It also suggests creating technology-neutral products that value specific capabilities, such as ramping and frequency response, and highlights successful examples like MISO's Dispatchable Intermittent Resource category and CAISO's Flexi-Ramp product.

The document provides scientific justification for the permanent protection of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (NECSMNM). It highlights the area's extreme habitat diversity, its role as a biodiversity hotspot for deep-sea corals, marine mammals, and mesopelagic fish, and its importance as a carbon sequestration site. The authors argue that the current boundaries are the smallest area necessary to protect these 'objects of scientific interest' and serve as a critical reference site for studying climate change and human impacts in the Atlantic.

The report examines the potential for electric vehicles to act as flexible loads to balance electricity supply and demand, particularly to mitigate the 'duck curve' caused by high solar penetration. It analyzes technical barriers, utility roles, and rate designs, concluding that managed charging can reduce system costs and emissions if aligned with clean energy availability.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports Massachusetts' proposed technology-neutral Clean Energy Standard, which includes nuclear power and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to help achieve an 80% reduction in grid carbon emissions by 2050. However, CATF argues that the proposed power plant emissions caps are not deep enough and fail to account for the 'maximum technologically feasible reductions' required by law. Additionally, the document criticizes the state's methane reduction proposals for being too narrow, focusing only on certain leaky distribution pipelines for three years while ignoring larger transmission and storage facilities.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that Massachusetts is over-reliant on natural gas, which exposes consumers to price volatility and hinders climate goals. The report proposes a policy mix including increased hydropower, land-based wind, and 2,000 MW of offshore wind to reduce natural gas's share of New England's electricity generation from a projected 52% to 42% by 2030, while keeping cost increases for residential consumers to approximately $3.00 per month.

The document highlights that energy efficiency upgrades, particularly attic insulation, can provide a high return on investment in terms of home resale value. It references the Remodeling magazine Cost vs. Value Report to show that attic insulation was the only project with a greater-than-100-percent cost vs. value ratio nationally, yielding a 166 percent return. Beyond resale value, the briefing identifies operational cost savings, improved thermal comfort, and health benefits—such as an 85 percent drop in hospital admissions for children with asthma following comprehensive retrofits—as key drivers for homeowners. Other value-adding upgrades mentioned include solar PV systems, high-efficiency HVAC systems, envelope improvements, and advanced water heating technologies.

The report examines the transition of the U.S. power sector from coal to natural gas, highlighting that while this shift provides immediate reductions in some pollutants, it creates long-term risks including price volatility, methane leakage, and stranded assets. Through modeling three scenarios—Business as Usual, a Carbon Standard, and a Carbon Standard plus Renewables and Efficiency Policies—the authors find that a diversified energy mix is the most economically and environmentally sound approach. The 'Carbon Standard plus Renewables and Efficiency Policies' scenario is projected to reduce power plant carbon emissions by 70% below 2005 levels by 2040 and generate net societal benefits of nearly $170 billion by that year. The report recommends strengthening the EPA's Clean Power Plan, implementing federal renewable electricity and energy efficiency standards, and increasing regulations on fugitive methane emissions.

The document argues that Dr. Charles R. Frank Jr.'s analysis of electricity technology costs is based on outdated and methodologically flawed assumptions. Amory Lovins asserts that updating nine key variables—including capital costs and capacity factors for solar and wind power—would reverse Frank's conclusions. Lovins specifically critiques the use of national average costs, which he claims are inflated by atypical projects and do not reflect modern competitive practice.

The report argues that replacing coal with natural gas is insufficient to meet U.S. climate goals due to continued CO2 emissions and methane leakage. It highlights risks including water contamination from fracking, price volatility, and the potential to crowd out renewables. The authors advocate for a transition to a system where renewables and efficiency provide 80% of electricity by 2050.

The report identifies heating oil as a significant economic and environmental drain on the Northeast U.S., costing the region over $14 billion annually. It compares natural gas and heat pumps as alternatives, concluding that heat pumps offer superior long-term economic savings and emissions reductions, particularly when paired with a renewable grid. The author identifies high upfront costs, lack of technical knowledge, and retrofit difficulties as primary barriers and suggests incentives, third-party financing, and leasing as solutions to scale the market.

Earthjustice is litigating against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and fishery management councils to enforce the Magnuson-Stevens Act and prevent the regional eradication of river herring and shad caused by industrial overfishing.

The review concludes that the Manomet study likely underestimates the net carbon emissions of biomass energy due to overly optimistic assumptions regarding forest regrowth, soil carbon, and fuel sourcing. While the Manomet study suggests utility-scale biomass emissions are higher than coal and natural gas, the review argues that the perceived benefits for small-scale thermal and CHP plants are likely illusory. Key criticisms include the model's reliance on harvesting large trees to maximize regrowth, the omission of soil carbon losses, and the failure to account for indirect land-use effects such as firewood leakage.

In 2008, Connecticut imported all the coal used by its power plants, spending $130 million on these imports, a significant portion of which came from Indonesia. While coal accounts for only 14.4% of the state's electricity mix, the state spent $37 per person on imported coal in 2007, exceeding the $27 per person spent on electricity efficiency programs. To reduce this dependence, Connecticut has implemented energy efficiency resource standards and renewable electricity standards, requiring utilities to source at least 23% of in-state power demand from renewables by 2020. The document notes that land-based renewables could technically meet 37% of the state's 2008 electricity needs, and offshore wind resources in New England could potentially supply over 24 times the region's power requirements.