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In 2022, Starwood Energy Group (now Lotus Infrastructure) accelerated the retirement of the Logan (225 MW) and Chambers (285 MW) coal plants by 30 months, moving the date from 2024 to 2022. This was achieved through a three-part strategy: renegotiating Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Atlantic City Electric (ACE), refinancing project debt with a $200 million loan from MetLife, and planning the redevelopment of the sites into grid-scale battery storage. The transaction resulted in an estimated reduction of 3.9 million tons of CO2 and saved ACE customers approximately $30 million.

Governors from four states request close coordination with PJM Interconnection to implement FERC Order No. 1920, aiming to align regional transmission planning with state public policy goals, support low-and-zero emission energy resources, and utilize federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

The Ironbound community in Newark, New Jersey, is a vibrant immigrant neighborhood facing significant economic distress, characterized by low median household incomes, high housing cost burdens, and a job market dominated by low-paying service and logistics roles. While employment and average wages have grown since 2015, the community suffers from a mismatch where high-paying jobs are largely filled by non-resident commuters, and residents often work in low-barrier 'Tier 3' occupations that do not provide a living wage. The area also faces environmental burdens from chemical contamination and diesel truck traffic, compounding the social and economic isolation of its residents.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds that climate-driven sea level rise will expose over 1,600 critical infrastructure assets in the US to disruptive flooding at least twice per year by 2050. Public and affordable housing are the most vulnerable assets, with a disproportionate burden falling on disadvantaged communities. By 2100, the scale of risk depends heavily on global emissions, with the high scenario potentially affecting 15,081 assets. The report recommends science-informed planning, scaled-up funding, and a focus on reducing historical inequities to build coastal resilience.

The report argues that decentralized election administration in the US has created a patchwork of transparency policies that can undermine democratic legitimacy and disproportionately affect marginalized communities. It provides specific recommendations for improving the accessibility and accuracy of voter files, the transparency of ballot processing and tracking, and the implementation of robust ballot curing and risk-limiting audit procedures.

Climate Central analyzed annual coastal flood risks for 23 U.S. cities using Risk Finder and the Coastal Risk Screening Tool. The analysis highlights the impact of human-caused sea level rise, noting it contributed 13% of Hurricane Sandy's damages in the Northeast. For specific cities, the report identifies annual likelihoods of flooding at various levels above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW), such as a 20% likelihood for Norfolk at MHHW +4 feet. The document also notes that atmospheric warming is increasing the proportion of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes globally and may lead to more frequent back-to-back storms and rapid intensification.

An analysis of 476 weather stations from 1973 to 2023 shows that fire weather seasons are lengthening and intensifying across the contiguous United States, with the most significant increases occurring in the West. While the East has seen more modest increases, both regions are experiencing a notable rise in fire weather days during the spring. The Southwest has seen the most dramatic growth, with some areas experiencing fire weather twice as often as they did 50 years ago.

The petrochemical industry is a growing driver of global oil demand and greenhouse gas emissions, with nitrogen fertilisers and plastics as primary contributors. Rapid capacity expansion, particularly in China, is projected to increase emissions beyond 1.5°C warming limits. While technical solutions and recycling are proposed, the low cost of virgin plastics and the limitations of 'downcycling' hinder progress, suggesting that policy should prioritise reuse and the reduction of single-use materials over simple substitution or recycling.

The document analyzes the emergence of 'equity PIMs'—regulatory tools that provide financial rewards or penalties to utilities based on their performance regarding equity metrics. It identifies seven US jurisdictions using these tools to address energy poverty and the inequitable distribution of clean energy benefits. The report distinguishes between program-based and outcome-based PIMs, discusses the role of reporting metrics and scorecards as precursors to financial incentives, and argues that PIMs must be part of a broader regulatory strategy including cost-control reforms and low-income assistance to be effective.

The document argues that climate change is a critical electoral issue in the 2024 US elections and urges journalists to move beyond 'red-blue' political binaries to report on the scientific consensus and local impacts. It provides specific questioning frameworks for candidates, methods for debunking common climate myths, and suggestions for localizing climate stories across sectors like infrastructure, housing, and energy. The guide emphasizes that reporting on the climate crisis is a matter of professional journalism rather than activism, citing the role of the press in holding power accountable during historical crises.

The document advises journalists to treat climate change as a factual urgency rather than a partisan debate, urging them to proactively question candidates on specific plans for emissions reduction and infrastructure resilience. It highlights a disconnect between political discourse and public sentiment, noting that 62% of registered US voters prefer candidates who support climate action. The guide also provides a framework for debunking common climate myths and suggests local reporting angles such as the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, green job programs, and climate-driven insurance rate increases.

The document provides a detailed update on the climate trajectories of China and the U.S., highlighting China's rapid expansion of non-fossil energy capacity and the U.S.'s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It details specific national policies, such as China's '1+N' system and the U.S.'s EPA rules on power plants and vehicles, while analyzing the diplomatic dynamics following the Sunnylands Statement and the transition of key climate envoys.

The report analyzes the federal permitting process for high-capacity electric transmission lines in the U.S., identifying systemic delays caused by poor interagency coordination, capacity shortages, and regulatory misalignment between federal and state authorities. Based on a dataset of 37 projects and case studies, it argues that while litigation is often cited as a primary barrier, it is rarely the sole cause of project failure. The authors recommend that the President prioritize transmission as a national priority, that Congress consolidate siting authority for multi-state projects, and that agencies adopt more agile, transparent, and collaborative environmental review processes, including expanded use of programmatic EISs and categorical exclusions.

The analysis reveals that over 80% of existing polluting electricity generating units and nearly 70% of substations in Massachusetts are located in or near environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods. It warns that current trends in proposed infrastructure, including a new fossil-fuel peaker plant and several substations, continue to overburden these communities. The authors recommend integrating cumulative impact assessments, expanding the Energy Facilities Siting Board to include EJ and Indigenous representation, and prioritizing public health and climate targets in siting decisions.

The author argues that food waste is a critical but often overlooked component of climate action plans, noting that food waste in the US generates 170 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The document highlights the EPA's $4.6 billion CPRG program as a key funding opportunity for governments to implement scalable waste reduction projects, citing California's Senate Bill 1383 as a model for curbing organic waste in landfills.

The U.S. clean energy sector saw record growth in 2023, particularly in solar installations and EV sales, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. However, the transition faces significant headwinds from rising interest rates, supply chain shortages for transformers, and a lagging transmission system. To meet 2035 carbon-free electricity goals, annual renewable installation rates must nearly double, and transmission capacity may need to double or triple.

The report details how the plastics industry promoted recycling as a false solution to plastic waste despite knowing it was technically and economically unviable. It outlines a history of industry tactics, from promoting disposability in the 1950s to the current promotion of 'advanced recycling' as a means to avoid bans and maintain virgin plastic production.

The document compiles historical evidence from the plastics industry showing a disconnect between public claims about recycling and internal assessments. Industry documents from the 1970s through the 1990s reveal that the industry viewed material recycling as economically marginal or impractical, often preferring waste-to-energy incineration. Despite this, the industry funded public relations campaigns and supported coding systems (like the SPI resin identification codes) that suggested recyclability to consumers, even when the industry knew that markets for recycled plastics were unstable or non-existent for most resin types.

The report analyzes how the energy and transportation sectors drive air pollution in the U.S., noting that while the Clean Air Act has significantly reduced overall emissions since 1970, severe exposure disparities persist. It highlights that people of color and low-income populations are more likely to live in areas exceeding health standards, often near 'pollution hot spots' that current monitoring networks may miss. Through case studies in California, New Jersey, and Indiana, the document illustrates the specific health burdens—including asthma and cancer—borne by marginalized communities living near ports, incinerators, and coal plants.

The report details how climate change threatens the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) through sea level rise, intense storms, and extreme heat. It provides specific projections for sea level rise in New Jersey and New York City, notes the increasing frequency of 'nuisance flooding' at The Battery, and highlights the vulnerability of critical assets like LaGuardia Airport's Runway 13/31. The document quantifies historical damages, such as the billions lost during Superstorm Sandy, and lists a comprehensive set of potential adaptation costs, including flood-proofing buildings, elevating infrastructure, and mitigating heat-induced rail and road degradation.