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The fact sheet highlights the need for consistent energy efficiency data across the U.S. to support decision-makers in grid planning, finance, and regulatory compliance. It maps various drivers for harmonization—ranging from integrated resource planning to the Clean Air Act—and identifies existing initiatives like the Regional Energy Efficiency Database (REED) and the Uniform Methods Project that aim to standardize definitions and reporting formats.

A September 2012 survey indicates that 74% of Americans believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather, with a majority attributing the severity of recent extreme events—such as the 2012 summer heat and Midwest drought—to climate change. Public perception of worsening weather and local heat waves has increased since March 2012, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, with 20% of respondents reporting health, property, or financial harm from heat waves in the past year.

The report finds that a growing majority of Americans (74%) believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather, with many attributing recent extreme heat, drought, and record temperatures to climate change. It details regional variations in perceptions, noting that Midwesterners were particularly sensitive to drought and crop harm in 2012, while Westerners reported higher rates of forest fires. The data shows an increase in the number of Americans reporting personal harm to health, property, or finances from extreme heat and drought.

A 2012 survey of 1,008 American adults found that 82% personally experienced an extreme weather event in the previous year, and a majority believe U.S. weather is worsening. While many link high-profile disasters to global warming, only about a third of respondents have both an emergency plan and a supply kit. The report also highlights a public interest in hearing weathercasters discuss global warming, despite infrequent occurrences of such discussions in forecasts.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) urges Congress to implement a multi-pollutant policy to address the public health and environmental crises caused by power plant emissions. CATF proposes capping sulfur dioxide at 2 million tons per year and nitrogen oxides at 1.6 million tons per year, while requiring a 95% reduction in mercury emissions. The document highlights that current regulations are insufficient to prevent 30,000 annual premature deaths or allow ecosystem recovery from acid rain. It further argues that these pollution controls are necessary prerequisites for the effective operation of carbon capture technologies and should be linked to any free carbon allowances provided under climate legislation like the Waxman-Markey bill.

The Union of Concerned Scientists asserts that the United States requires federal legislation to overcome barriers in the planning and siting of transmission lines, which currently hinder the deployment of renewable energy. The document advocates for 'Green Energy Superhighways' to connect remote renewable resource areas to population centers, while emphasizing that federal authority should act as a backstop when states cannot agree on facilities of national interest. It warns that without a federal cap-and-trade system, transmission expansion in the Northeastern United States could inadvertently increase carbon emissions by allowing coal-based power to flow from non-RGGI states to those with emission caps.

The document asserts that the United States must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050 to avoid severe climate impacts. It argues that the cost of action is small relative to the global and national economy, while the cost of inaction is significantly higher, citing potential losses of over 3.6% of U.S. GDP annually by 2100. The text advocates for a policy mix of market-based cap-and-trade systems and sector-specific incentives, warning that 'safety valves' or price caps would undermine investment in new energy technologies.

The report argues that RGGI's design, which caps emissions only for power plants within participating states, creates a price advantage for imported electricity from coal-heavy states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania. This 'leakage' is exacerbated by excess capacity in existing coal plants and planned transmission upgrades that facilitate power flow from west to east. The authors suggest that RGGI states should implement retail-level carbon caps, prohibit contracts with high-emission plants, and prioritize transmission projects aligned with climate goals to prevent the expansion of coal-based power.

The report details how the U.S. Northeast is warming, with winter temperatures rising faster than summer ones, leading to reduced snowpack, rising sea levels, and shifting species habitats. It compares a higher-emissions scenario with a lower-emissions scenario, finding that while some warming is inevitable, aggressive emissions reductions can significantly mitigate severe risks to the region's economy, ecosystems, and public health.

The document identifies wind power as the most cost-effective near-term option for increasing renewable electricity in New England, noting that the region's onshore wind resources have the technical potential to supply approximately 60 percent of its current electricity use. It frames this within the broader need to transform the energy system to limit global warming, noting that the Northeast United States emits more CO2 than all but six countries globally. While other solutions like energy efficiency and carbon capture are discussed, wind is presented as more viable than solar, bioenergy, or geothermal power in the region due to cost and resource availability. The document states that if all currently proposed wind projects in New England were completed, they would generate over 5,700 gigawatt-hours of CO2-free electricity annually, representing about seven percent of the electricity used in the proposing states.

The document outlines strategies for reducing home heating expenses, emphasizing that a well-insulated home is the primary step toward efficiency. It compares various heating systems, including furnaces, boilers, in-space heaters, heat pumps, and active solar heating, detailing their efficiencies (AFUE), costs, and maintenance requirements. It also provides guidance on sizing new equipment and calculating potential savings when upgrading systems.

The report argues that 51 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. have illegally avoided modern pollution controls by exploiting a 'grandfathering' loophole in the Clean Air Act, leading to significant public health crises. Drawing on data from Abt Associates, the Clean Air Task Force estimates that these plants cause between 5,500 and 9,000 premature deaths and 107,000 to 170,000 asthma attacks annually. The report highlights a 'transport of death and disease' where pollution from plants in the Midwest and Southeast impacts the Northeast. It criticizes the Bush Administration's 2001 review of NSR policy as prioritizing industry efficiency over public health and calls for the closure of the 'lethal loophole' through nationwide emission caps on nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and carbon dioxide.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is working to advance the understanding of how forests mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration and other mechanisms, such as reducing urban heat and oxidizing methane. The program emphasizes sustainable forest management and provides specific guidance on the use of woody biomass in the northeastern US to reduce greenhouse gases over a 20-30 year horizon.

Hourly rainfall intensity in 126 U.S. cities has increased by an average of 15% since 1970, with the heaviest 1% of downpours intensifying most in the Northeast (+60%) and Midwest (+45%) between 1958 and 2021. Future warming of 2°C is projected to increase precipitation during the heaviest events by an average of 17% across U.S. counties. The document highlights that flood risks disproportionately affect people of color, those in mobile homes, and Black communities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, noting that rainfall changes between 1988 and 2017 caused approximately $73 billion in flood damages.

The report finds that a majority of Americans in 2012 were unfamiliar with fracking and undecided about whether to support or oppose it. Among those who had formed an opinion, views were split, though a slim majority viewed the practice as 'bad'. Support and opposition varied significantly by gender, age, political affiliation, and geographic region, with conservatives and older males more supportive, and liberals, younger people, and residents of the Northeast and West more opposed. Associations with fracking were primarily divided between environmental concerns (linked to opposition) and economic or energy supply benefits (linked to support).

The document details two environmental justice studies. The first analyzed PM2.5 emissions from natural gas and coal-fired power plants in the Northeast US between 2011 and 2015. The second used GIS buffer analysis to determine if low-income households and people of color live closer to PFAS-contaminated facilities than white or higher-income households in the US and Michigan. Findings for PFAS contamination show that in Michigan, 48.72% of households within five miles of a contaminated site are low-income, compared to 14.51% statewide. Nationally, people of color represent 34.59% of the population within three miles of PFAS sites, compared to 27.03% of the general US population.

The U.S. electricity system relies heavily on freshwater, with cooling power plants accounting for 41 percent of all freshwater withdrawals. This dependence creates a 'collision' where energy production competes with municipal, agricultural, and ecosystem needs, a situation exacerbated by global warming. The report details regional risks—such as hydropower instability in the Northwest and cooling water shortages in the Southeast—and highlights low-water alternatives like wind, solar photovoltaic, and dry-cooling systems.

Since 1970, the Northeast has seen an average temperature increase of 2°F, leading to longer growing seasons and reduced snowpack. Future high-emissions scenarios project further warming, significant reductions in winter snow seasons, and increased frequency of extreme heat and flooding. These changes threaten the dairy and fruit industries, particularly cranberries, and risk substantial damage to coastal infrastructure in cities like New York and Boston. Additionally, the region's $7.6 billion winter recreation industry and specific fisheries, such as cod and lobster, face disruption due to warming waters and reduced snow cover.