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This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute describes the role of cobalt as a critical mineral for the clean energy transition, detailing its applications in lithium-ion batteries, global distribution of reserves and production, and the significant human rights and environmental impacts associated with its extraction, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The US electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a slowdown in momentum due to federal policy shifts, including the expiration of purchase tax credits and the repeal of tailpipe emission limits. While EV sales fell 4% in 2025, charging infrastructure continues to expand through private investment. Automakers are pivoting away from all-electric targets toward a mix of hybrids and affordable models, while manufacturing investments in the Midwest and South have seen significant cancellations.

This technical explainer by RMI analyzes the use of voluntary carbon markets (VCM) to finance the plugging of orphaned oil and gas wells in the United States and Canada. It evaluates the methodologies used to generate carbon credits, the associated quality risks—particularly regarding emissions quantification and permanence—and the systemic regulatory failures that lead to the proliferation of orphaned wells.

This policy brief by RMI argues that Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) can mitigate the grid constraints currently delaying the interconnection of data centers and other large loads in the United States. The document proposes three commercial models to accelerate VPP deployment and suggests policy reforms in interconnection, integrated planning, and customer protection to ensure the US remains competitive in the AI race.

This policy brief by RMI examines how US governors are addressing rising electricity costs, which have increased by an average of 23% over the last decade. The document highlights actions taken by governors in at least 14 states since 2023 to balance immediate customer relief with long-term system cost containment, while warning against superficial measures like one-time bill credits that do not address underlying affordability challenges.

This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the projected economic, environmental, and health impacts of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA), a 2025 budget Reconciliation legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The analysis compares a "Current Policies" scenario against an "EI House OBBBA" scenario, finding that the bill's repeal of clean energy tax credits and environmental standards would lead to higher energy costs, significant job losses in manufacturing, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and higher premature death rates.

This report by RMI examines the potential of advanced transmission technologies (ATTs)—comprising grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors—to expand electricity grid capacity and reliability. While pilot projects in the United States have demonstrated success in increasing capacity and reducing costs, the report identifies significant barriers to scaling these solutions, including risk aversion, financial disincentives, and a failure to integrate ATTs into long-term grid planning. RMI suggests that large corporate energy users can accelerate adoption through policy advocacy and by facilitating coordination between utilities across different service territories.

This report by the World Resources Institute analyzes the state of clean energy in the United States through 2024, highlighting record growth in solar and battery storage alongside significant headwinds including grid capacity limits, rising local opposition, and policy uncertainty under the Trump administration.

This research paper examines the influence of subsidies and renewable energy costs on the competitiveness of low-carbon steelmaking in the United States and the European Union, analyzing the tension between industrial policy and climate action.

A Global Energy Monitor briefing reports a surge in proposed gas-fired power plants in the United States, driven by speculation over AI energy demand. While the U.S. now has the world's second-largest pipeline of such projects, most remain in early development stages, risking billions in stranded assets if demand forecasts prove inaccurate.

This report by RMI argues that the US steel industry faces a critical decision point regarding seven aging coal-based blast furnaces in the Great Lakes region. The author contends that investing hundreds of millions of dollars to 'reline' these furnaces to extend their life by 20 years risks creating stranded assets, perpetuating severe local pollution, and missing the transition to low-emissions steel. Instead, the report advocates for a transition to Hydrogen-Ready Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) coupled with Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) to ensure long-term competitiveness and align with climate goals.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law examines how climate-induced extreme weather is driving an insurance crisis in the United States, which in turn threatens housing affordability and financial stability. The authors argue that insurance companies are exacerbating the crisis by raising premiums to recoup losses while simultaneously reinvesting profits into fossil fuel companies.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) on the U.S. auto manufacturing workforce. It identifies high-risk job categories, emerging skill requirements, the influence of AI and vertical integration, and the challenges regarding job quality and unionization in the 'Battery Belt' and Southern states.

This report by RMI argues for the establishment of comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) guidelines in the United States to protect public health and inform building decarbonization. It examines the health risks of indoor pollutants, compares indoor and outdoor air regulation, reviews international and domestic examples of IAQ guidelines, and outlines how such guidelines can be applied to product safety, building codes, and certifications.

This report by RMI outlines a strategic framework—focused on competitiveness, constraints, and coordination—to accelerate energy transition investment in the Great Lakes region. It argues that while the region possesses significant industrial legacies and innovation assets, it faces structural hurdles such as slow population growth, labor shortages, and a lack of cohesive industrial strategies. The document proposes that states move beyond simple investment attraction toward coordinated industrial policies, leveraging federal incentives from the IRA, IIJA, and CHIPS Act to build regional clusters in sectors like EV batteries, low-carbon steel, and sustainable fuels.

This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for transitioning the Great Lakes region's steel industry to near-zero-emissions production. It identifies a gap between aggressive federal incentives—such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—and the lack of coordinated, steel-specific industrial strategies at the state level. The report evaluates three primary decarbonization pathways: Blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) with carbon capture and storage (CCS), natural gas direct reduced iron (DRI) with CCS, and renewable hydrogen-based DRI, noting that hydrogen DRI offers the lowest emissions intensity and most competitive levelized costs when subsidies are included. It emphasizes the region's economic importance, as the Great Lakes house all of the US's integrated steel mills and two-thirds of the nation's steelworkers, while warning that failure to modernize could lead to a loss of competitiveness and jobs to other regions or international markets.

This policy brief by RMI examines the potential for the Great Lakes region of the United States to become a globally competitive hub for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). It analyzes the region's strengths in feedstock availability, existing ethanol infrastructure, and logistics, while identifying a significant gap in coordinated state-level industrial policy to support the SAF value chain.

This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for the Great Lakes region to lead the electric vehicle (EV) and battery supply chain. While the region possesses historical automotive strengths and significant R&D capacity, it faces competition from the 'Battery Belt' in the Deep South and gaps in state-level industrial policies. The document outlines the four stages of the supply chain—upstream, midstream, downstream, and reuse/recycling—and provides a gap analysis of regional policies compared to federal initiatives, urging Great Lakes states to coordinate on strategic coordination, production incentives, and end-of-life regulations to maintain competitiveness.

This case study describes RMI's efforts to make rooftop solar more accessible to low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities through inclusive Solarize campaigns. Between 2021 and 2022, RMI organized cohorts of 27 cities to implement bulk-purchasing programs combined with grants and community partnerships to reduce financial and administrative barriers to solar adoption.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute analyzes version 1.0 of the White House Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). While the update identifies more disadvantaged communities than the beta version, the authors argue it fails to account for cumulative burdens—where multiple environmental, health, and socioeconomic stressors overlap—which disproportionately affect communities of color.