Search Climate Insights Directory

The document details AT&T's transition from regulatory compliance to a leadership position in environmental management, specifically focusing on the use of TQM to eliminate toxic emissions. It highlights the company's corporate goals for CFC phaseout and waste reduction, and provides a detailed account of the Columbus Works facility in Ohio. At this site, AT&T applied process-level analysis to replace perchloroethylene (PCE) and 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA) with safer alternatives like butyl carbitol and n-butyl butyrate, often in collaboration with Bell Laboratories and external stakeholders such as the Ohio EPA.

The document outlines a pedagogical approach to teaching Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM) using AT&T as a primary example. It details the use of process flow diagrams to identify risks associated with hazardous substances like 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA) and perchloroethylene (PERC), and discusses various measurement frameworks for environmental performance, including scientific data, management data, and systems assessment tools like the GEMI Self-Assessment Program.

The Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) is projected to create over 21,000 direct jobs, including 18,000 in construction and 3,000 permanent positions, through 11 major projects in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. The initiative involves a broad coalition of partners including project developers like Air Liquide and Plug Power, industrial equipment providers such as Baker Hughes and Bloom Energy, and various government, academic, and labor organizations across the region.

The document outlines the three-stage process of carbon capture and storage (CCS)—capture, transport, and storage—and argues that the Midwest is uniquely positioned for deployment due to its industrial profile and geologic formations. It highlights the Illinois Basin, specifically the Mount Simon sandstone and Eau Claire formation, as a premier storage resource with an estimated capacity to store over 147 billion metric tons of CO2. The text notes that CCS can reduce harmful air pollutants and create between 8,050 and 11,880 operational jobs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Financial viability is driven by the 45Q tax credit, which offers up to $180/MT depending on the method of capture and storage. Safety and regulatory oversight are managed by the EPA's Underground Injection Control Program and PHMSA.

The document outlines federal grants and tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to support the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. It details specific funding categories including charging/fueling, supply chain development, emissions monitoring, and state planning, while highlighting active zero-emission freight corridor projects along I-95, I-80, and I-10. The guide also provides a three-phase strategic framework for states to establish priorities, communicate with stakeholders, and monitor performance to maximize the use of these federal resources.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) used US EPA COBRA modeling to estimate that retiring four Illinois nuclear plants (Byron, Dresden, Braidwood, and LaSalle) would lead to significant increases in PM2.5 pollution. Over a ten-year period, this shift is projected to cause between 1,200 and 2,700 premature deaths and $10 to $24 billion in monetized damages. While the pollution sources are spread across ten states, the most severe health impacts are concentrated in the Midwest.

The report 'Cradle to Grave' details the systemic health impacts of fossil fuels across their entire value chain—extraction, refining, transport, combustion, and disposal. It highlights how these processes cause respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities in 'sacrifice zones'. The document argues that current climate policies overlook these multidimensional health harms and calls for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the adoption of the 'Polluter Pays' principle, and a transition to renewable energy to prevent millions of premature deaths.

The document details how fossil fuels cause systemic health damage across their entire value chain, affecting individuals from fetal development through old age. It highlights the disproportionate burden on marginalized communities in 'sacrifice zones' and calls for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the cessation of new exploration, and the internalisation of health costs through the 'polluter pays' principle to facilitate a just energy transition.

The report finds that while a majority of Ohioans believe global warming is happening and support clean energy transitions, there is significant uncertainty regarding scientific consensus and the likelihood of successful collective action. A large portion of the population perceives increased flooding and heat waves in the state and believes that corporations, citizens, and government officials should all do more to address the issue.

The report presents survey data from 2013 across four US states, revealing that while majorities believe global warming is happening, there are significant regional differences in perceived causes, levels of worry, and understanding of scientific consensus. It highlights a general trend where respondents view global warming as a distant threat and believe corporations and individuals should take more responsibility than government officials.

The report finds that while 70% of Columbus residents believe global warming is happening and many are worried about it, there is significant uncertainty regarding scientific consensus and personal experience with its effects. A majority support clean energy transitions and believe the U.S. should reduce emissions regardless of other countries' actions, though they remain skeptical about humanity's collective will to successfully reduce global warming.

Earthjustice argues that the American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) produced a 'junk science' report by ignoring critical groundwater exposure pathways, manipulating EPA screening levels for arsenic and chromium, and cherry-picking data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to make coal ash appear similar to common soil. The critique highlights that fly ash concentrations of chromium and arsenic can be thousands of times higher than groundwater protection screening levels and notes the ACAA's failure to address risks from particulate matter inhalation.

The document counters seven industry claims regarding coal ash, asserting that the material is hazardous, contaminates groundwater at both old and new sites, and is often recycled unsafely. It argues that federal regulation would encourage genuine innovation in recycling and that compliance costs would be negligible for the electric power industry.

The report examines the environmental and health risks associated with dumping coal combustion waste (CCW), or coal ash, into active and abandoned coal mines across the United States. It argues that this practice, often labeled as 'beneficial use' or 'recycling' to bypass regulations, allows toxic metals to leach into groundwater and surface water. The document highlights the failure of the U.S. EPA and the Office of Surface Mining to implement necessary safeguards, noting that minefilling is driven by economic incentives, reducing disposal costs by 89 to 95 percent compared to engineered landfills. It specifically identifies the increased risks from Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) plants and provides case studies of contamination in Pennsylvania and New Mexico. The report concludes by urging the EPA to adopt the National Academies of Sciences' recommendations for mandatory testing, site characterization, and long-term monitoring.

The document details the distribution of 69 coal ash ponds across 23 plants in Ohio, noting that the state ranks 3rd in the US for coal ash generation. It highlights significant safety hazards, including ponds rated as 'poor' by the EPA and documented groundwater contamination at multiple sites. The text argues that Ohio's regulatory program is deficient because it exempts coal ash from the definition of solid waste, thereby avoiding requirements for groundwater monitoring, composite liners, and structural stability inspections.

The fact sheet outlines the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency in Ohio, asserting that specific policies could help the state meet 78% of its carbon pollution goals under the EPA's Clean Power Plan and save residents $7.4 billion by 2030.

The document details the distribution of Recovery Act funds for high-speed rail awards across the West, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast regions of the United States. The West region received the highest allocation at $2,942,000,000, followed by the Midwest at $2,599,600,000, the Southeast at $1,870,000,000, and the Northeast at $485,000,000. Key projects include the California High-Speed Rail, the Tampa-Orlando Phase 1 HSR, and various track, signal, and station upgrades across multiple state corridors to increase train speeds and reliability.

The document consists of a collection of 45 figures mapping the FSEIS routes for nuclear waste transport through nearly every U.S. state and the District of Columbia.

The document details cobalt's critical importance for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and electronics, noting that demand for clean energy technologies is expected to rise by 80% between 2025 and 2030. It highlights a highly concentrated supply chain, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) producing about 76% of global cobalt and China refining 50% to 70% of global supplies. The text emphasizes severe externalities in the DRC, including child labor, human rights violations, and the deforestation of 32,100 acres of the Congo Basin forest from 2001 to 2020. It also notes the U.S. has a 76% import reliance for cobalt and discusses recycling and substitutes, such as iron-phosphate and TAQ, to mitigate supply and ethical risks.

The report investigates 'beneficial electrification'—the replacement of fossil-fuel end-use equipment with electric alternatives to reduce carbon emissions and costs—within Midwest rural electric cooperatives. While 88% of these co-ops offer energy upgrade or loan programs, the research found no 'fully beneficial electrification program' in the Midwest that combines conversion incentives, a net carbon reduction goal, verification processes, and energy audits. The document highlights the potential of cold climate air-source heat pumps (ccHP) and heat pump water heaters to provide grid flexibility and member savings. It emphasizes 'equitable beneficial electrification' (EBE), advocating for inclusive on-bill financing that removes credit score barriers and attaches loans to the meter to support low-income members and renters. Case studies from cooperatives in Washington, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Minnesota illustrate various models of on-bill tariffs and community solar projects used to reduce energy burdens.