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The briefing highlights the growing financial threats to the US housing market from climate-related hazards, noting that over 79 million properties face wildfire risk and 14.6 million are susceptible to substantial flood damage. It emphasizes that low-income families and communities of color are disproportionately affected, citing that during Hurricane Katrina, homes owned by Black residents were three times as likely to experience flood impacts. The document advocates for the use of property-level climate data and the utilization of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act—which provides billions for climate justice, affordable housing resilience, and NOAA community efforts—to future-proof homes. It calls on regulators like the CFPB and FHFA to lead the industry toward climate-aligned housing standards and equitable financing solutions.

The document advocates for the designation of the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas, as a National Historic Site. It argues that preserving this school—the last remaining segregated school for Mexican-American children in good condition in the southern U.S. borderlands—is essential for addressing the intergenerational trauma of the Jim Crow era and the 'separate but equal' doctrine. The author contends that the erasure of such sites through destruction or conversion into offices contributes to ongoing educational inequalities and that federal recognition would provide dignity to Hispanic and Latino communities while diversifying the National Park system.

The report details a corporate campaign to implement municipal preemption laws that block local governments from accessing courts to recover climate-related damages. It identifies a 'triumvirate' of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ALEC, and NAM as the primary architects of this strategy, drawing parallels to previous industry efforts to avoid liability in the tobacco and opioid sectors. The document outlines specific legislative tactics used to stifle litigation and provides a framework for municipal leaders to recognize and repeal such preemption laws, while suggesting proactive legislative measures to protect local legal autonomy.

Climate Central analysis reveals that 83% of 241 analyzed U.S. cities saw an increase in summer stagnant days between 1973 and 2021, with a strong positive correlation between these events and rising summer high temperatures. Annual stagnation has also increased in 81% of these cities, with hotspots in Southern Texas and coastal California. These trends are expected to worsen with climate change, potentially adding up to 40 more stagnant days per year by late-century, which traps pollutants and disproportionately affects communities of color due to historical housing policies.

GreenLatinos condemns the US Supreme Court's ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, stating it undermines the EPA's ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and harms communities of color. The organization links this legal setback to broader human rights issues and climate-induced migration, calling on Congress to pass a $550 billion reconciliation package and invest in a just transition to renewable energy.

The document details the rise of the institutional single-family rental (SFR) industry following the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting how private equity firms like Blackstone, Pretium Partners, and Cerberus Capital Management have acquired hundreds of thousands of homes. It argues that these firms outcompete individual homebuyers with cash offers and impose high rents and fees on tenants. The report provides evidence of widespread eviction filings during the COVID-19 pandemic, often targeting majority-Black communities, and documents systemic failures in property maintenance. It also critiques the National Rental Home Council (NRHC) as a lobbying tool for the industry's largest players and recommends legislative protections including rent caps, 'Just Cause' eviction laws, and beneficial ownership disclosure.

The document outlines a pathway to reduce U.S. oil and gas methane emissions by 65% using mature technologies and standards already employed in states like Colorado and New Mexico. It advocates for strengthening EPA regulations to include frequent leak detection and repair (LDAR) and a total ban on routine flaring. Additionally, it supports the Build Back Better Act's Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP) as a complementary financial incentive. The author asserts that these measures would save society $13 billion annually by 2025, prevent millions of tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from entering the atmosphere, and create approximately 220,000 total jobs without negatively impacting drilling activity.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) outlines four primary criteria for successful clean hydrogen hubs: minimizing greenhouse gas intensity across the production value chain, prioritizing hard-to-abate end-use sectors, committing to environmental justice and community engagement, and delivering immediate local environmental benefits. These recommendations are directed at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) following the authorization of $8 billion under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 to establish at least four regional hubs.

The report analyzes the potential for U.S. coastal wetlands to either expand or almost entirely disappear by 2100 based on sea level rise rates, vertical accretion, and the conservation of land for horizontal migration. It identifies Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas as high-risk areas and emphasizes that conserving undeveloped dryland (refugia) is a decisive factor in preventing widespread wetland loss.

The report analyzes the future of US coastal wetlands under various sea-level rise and development scenarios. It finds that wetlands can either expand by 25% or decrease by 97% by 2100, depending on human decisions regarding land conservation for migration and the rate of vertical growth. Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas are identified as high-risk areas. The document emphasizes that preserving undeveloped land (refuges) is the most critical factor in preventing widespread wetland loss.

The report finds that gas-fired power plants in MISO and SPP frequently operate at a loss, costing ratepayers an estimated $117 million in 2019. This uneconomic generation is most prevalent in steam turbines and gas turbines, often driven by practices like self-scheduling and self-commitment. The authors argue that these inefficiencies, combined with rising fuel costs and the growth of renewables, make gas-fired power an increasingly risky and expensive investment compared to clean energy portfolios.

The document is a statement from GreenLatinos CEO Mark Magaña regarding the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two adults. The organization argues that the liberation of all people cannot be achieved without addressing gun violence and calls on municipal, county, and federal officials to implement commonsense public policy to stop such violence.

The Galveston Bay Foundation has utilized millions of dollars in grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA to restore wetlands in the Dollar Bay and Moses Lake regions. These efforts, including the construction of breakwaters and marsh terraces, aim to mitigate the effects of sea level rise—which has risen over 27 inches in the area over 120 years—and protect communities from storm surges. The project also demonstrates how federal investment can catalyze private land conservation, though the requirement for local matching funds remains a barrier for some underserved communities.

The document argues that proof-of-work digital currencies, specifically Bitcoin, cause significant environmental harm through soaring electricity demand, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and the generation of substantial electronic waste. It highlights the negative impacts on local communities, such as increased electricity prices and thermal pollution in water bodies, and notes that these operations can strain critical semiconductor supply chains. The authors propose several mitigation strategies, including stringent EPA permit reviews, the creation of a mining operation registry by the OMB, energy efficiency standards from the DOE, and transparency requirements from financial regulators like the SEC and CFTC.

The document analyzes the resource requirements and potential externalities of direct air capture (DAC) at both a single-plant (1 MtCO2/year) and a system-wide (0.5 GtCO2/year) scale. It finds that while on-site emissions are low, significant impacts arise from energy demand, land use, and the materials supply chain. The authors argue that responsible scaling requires project-specific social and environmental impact assessments, robust community engagement, and the use of legal agreements like Community Benefits Agreements to ensure equitable distribution of benefits, such as job creation.

The testimony asserts that CCUS is not a viable climate solution, citing its failure to meet capture targets, high costs compared to renewables, and the risk of increasing lifecycle emissions. It highlights that most captured carbon is used for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), which produces more CO2 than it captures. The author warns of significant safety risks from CO2 pipelines and the environmental dangers of offshore storage in the Gulf of Mexico, where legacy oil and gas wells increase the likelihood of leaks and ocean acidification.

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) lacks transparency regarding the greenhouse gas emissions intensities of the oils it stores, which hinders the ability to minimize climate impacts during drawdowns. The document notes that different oils vary significantly in their climate footprints based on production and refining methods, and that a mismatch exists between the SPR's lighter crudes and the deep-conversion refineries in Texas and Louisiana that primarily process them. It suggests that selectively purchasing the lowest climate-intensive oils for the current one-million-barrel daily withdrawal could save an estimated 90 million tons of CO2e.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosted a briefing series titled 'Living with Climate Change' to address community preparation for polar vortices, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat. A specific focus was placed on the polar vortex, noting that climate change is expected to affect the frequency and severity of these events. The document highlights the necessity of adaptation strategies for the energy grid and home energy efficiency to prevent deadly power losses, citing 246 deaths during the 2021 Texas polar vortex freeze.

The document is a formal statement signed by 271 experts supporting the US EPA's 2016 Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) risk value for ethylene oxide. The signatories argue that the IRIS value represents the best available science and was developed through a transparent, peer-reviewed process. They specifically oppose the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's (TCEQ) alternative risk value, claiming it underestimates cancer risk by 2000-fold, ignores evidence linking ethylene oxide to breast cancer in women, and lacks transparency. Additionally, the authors call for the EPA to consider cumulative health risks and environmental justice for marginalized communities living near industrial polluters.

The report analyzes 2021 renewable energy generation in the continental U.S., estimating a total of 606,000 GWh from wind (73%) and solar (27%). It highlights Texas as the leader in raw wind generation and California in raw solar generation, while also examining generation normalized by land area and population. The document compares these figures against the Net Zero America Project's 2030 target of 2.2 million GWh per year, concluding that while current growth is accelerating, the U.S. needs to nearly double its annual increase in generation to stay on track for net-zero emissions by 2050.