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The Clean Air Task Force proposes a set of regulatory measures to reduce U.S. oil and gas methane emissions by 65% relative to 2012 levels by 2025. The plan focuses on seven key areas: frequent leak detection and repair (LDAR), replacing gas-driven pneumatic equipment with non-emitting alternatives, controlling storage tank emissions, minimizing well completion emissions, regulating compressors and dehydrators, reducing oil well venting and flaring, and minimizing maintenance venting. The analysis suggests these measures would reduce 2025 emissions by 7.8 million metric tons of methane compared to current policies, equivalent to 680 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent over a 20-year horizon.

Governor Greg Abbott opposes the licensing of an Interim Storage Partners (ISP) facility in Andrews County, Texas, citing risks to public safety, national energy security, and the economic stability of the Permian Basin. He argues that the facility would be a high-value target for terrorism and that the lack of a permanent geologic repository makes the 'interim' nature of the storage unreliable. Additionally, he notes that the transportation of radioactive waste would disrupt the region's critical oil and agricultural logistics.

The statement highlights the health and environmental impacts of methane pollution and routine flaring in Texas's Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale regions. It criticizes the EPA for rolling back methane safeguards and the Railroad Commission of Texas for approving all 27,000 venting and flaring requests over seven years. The authors demand an end to routine flaring by 2025 to mitigate risks such as preterm births and childhood asthma in disproportionately affected communities of color.

Governor Greg Abbott wrote to President Donald Trump opposing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) evaluation of 40-year licenses for consolidated interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste at proposed sites in west Texas (Interim Storage Partners) and southeastern New Mexico (Holtec International). Abbott argues that siting these facilities in the Permian Basin Region—the world's largest producing oilfield—would compromise regional safety and risk the U.S. economy and energy security. He notes that the Permian Basin produced over 30 percent of total U.S. crude oil in 2018 and exceeded 1.5 billion barrels of oil in 2019. Additionally, he highlights the lack of a permanent storage solution since the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act and opposes the placement of highly radioactive waste in states without state consent.

The Arctic sea ice reached its 2020 minimum extent of 1.44 million square miles on September 15, marking the second lowest extent in the nearly 42-year satellite record. This loss is driven by factors including a Siberian heat wave and a reinforcing feedback loop where the darker ocean surface absorbs more heat, contributing to the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. The 14 lowest extents in the satellite era have all occurred within the last 14 years, with the record low set in 2012.

The research paper examines the relationship between climate change and global instability, asserting that while climate change may not cause conflict in isolation, it intensifies problems like food and water insecurity, economic loss, and ethnic tensions. It highlights that the risk of conflict is heavily dependent on regional sociopolitical contexts, such as government corruption and historical grievances. The document also notes a correlation in the U.S. between residents of disaster-prone areas and higher levels of concern regarding climate change, suggesting that these insights should inform government policies on mitigation and conflict prevention.

The report describes the technical framework of WeatherPower v3.0, which uses a 0.05° grid of weather data (wind speed and solar irradiance) and installed capacity data to estimate electricity generation for 'Yesterday', 'Today', and 'Tomorrow'. It outlines the data sources for utility and residential solar and wind capacities, the mathematical power curves used to calculate generation, and the reporting metrics used to contextualize the results, such as CO2 emissions avoided and equivalent homes powered. The document also includes a validation study comparing its wind generation estimates against actual data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

The document explores five supply-side pathways to reach 100 percent zero carbon power in the U.S. by 2035. It argues that while the final 10 percent of decarbonization is the most expensive, it can be achieved at a cost that keeps average wholesale rates similar to the 2020 average of 5.2 cents/kWh. The analyzed pathways include three green hydrogen options (fuel cells, turbine retrofits, and synthetic methane) and two carbon capture options (CCS retrofits and Direct Air Capture). The report highlights that green hydrogen production costs could drop to $1.50/kg by 2030 due to falling solar and wind costs and cheaper electrolyzers.

The document details how climate data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) is integrated into the SAVi Roads model to improve the analysis of climate-related risks. It focuses on three primary impacts: precipitation effects on road lifetime, weather effects on injury accidents, and precipitation-based road runoff. Simulation results for a 1,000 km road network between 2020 and 2100 show that CDS integration reveals higher cumulative road disruption, an increase in injury accidents, and significantly higher stormwater runoff compared to a 'no climate' baseline. The economic analysis indicates that the most substantial cost increase stems from stormwater management, totaling an additional USD 2.06 billion over 80 years.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submits that the draft Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill, 2019 is deficient in its approach to the climate crisis and community welfare. The CER argues that gas exploration and production pose severe risks to climate, air, water, and marine environments, and that the Bill's consultation processes are 'woefully inadequate'. Furthermore, the CER criticizes the lack of a robust Social and Labour Plan (SLP) framework to ensure benefits reach affected communities, noting that a proposed 20% state carried interest is an insufficient substitute for local development. The submission also calls for stronger administrative penalties to ensure corporate compliance with environmental laws.

The report details Blackstone's extensive portfolio of oil, gas, and coal assets, highlighting a pattern of environmental violations and community opposition. It contrasts Blackstone's strategy with a broader trend of declining investor appetite for fossil fuels and notes the firm's political contributions to the Trump administration, which rolled back environmental regulations.

The author highlights several 2020 court rulings that overturned Trump Administration environmental rollbacks, emphasizing that the U.S. EPA and Bureau of Land Management must prioritize science and public health over industry costs. The text argues these legal wins are critical for protecting marginalized communities, particularly Black and brown people and Tribal lands, from pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The policy brief examines how the shift toward variable renewable energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) challenges traditional grid planning paradigms. It argues that the historical reliance on the Planning Reserve Margin (PRM) heuristic is increasingly inadequate for ensuring reliability in a high-renewables system. Furthermore, it warns that fossil fuel incumbents are exploiting these planning uncertainties to protect their market share by framing technical challenges as insurmountable barriers to decarbonization.

The document argues that rising sea levels and extreme coastal flooding threaten approximately 2,000 Superfund sites along the US East and Gulf Coasts, potentially releasing hazardous chemicals into nearby communities. It highlights that these risks disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income households, who are more likely to live near these sites. The authors criticize the Trump administration for sidelining climate science and rescinding resilience-focused executive orders, and they recommend a new executive order and interagency coordination to integrate climate science into Superfund site risk assessments.

The report examines the global cotton market, highlighting a shift toward voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) which grew from 1% of production in 2009 to 14.1% in 2016. It identifies significant sustainability challenges, including high water and pesticide use, price volatility, and labor abuses. The document argues that VSSs like BCI, CmiA, Organic, and Fairtrade are essential for mitigating these risks and improving livelihoods for the 100 million farmers globally. It specifically identifies Mali and Burkina Faso as having high potential for VSS growth among Low Human Development Countries.

The report analyzes the link between synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use in the Midwest and the formation of a hypoxic 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico. It estimates that agricultural nitrogen losses have caused between $552 million and $2.4 billion in annual damages to Gulf fisheries and marine habitat ecosystem services since 1980. The authors argue that shifting to sustainable agricultural practices—such as cover cropping and conservation tillage—can reduce these losses, providing a significant return on investment by restoring marine productivity and improving soil resilience for farmers.

The document reports that 94% of 242 analyzed U.S. cities saw an increase in average summer temperatures since 1970, with summer nights warming faster than days. It highlights that 74% of cities experienced at least one additional week of above-normal temperatures, with the most significant increases concentrated in the Southeast and Texas.

The report details how Leonard Green & Partners acquired Prospect Medical Holdings in 2010 and subsequently extracted between $570 million and $658 million in fees and dividends. This occurred despite a dramatic decline in EBITDA from $142 million in 2015 to $17 million in 2018 and the accumulation of $260 million in unfunded pension liabilities. The document highlights systemic failures, including the complete closure of the Nix Health system in Texas, 'immediate jeopardy' patient conditions in Connecticut, and legal disputes over pensions in Rhode Island and community funding in Pennsylvania. It concludes by urging the Pennsylvania Attorney General to block a change in ownership until Leonard Green returns the extracted funds to support hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project argues that Leonard Green & Partners extracted $658 million in fees and dividends from Prospect Medical Holdings despite the hospital chain's declining financial health, poor quality ratings, and unfunded pension liabilities. The letter highlights a $457 million dividend paid in 2018 that allegedly contradicted commitments made to Rhode Island regulators. It also notes that Prospect sold hospital real estate to Medical Properties Trust to pay down $1.1 billion in debt and shut down all facilities in Texas. The author requests that California's Attorney General withhold approval for the ownership transfer to ensure resources are available for the COVID-19 response.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project alleges that Leonard Green & Partners extracted $570 million to $658 million in fees and dividends from Prospect Medical Holdings while the hospital chain suffered from declining financial performance, poor quality ratings, and underfunded pensions. The document details systemic failures across hospitals in Texas, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, including the total closure of the Nix Health System in Texas and lawsuits from pensioners in Rhode Island. It highlights a $457 million dividend paid in 2018 that contradicted assurances given to Rhode Island regulators. The author contends that Leonard Green is attempting to exit its majority stake for a fraction of its acquisition cost, leaving behind a legacy of financial and operational distress in safety net hospitals.