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The document outlines federal resources for capacity building—defined as empowering organizations through funding and technical assistance—categorized into local energy/infrastructure planning, local health/environmental impacts, and workforce development. It details numerous programs from agencies such as the DOE, EPA, USDA, and DOT, ranging from the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund to smaller targeted grants like the $5 million Regional Energy Democracy Initiative. Additionally, it lists specific technical assistance providers and grant recipients for programs like Solar for All and RITAP.

The document explains the mechanics of flash droughts, the role of human-caused climate change in exacerbating water scarcity, and the disproportionate impact of these events on marginalized communities and ecosystems. It offers practical guidance for reporters to connect local drought conditions to global climate trends and provides a list of data sources and experts.

The guide explains the mechanics of flash droughts, the role of fossil fuel combustion in exacerbating water scarcity, and the disproportionate impact of these events on marginalized communities. It offers practical reporting tips, including the use of climate attribution studies and local climatologists, and lists specific examples of drought-related reporting across North America.

Clean energy investment in the U.S. more than tripled between 2018 and 2023, reaching nearly $248 billion annually. Investment is concentrated in the South and West, with zero-emission vehicles, solar power, and wind power serving as the primary drivers of growth across different regions and states.

The report details how Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for stripping local newspapers, has expanded into manufactured housing. Through its affiliate Homes of America, the firm has acquired over 10,000 lots in 138 parks across 17 states, spending over $275 million. The document argues that Alden employs a 'strip and flip' model, characterized by aggressive rent increases, high eviction rates, and the neglect of property maintenance to maximize profits. It highlights specific cases of resident displacement and financial abuse, particularly in Florida, and calls for state and federal policy interventions to protect vulnerable residents.

Dr. W. Payton Gardner's review concludes that the PHC and GMR for the Bull Mountain Mine contain significant omissions and non-conservative assumptions. The review highlights a failure to quantitatively analyze impacts on over 50 local springs and shallow groundwater wells, a groundwater model that ignores fracture flow processes and incorrectly assumes 'healing' in mudstone layers, and a mitigation strategy relying on the UB2A sandstone aquifer that is likely insufficient in both volume and water quality.

The report finds that U.S. residential electricity rates have generally kept pace with economy-wide inflation since 2010, and that states with high clean energy growth often see rates rise slower than inflation. Instead, the report identifies natural gas price volatility, wildfire mitigation and liability costs, aging coal plant investments, and rising transmission and distribution costs as the primary drivers of rate spikes. It further argues that the regulated utility business model incentivizes capital-heavy investments over more cost-effective operational solutions, which compounds these costs for consumers.

The report identifies significant vulnerabilities in American Securities' investment strategy, citing multiple bankruptcies and distressed exits such as Air Methods and Longview Power. It highlights 'headline risk' and legal challenges facing portfolio companies like ViaPath (prison telecommunications) and Amentum (defense contracting), including allegations of predatory pricing and human trafficking. Additionally, the document details regulatory risks, such as a $13 million antitrust settlement for General Chemical and multiple deceptive practice settlements for Aspen Dental. Finally, it notes ESG risks in healthcare and education, where companies like North American Partners in Anesthesia and FullBloom have faced lawsuits and investigations over understaffing and failure to provide credentialed teachers.

The paper examines the barriers faced by students with disabilities during the transition to electric school buses in the US. It highlights systemic failures in current transportation, such as broken wheelchair lifts and the segregation of disabled students onto separate buses. The authors argue for the application of Disability Justice and Environmental Justice frameworks to ensure that the transition prioritizes marginalized communities and incorporates Universal Design. Key recommendations include involving disabled youth in decision-making, improving infrastructure like sidewalks, and ensuring that electric buses are more accessible than the gas-powered vehicles they replace.

From June 18-20, 2024, a major to extreme heat event is forecast for the eastern half of the U.S., affecting over 25 million people. The event is characterized by record-level high temperatures in major cities and elevated nighttime temperatures. Climate Central's Climate Shift Index (CSI) indicates that human-caused climate change has made this heat at least four times more likely in several states, including West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana.

Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), Climate Central found that human-caused climate change significantly boosted spring warmth in 2024, affecting 300 million people in the U.S. and approximately one in four people globally. The strongest influence was observed in coastal and island regions, such as Puerto Rico and Florida, while areas with the highest temperature anomalies, like the Upper Midwest, showed lower CSI levels due to higher historical temperature variance.

The document examines the limitations of current GHG accounting, particularly the Scope 2 Market-Based method, which allows companies to claim zero emissions through annual matching of renewable energy certificates (RECs) without necessarily reducing actual grid emissions. The authors propose a dual approach: improving attributional accounting to require hourly and locational matching of carbon-free electricity (CFE) to consumption, and implementing consequential accounting to measure the actual marginal impact of company actions on the atmosphere. This framework aims to incentivize a diverse portfolio of CFE, including firm and dispatchable resources, rather than just low-cost variable renewables.

The document highlights a recent increase in global coal capacity and a slowdown in the adoption of coal-restrictive policies by private financial institutions, calling for urgent regulatory action and the implementation of the Coal Transition Accelerator.

The report identifies 219 facilities in Pennsylvania eligible for 45Q tax credits, emitting 82.5 million metric tons of CO2 annually. While the Lockport and Knox formations offer a theoretical storage capacity of 510 to 1,640 million metric tons, low permeability across most assessed saline aquifers poses a significant challenge to commercial viability. Alternative storage options include depleted oil and gas fields, CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and the Marcellus and Utica shales, though the latter requires further research.

The report identifies 219 facilities in Pennsylvania eligible for 45Q tax credits, emitting 82.5 million metric tons of CO2 annually. While the Lockport and Knox formations offer a theoretical storage capacity of 510 to 1,640 million metric tons, low permeability across most assessed saline aquifers poses significant challenges for commercially viable injection. Alternative options include depleted oil and gas fields, CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and the Marcellus and Utica shales, though the latter requires further research. Due to the geographic mismatch between emission sources and high-quality storage sites, the report concludes that CO2 pipelines will likely be necessary.

Climate change, driven by carbon pollution, is extending the growing season and increasing pollen production, which worsens seasonal allergies and asthma for millions of children in the U.S. Higher CO2 levels and warming temperatures lead to earlier and longer allergy seasons, potentially increasing asthma-related emergency room visits. Children are particularly vulnerable due to their development and higher time spent outdoors, with certain regions like the Northeast and Ohio Valley expected to see the highest rates of affected children.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocated $12.1 billion to advance carbon management technologies in the United States. Two years into implementation, the Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have launched several key programs. The Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program has selected nine FEED study projects and three demonstration projects, including the Baytown, Project Tundra, and Sutter projects. The Carbon Storage Validation and Testing Program has awarded funding to projects across multiple states, including Texas, Louisiana, and Wyoming, to develop large-scale sequestration and transport infrastructure. Additionally, the EPA has allotted $48 million to 25 state and Tribal recipients to support the regulation of UIC Class VI wells. In the realm of carbon removal, the Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs Program has selected two commercial-scale hubs in Texas and Louisiana for award negotiations. The document notes that while progress is underway, agencies have until 2026 to allocate remaining funds, and future success depends on shared transport networks and community engagement.

The report identifies seven key vulnerabilities—health disparities, poverty, low educational attainment, poor infrastructure, housing insecurity, environmental harm, and lack of political voice—that characterize disenfranchised U.S. communities. It highlights how these factors compound, particularly for 'doubly vulnerable' populations, and argues that historical exploitation has created a legacy of mistrust that can hinder clean energy projects. The document also critiques current environmental justice screening tools for failing to account for cumulative risks and warns that energy transitions can inadvertently create new underserved communities if not managed equitably.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) provides a framework for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and selected Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs to transition from application to action. CATF emphasizes prioritizing hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors, ensuring transparency in project planning, coordinating funding across federal programs, and deepening community engagement to ensure equitable and climate-beneficial outcomes.

RMI highlights that the perceived climate benefit of substituting coal with natural gas is undermined by methane leakage. The briefing notes that leakage rates as low as 0.2% can make gas emissions equal to coal, depending on the specific resources involved. To address this, RMI has developed a calculator for site-specific emissions parity analysis. The document advocates for immediate methane mitigation through technology and policy, noting that wind and solar are already more economically attractive and avoid the methane risks associated with gas.