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132 results
Coal Cost Crossover 3.0
The report 'Coal Cost Crossover 3.0' analyzes the economic viability of existing coal-fired power plants in the United States compared to new renewable energy alternatives. Using 2021 data and accounting for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the study finds that nearly all coal plants are more expensive to operate than replacing them with wind or solar, particularly when resources are sited locally to leverage existing grid interconnections and energy community tax credits.
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Document type: Report
Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning
This fact sheet describes the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an open-source tool developed by RMI and Energy Innovation to help states estimate the impacts of climate and energy policies. It specifically outlines how the EPS can be used by state governments to meet the requirements of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, including GHG inventory, emissions projections, and benefits analysis.
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Document type: Fact sheet
IMPLEMENTING THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: A ROADMAP FOR FEDERAL AND STATE BUILDINGS POLICY
This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the building sector provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), detailing how rebates, tax credits, and funding for building codes can accelerate decarbonization. It provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local policymakers to implement these incentives, emphasizing the need for complementary regulations—such as updated appliance standards and building codes—to overcome the challenge of slow building stock turnover and meet 2030 climate goals.
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Document type: Report
The Fossil Fuel Lobbyist List
A November 2022 report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) based on a 50-state survey reveals that major U.S. companies in the technology, banking, and insurance sectors frequently employ state-level lobbyists who also represent the fossil fuel industry. The report highlights a contradiction between these companies' public net-zero climate goals and their reliance on 'multi-client lobbyists' who promote continued fossil fuel dependence.
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Document type: Report
IMPLEMENTING THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: A ROADMAP FOR STATE ELECTRICITY POLICY
This report by Energy Innovation provides a guide for state policymakers to leverage the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 to accelerate the transition to clean electricity. It details the mechanics of clean energy tax credits, reinvestment financing for fossil infrastructure, and transmission provisions, while analyzing independent modeling of the IRA's potential to reduce U.S. electricity sector emissions and lower household energy costs by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Five Steps to Electrify Your Home: From Heat Pumps to Solar Panels and Induction Stoves
A guide by RMI providing a five-step framework for homeowners to decarbonize and electrify their residences, emphasizing energy efficiency, the use of heat pumps and induction stoves, and the utilization of incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Document type: Guide
How Local Governments Can Advance Community Solar for Low- and Moderate-Income Households
This guide from the World Resources Institute outlines strategies for U.S. local governments to expand community solar access for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households, leveraging new federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act and various municipal-level interventions.
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Document type: Guide
How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future
This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.
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Document type: Policy brief
Clean Energy 101: Heat Pumps
This guide explains the technology, efficiency, and types of heat pumps, highlighting their ability to provide both heating and cooling while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality compared to traditional fossil fuel systems.
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Document type: Guide
Regulatory Process Design for Decarbonization, Equity, and Innovation
This RMI report provides recommendations for modernizing the regulatory processes of state public utilities commissions (PUCs) in the United States to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and equitable electric grid. It identifies four primary areas for reform: setting clear proceeding objectives, expanding stakeholder roles in solution development, reducing information asymmetry through data transparency, and initiating new inclusive processes such as regulatory sandboxes and updated benefit-cost analysis frameworks.
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Document type: Report
Five Steps for Utilities to Foster Authentic Community Engagement
This guide by RMI outlines five strategic steps for electric utilities to implement authentic community engagement to ensure an equitable clean energy transition, particularly in US states where legislation mandates equitable decarbonization.
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Document type: Guide
Bringing Cities and Their Utilities into the 21st Century
This guide by RMI provides strategic advice for municipalities to renegotiate franchise agreements with electric and gas utilities to advance climate, equity, and resilience goals. It emphasizes moving beyond narrow legal scopes to incorporate specific climate actions, equitable funding, and infrastructure resilience, while highlighting the importance of overcoming informational asymmetries during negotiations.
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Document type: Guide
Making Good Green Jobs the Law
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the necessity and design of federal just transition legislation in Canada. It evaluates international best practices from 12 jurisdictions to provide a framework for protecting workers and communities during the shift to a low-carbon economy, emphasizing social dialogue, Indigenous partnership, and corporate accountability.
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Document type: Report
Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation
This briefing by RMI argues that reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States is essential for meeting climate goals, as transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The document outlines how systemic changes in land use, transportation pricing, and roadway design can reduce reliance on personal vehicles and mitigate the societal harms of urban sprawl.
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Document type: Briefing
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
As of August 2021, fewer than 1% of U.S. school buses are electric, with 95% still relying on diesel. Adoption is led by California and Montgomery County, Maryland, though deployment is heavily skewed toward suburban areas (64% of committed buses). While some electric buses are in highly vulnerable communities, this is largely due to targeted funding in California. Federal initiatives like the American Jobs Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework provide scaling opportunities, though the report warns that funding 'clean' fossil-fuel alternatives like natural gas hinders decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Report
COAL COST CROSSOVER 2.0
The report 'COAL COST CROSSOVER 2.0' analyzes the economic viability of the United States coal fleet compared to new wind and solar energy. It finds that a vast majority of existing coal capacity is now more expensive to operate than building new nearby renewable projects, a trend that is accelerating faster than previous forecasts.
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Document type: Report
Eight Benefits of Building Electrification for Households, Communities, and Climate
This fact sheet from RMI outlines the climate, health, and economic advantages of transitioning US buildings from fossil fuels to clean electricity for heating and cooking, arguing that electrification is the only established method to eliminate carbon pollution from residential and commercial appliances.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Unpacking the US CLEAN Future Act
The CLEAN Future Act, introduced on March 2, 2021, by U.S. Representative Frank Pallone and other House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership, proposes a framework to achieve a 100% clean economy in the United States by 2050. The briefing outlines the bill's targets for emissions reduction, its approach to climate federalism, investments in transportation and power, and provisions for environmental justice and worker transitions.
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Document type: Briefing
How to Build Clean Energy Portfolios
This guide by RMI provides a framework for updating electricity resource procurement processes for vertically integrated utilities in the US. It advocates for 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement to optimize the deployment of clean energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) during a period of significant projected investment.
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Document type: Guide
Securitization in Action: How US States Are Shaping an Equitable Coal Transition
This briefing by RMI examines how several US states are using securitization—a financing tool that replaces high-cost utility capital with low-interest ratepayer-backed bonds—to facilitate the equitable retirement of coal-fired power plants. The document details how this mechanism can lower electricity rates for consumers, enable utility investment in clean energy, and provide funding for displaced workers and affected communities.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing