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Limiting the Cost of Renewables: Lessons for California
This research paper evaluates various cost-limiting tools used in U.S. state renewable energy policies—including alternative compliance payments, contract price caps, and retail rate impact caps—to provide recommendations for California's RPS cost limitation. The analysis finds that while cost limits can insure against extreme costs, they often create market uncertainty, may be set based on political rather than economic data, and can inadvertently act as price floors, potentially hindering the achievement of renewable energy targets.
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Document type: Research paper
Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Agriculture Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report
This briefing synthesises the IPCC SREX report's findings on climate extremes and the agriculture sector. It highlights that disaster risk is increasing due to higher exposure and vulnerability, particularly in developing countries. Key threats include intensified droughts, heatwaves, and flooding, which cause significant economic losses and threaten food security. The document advocates for 'climate-smart' agriculture, improved disaster risk management, and a combination of short-term coping strategies and long-term structural adaptations to build resilience.
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Document type: Briefing
Should Texas Be Included in the Cross‐State Air Pollution Rule?
This briefing examines the dispute over the EPA's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) in Texas. It counters claims from state officials and Luminant Generation Co. that the rule would cause blackouts and job losses, arguing that many plants already have the necessary scrubbers installed and that compliance deadlines extend to March 2013. The document asserts that Texas's inclusion in the SO2 program is justified by historical emission averages and will lead to significant public health improvements by 2014.
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Document type: Briefing
CCS + COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
This document presents six case studies of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects in the United States, the Netherlands, and Australia to analyze the role of community engagement in project outcomes. It contrasts successful projects that utilized two-way consultation and transparency with failed projects characterized by one-way information delivery, lack of trust, or unilateral changes to project benefits.
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Document type: Case study
State Actions on Climate Change: A Focus on How Our Communities Grow
This report by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) analyzes how state climate action plans in the United States incorporate land use, transportation, and green building policies as of July 2009. It finds that while transportation and green building are common, specific 'smart growth' land use practices are the least frequent component of these plans.
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Document type: Report
Global Warming Case Taken Up By Supreme Court Statement of Norman Dean, Executive Director, Friends of the Earth
A statement by Norman Dean, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, regarding the Supreme Court's decision to hear a case on whether the Bush Administration must regulate carbon dioxide emissions under the Clean Air Act.
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Document type: Statement
Developing Solar Friendly Communities
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides an overview of model standards and policy design criteria for permitting, inspection, interconnection, and net metering of distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems. It aims to help local governments and utilities reduce non-hardware balance of system costs—which can account for up to 40% of installed system costs—by adopting streamlined, standardized processes. The document highlights specific model frameworks such as the Solar ABCs Expedited Permit Process and IREC Model Interconnection Procedures, while detailing the existing solar-friendly policy landscape in Colorado.
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Document type: Report
Legislation to Implement the POPs, PIC, and LRTAP POPs Agreements
This written testimony by Glenn M. Wiser of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives on March 2, 2006, advocates for legislation to implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the LRTAP POPs Protocol, and the Rotterdam PIC Convention. Wiser compares two proposed bills to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—H.R. 4800 (Solis bill) and H.R. 4591 (Gillmor bill)—arguing that only the Solis bill adequately implements the health and environmental protection goals of the Stockholm Convention.
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Document type: Statement
Legislation to implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
A joint statement from numerous environmental and health organizations urging the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce to support the Solis bill (H.R. 4800) over the Gillmor bill (H.R. 4591) to implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) via amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
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Document type: Statement
Battling Fuel Waste in the Military
The report 'Battling Fuel Waste in the Military' by Amory Lovins (RMI) argues that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) suffers from systemic fuel inefficiency due to a failure to account for the high cost of fuel delivery (logistics). By ignoring these costs during the design of weapons platforms and ships, the DOD maintains inefficient equipment that increases operational costs and inhibits warfighting capability. The author suggests that adopting fuel-saving technologies and 'green design' could save billions of dollars annually and improve military agility and security.
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Document type: Report
The U. S. Experience with Economic Incentives for Protecting the Environment
This report section details the use of economic incentives—specifically pollution charges, fees, and taxes—to protect the environment in the United States. It examines various instruments including water and air emission fees, solid waste disposal charges, product taxes, and specialized fees for wetlands and grazing, analyzing their roles in raising revenue and incentivizing pollution reduction.
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Document type: Report
pops_bills_28feb2006-95846d82e9477a0d.pdf
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the status of the United States' ratification of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and evaluates proposed implementing legislation in the U.S. Congress. It argues that the Solis TSCA bill (H.R. 4800) is the only proposal that aligns with the treaty's health-based standards and supports state-level environmental protections.
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Document type: Report
stateagspopsletter-967e5ecbdb84bb51.pdf
A letter dated February 28, 2006, from several U.S. state Attorneys General to the House Committee on Energy & Commerce opposing specific provisions of HR 4591. The bill aims to implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs Treaty), but the signees argue it contains overly broad preemption language and flawed EPA review procedures that would hinder state and federal environmental protections.
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Document type: Statement
factsheet_climate_jobs_2026-e03b293b11f1cf23.pdf
This fact sheet reports that the U.S. had over 4 million climate jobs in 2024, with clean energy job growth outpacing overall U.S. job growth more than threefold. Energy efficiency is the largest sector, while solar and wind are the fastest-growing renewable sectors. The report also notes a rise in the adaptation and resilience industry and the impact of federal legislation on job creation.
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Document type: Fact sheet
U.S. Transformational Trucking Environment and Efficiency in Freight Mobility
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) examines the inefficiencies within the U.S. heavy-duty trucking industry, specifically Class 7 and 8 trucks. It identifies a fragmented value chain and cultural barriers as primary obstacles to efficiency, while asserting that existing technology could double trucking efficiency through improvements in platform, operations, and regulation.
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Document type: Report
NATURAL CAPITALISM
This report chapter explores 'green development,' demonstrating how the integration of resource efficiency, environmental sensitivity, and human well-being can lead to superior financial performance in real estate. Through various case studies of commercial buildings, residential developments, and hotels, the text argues that intelligent design reduces operating costs, increases labor productivity, and enhances property value while restoring community and ecological health.
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Document type: Report
FutureGen And The Department of Energy's Advanced Coal Programs
This testimony by Sarah Forbes of the World Resources Institute (WRI) to the U.S. House of Representatives emphasizes the urgent need for a global network of carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstrations to mitigate climate change, specifically highlighting the necessity of collaboration with China and the establishment of international funding and regulatory frameworks.
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Document type: Statement
Testimony of Dr. Jonathan Pershing before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislative Hearing on America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, S. 2191
Dr. Jonathan Pershing of the World Resources Institute provided testimony to the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee supporting the America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191). He argued that the bill's cap-and-trade system would provide a necessary price signal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at modest economic costs while positioning the United States to lead international climate action.
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Document type: Statement
Harnessing Nature’s Power
This report by the World Resources Institute provides a comprehensive guide for U.S. businesses on the deployment and financing of on-site renewable energy systems, including solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, and geothermal heat pumps. It details the economic and financial benefits, various ownership and financing models, and the associated risks and objectives for corporate energy management.
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Document type: Report
state-electric-school-buses-us-feb-2023-9a52733522f22914.pdf
This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) tracks the adoption of electric school buses (ESBs) in the United States as of September 30, 2022. It details the number of committed vehicles, the primary funding sources driving adoption, the types of buses being purchased, and an analysis of whether the transition is occurring equitably across different demographic and pollution-burdened areas.
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Document type: Report