Surging oil prices may tempt oil and gas companies to make long-term investment decisions that cost shareholders dearly, but a cautious “managed” approach to the energy transition would do most to preserve shareholder value and help society achieve climate goals, Carbon Tracker finds in our report, Managing Peak Oil: Why rising oil prices could create […]
Based on our first ever survey of solar developers, ILSR’s new report shows how electric utilities and policymakers are creating unexpected delays and added costs for solar projects and slowing the growth of local solar. The report, 2021 Local Solar Developer Survey, seeks to identify the most common and impactful barriers to local solar through findings from the […]
In her first major policy action, Boston Michelle Wu signed an ordinance on Monday to divest public funds from fossil fuels. The measure prohibits public investment in any financial instrument deriving more than 15% of its revenue from fossil fuels, as well as from tobacco products or jail or prison facilities. By Nexus Media News […]
Since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, many residents and environmental advocates have called for new clean energy sources for the island. Currently Puerto Rico gets more than 97% of its electricity from imported fossil fuel. Power is expensive and unreliable. The Biden Administration has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help Puerto Rico transition to […]
Yesterday, Consumer Watchdog and Fractracker Alliance revealed in an alarming report that California oil and gas regulators have approved 9,728 oil drilling permits since Governor Gavin Newsom assumed office in January 2019. By Dan Bacher Here is their full report: Governor Newsom’s oil regulators have approved 9,728 oil drilling permits since he assumed office in […]
As regulated monopolies, though they own and operate the distribution grid, utility companies must follow the rules set for them and guarantee customers certain rights. In Minnesota, and in any state with net metering policy, customers have the right to build rooftop solar and connect it to the distribution grid. Minnesota also has a community solar policy, […]
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) has released a report analyzing the challenges of recycling plastic in five major U.S. cities, closing out Plastic Free July. Today, solid waste disposal costs cities and residents – with their health and their pocketbooks. The cities in this study have the potential to be at the forefront of […]
More than 250 frontline community members and elected officials from across California rallied in Ventura — the fastest warming county in the US, according to rally organizers — to demand action from California Governor Gavin Newsom on fossil fuels. By Dan Bacher The rally took place at the site of a gas compressor station SoCalGas, a subsidiary […]
This week marked the 1-year anniversary of the revelation of the $61 million bribery and racketeering scandal surrounding House Bill 6 (HB 6). This law removed all energy efficiency standards, slashed renewable energy standards, and continues to provide a bailout for two coal plants built in the 1950s (one of which is out of state). […]
In 2008, as big banks began failing across Wall Street and the housing and stock markets crashed, the nation saw how crucial financial regulation is for economic stability – and how quickly the consequences can cascade through the economy when regulators are asleep at the wheel. By Garth Heutel, Georgia State University; Givi Melkadze, Georgia […]
Nearly all public pension funds in the U.S. are invested in fossil fuel companies – and thus using our tax dollars to support the powerful polluters that are causing the climate crisis and violating Indigenous rights. By Stand.Earth, Campaign Action and DailyKos Climate change is the greatest threat to our planet and to humanity. Already, […]
The climate crisis will affect every aspect of our society—the financial sector very much included. We no longer live in the stable climate that our economy was built upon. In fact, economists and major investors warn that the climate crisis already poses a systemic risk to our financial system. By Michael Brune Sierra Club The […]
One of the most expensive Wall Street shareholder battles on record could signal a big shift in how hedge funds and other investors view sustainability. Mark DesJardine, Penn State and Tima Bansal, Western University The Conversation Exxon Mobil Corp. has been fending off a so-called proxy fight from a hedge fund known as Engine No. […]
Put yourself in the shoes of a government planner, power company executive, school superintendent, manufacturer or homeowner. You need to buy an expensive piece of equipment that could be used for decades to come. Spending on projects like power plants, boilers, buildings, vehicles and other types of infrastructure is always an exercise in current budget […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom on May 14 unveiled his May budget revision that allocates $200 million to plug abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells, many located near low-income residential areas where the majority of residents are Latino and Black. By Dan Bacher In January 2020, a report by the California Council on Science & Technology revealed that California taxpayers could […]