Insights

The Climate Moment

August is usually a slow month on Capitol Hill, but that was not the case this summer. Both houses gave up parts of their recess to set up a potentially historic moment for climate action later this fall.

Last Term’s High Court Decisions Hint at an Incremental Strategy

September-October 2021

As the new Supreme Court terms begins, environmental professionals are waiting to see if the justices, one third of them recent appointments, will take more aggressive steps in this area than they did last term.

Going with the Flow Doesn't Cut It Anymore

The “Kafkaesque regime” that was natural gas pipeline approvals at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is facing more pushback.

When a Window Unit Isn't Cool Enough

As heat waves swept across the country, it is a good time to look at the benefits of heat pumps for cooling and to reduce reliance on traditional oil and gas heating in the colder months.

The DER future is nearly here? Stuck in the weeds on Order No. 2222 implementation

"In advance of the original compliance deadline for the order this month, the State Impact Center’s recent report, Are We There Yet?: Getting Distributed Energy Resources to Markets, takes a closer look at the compliance process in each regional market and where the delays are happening."

No Big News Yet From a Changed Court’s Environmental Docket

July-August 2021

With the addition of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court this term, environmental advocates are alert for inklings of how the Court’s new makeup will affect their work.

A Supreme Court Roundup on States and Environmental Law

As the Supreme Court wraps up its term, read this roundup of decisions involving states and the crucial issues that affect the nation’s grid and infrastructure as it grapples with a changing climate.

Are We There Yet? Getting Distributed Energy Resources to Markets

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order Nos. 841 and 2222 are two landmark orders which aim to open organized wholesale markets to new technologies in the transition to a clean energy future. This issue brief rounds up efforts to implement the orders, showing where there has been progress, where there have been delays, and what is at stake.

Getting to a Cleaner Grid

The wonky world of electricity markets has a real impact on how quickly decarbonization can occur (plus at what cost). Much work remains in the world of electricity markets. In this week’s commentary, we’ll break all this down.

AGs & Environmental Justice

State attorneys general are moving aggressively to ensure that environmental justice concerns are central to their environmental enforcement work.

PFAS Federal Legislation in the 117th Congress

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are bioaccumulative and environmentally persistent, have been widely used in commercial applications since the 1950s, and have been linked to a series of human health harms. The widespread public exposure to dangerous levels of chemicals in drinking water and other potential pathways has triggered significant concern in Congress.

A Whirlwind of Activity at Interior

On many fronts, the Interior Department is preparing the path forward to a clean energy future and unwinding harmful rules and decisions of the Trump era.