Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

Gas plants failed at a scale that jeopardized grid reliability for large regions of the United States during severe winter storms in 2011 , 2014 , 2018 , 2021 , and 2022. Although the country’s federal energy regulator has had a disconcertingly nonchalant attitude towards these events.)

Fossil Fuels 289

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Technology 289

Enviromental Defense

JANUARY 20, 2025

Thats why Prime Minister Trudeaus 2021 promise to deliver a net-zero electricity grid by 2035 was important. Yet, reaching net zero also means phasing out polluting fossil fuel energy, so the government developed rules to impose a pollution limit on electricity producers. So, do they do the job? Lets have a look.

Electricity 78

Electricity Regulations Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 78

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 26, 2023

CARB’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) seeks to incentivize the production and sale of alternative, lower emissions transportation fuels in order to displace conventional fossil fuels. To identify which fuels should be promoted, CARB calculates the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels.

Regulations 312

Regulations Greenhouse Clean Air Act Politics 312

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 4, 2024

That 2013 headline resulted from the first effort to quantify emissions from the ‘carbon majors’ —fossil fuel companies and cement manufacturers whose businesses have contributed an outsized amount of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. Nearly two-thirds of industrial heat-trapping emissions can be traced to just 90 entities.

Fossil Fuels 316

Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2013 2015 316

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

This assessment wasn’t ExxonMobil’s idea, but was compelled by a successful shareholder resolution that was part of a 2021 investor revolt against the industry’s climate inaction that ultimately displaced several members of ExxonMobil’s Board of Directors.

Fossil Fuels 315

Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Paris Agreement Climate Change 315

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 4, 2022

Their efforts have paid off: The 27 resolutions demanding increased disclosure that went to a vote in 2021 averaged approximately 40 percent support, according to investment management firm Boston Trust Walden. ExxonMobil also funded the Consumer Energy Alliance , a pro-fracking front group run by PR firms on behalf of fossil fuel companies.

Fossil Fuels 264

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement 2020 Politics 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

California’s transportation fuel policy is knee deep in cow poop, and it’s not a good look. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering amendments to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation, but indicated they have no plans to address the problems caused by counter-productive subsidies for manure biomethane.

Fossil Fuels 331

Fossil Fuels Regulations Carbon Dioxide Renewable Energy 331

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 31, 2022

Many of my colleagues have already described the various ways we’ve gotten into this elevated fuel price mess, why doubling down on fossil fuels at this moment is a horrible idea, and why doing so would not improve our current or future economic, geopolitical or environmental problems. How Did We Get Here?

Clean Energy 246

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity 2020 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 22, 2022

Minnesotans are facing concurrent crises of climate change, high energy prices and inflation, and the inequitable public health impacts of fossil fuel air pollution. Renewable energy will help with all of that—but we need a grid that is designed for wind and solar instead of having to rely on expensive coal and gas plants.

Renewable Energy 363

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 26, 2023

That would be the straw man erected by defenders of the fossil fuel industry who claim that facing climate change is a doctrinaire liberal policy. One group that has filed resolutions in the past is the far-right National Center for Public Policy Research, which fossil fuel companies including ExxonMobil have funded.

Fossil Fuels 331

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Government 2021 331

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 23, 2024

Both fossil fuel and utility companies bear some responsibility for wildfires’ damage, and must be held accountable to ensure disadvantaged and low-income communities aren’t left to shoulder the costs and impacts of these disasters. Emissions traced to fossil fuel companies, on the other hand, have contributed to 19.8

Fossil Fuels 325

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Electricity 2019 325

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 22, 2023

Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, and Hurricane Irma in 2021 were all accompanied by the same question. This has got nothing to do with climate.This is not because of fossil fuels.” A 2021 analysis of more than 88,000 studies since 2012 now finds 99.9

2023 290

2023 Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2012 290

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

What are the physical limitations of this fossil fuel resource that make it vulnerable during, say, summer droughts , or the types of extreme heat waves the world has been experiencing for months now? But what does extreme weather actually do to cause gas plants to run into trouble?

Fossil Fuels 263

Fossil Fuels Cooling Electricity 2015 263

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 30, 2023

The key word here is “ intensity :” Fossil fuel companies often focus on emissions intensity, meaning emissions per barrel of oil, rather than absolute emissions, which is a set number measured in metric tons. That means Exxon still plans to spend the vast majority of its funds on fossil fuel exploration and production.

Fossil Fuels 298

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement 2030 Greenhouse 298

Enviromental Defense

JANUARY 28, 2025

This may seem like a setback for climate progress in Canada, but it simply underscores the limits of voluntary initiatives and the need for the government to enforce climate-aligned financial regulations. In 2021, at COP26 in Glasgow, Mark Carney helped create the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ).

Climate Change 96

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Regulations Government 96

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 23, 2023

For example, researchers at the Union of Concerned Scientists have directly linked fossil fuel producers’ Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions to increases in ocean acidification , global temperature, sea level rise and North American wildfires. So how does the fossil fuel industry think it should measure emissions?

Carbon Emissions 345

Carbon Emissions Fossil Fuels Greenhouse Sea Level 345

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 31, 2022

It issued five Flex Alerts in 2020, eight in 2021, but there’s only been one so far this year. I’d be remiss not to mention that, ever since the August 2020 power outages, California policymakers and regulators have been pulling out all the stops to maintain grid reliability. During the last couple of summers, California Gov.

Solar Power 299

Solar Power Fossil Fuels Electricity 2020 299

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 20, 2022

US ratepayers very likely will pay even more for electricity and heating this winter compared to the already-expensive winter of 2021-2022. Between 2015 and 2021, 274 North American oil and gas producers filed for bankruptcy with a debt load of $177 billion. The bankruptcies were set in motion even before 2020.

Fossil Fuels 340

Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide Electricity Natural Gas 340

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

The fossil fuel industry has systematically contaminated our environment with a wide range of toxic chemicals for over a century. A study of the causes of the explosion suggested the need for stronger safety regulations. Bermix Studio/Unsplash PM2.5: A study has shown that PM2.5 Another study found high levels of PM2.5

Ground-Level Ozone 287

Ground-Level Ozone Fossil Fuels Ozone Air Pollution 287

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

This is where the analysis behind AEO2022 dates itself to November 2021. From their thinking in November 2021, EIA projects that wholesale gas prices will remain less than $4.00/ million BTU through 2050, lower than gas prices in 2021. EIA also recently reported that US coal exports increased 23% between 2020 and 2021.

Natural Gas 290

Natural Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change Electricity 290

Legal Planet

AUGUST 31, 2023

That will require a huge increase in the amount of electric generation, at the same time that we’re also replacing existing fossil fuel capacity with renewables and storage. That in turn means that we need people with legal expertise relevant to permitting generators and transmission, both of which are highly regulated.

Law 299

Law Fossil Fuels Electricity 2019 299

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 21, 2023

A 2021 meta-analysis of over 40 peer-reviewed studies on the subject concluded that “there is no particular type of shopping that has an absolute environmental advantage and it is in no way possible to shop ourselves out of the environmental crisis.” How would that change if I hopped on the electric bus route at the end of my block?

Nitrogen Oxides 312

Nitrogen Oxides Electricity Fossil Fuels Air Pollution 312

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

They accounted for most of the failed generating capacity in a number of recent extreme weather events, including Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, according to Gas Malfunction , a new Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issue brief.

Clean Energy 359

Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides Fossil Fuels Electricity 359

Law Columbia

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

Starting in 2017, cities, counties, and states across the United States have filed claims (see here and here ) in state courts against fossil fuel companies seeking redress for the climate harms their products have caused. By Korey Silverman-Roati. Background. Many of these cases asserted nuisance and other tort law claims.

Fossil Fuels 85

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Clean Air Act Law 85

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

Illinois utilities Ameren and Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) are preparing distribution grid plans for the first time under new requirements established by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) , which the Illinois Legislature passed in September 2021.

Clean Energy 275

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels 2012 Law 275

Enviromental Defense

JUNE 6, 2024

Statement by Emilia Belliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – At today’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI), Members of Parliament grilled the fossil fuel industry about their climate pollution. Jun 6, 2024.

Fossil Fuels 139

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Greenhouse Sustainable Development 139

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 16, 2024

Smaller, decentralized growth in electric heat pumps for buildings, and electric transportation replacing fossil fuels also require more access to electricity and a modern grid. Nevada adopted a law called SB 448 in 2021, directing utilities to build transmission that meets state goals.

Electricity 298

Electricity Renewable Energy Clean Energy Law 298

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Winter is once again here, bringing great festivities and respite via holidays, but also great worries to energy regulators, grid operators, and communities about dangerous winter storms that can spread across large parts of the United States and negatively affect electric grid reliability. Source: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Electricity 338

Electricity Fossil Fuels 2011 2014 338

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

Last year, US drivers bought more than 800,000 new electric vehicles (EVs), 65 percent more than in 2021, even as overall car sales declined. percent in 2021. That’s a far cry from just six years ago, when EVs were considered a niche technology (and the fossil fuel baron Charles Koch and his minions wanted to keep it that way).

Electricity 338

Electricity Air Pollution 2030 Clean Air Act 338

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Just like in 2021, a lot of us may be thinking “it was not too bad.” However, 2021 saw the third most active hurricane season since record keeping began in 1851. In every direction, climate change impacts are the destination. Photo credit: Alicia Race. Hurricanes in 2022. And then there are the hurricanes.

2022 348

2022 Fossil Fuels Government 2005 348

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 10, 2022

The Governor approved a notable slate of climate legislation with a package that includes more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets and measures designed to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. The post 2021-2022 California Environmental Legislation: What’s Been Enacted? Clean Energy. Download as PDF.

2021 130

2021 2022 Sea Level Clean Energy 130

PA Environment Daily

OCTOBER 16, 2023

These comments are in addition to the more than 30,000 comments from individual pro-life Christians collected by EEN supporting former Governor Wolf’s RGGI rulemaking in 2021. As illustrated by my own hometown, the truth is that while fossil fuels have provided great benefits for Pennsylvanians, it has also come with a tremendous cost.

Fossil Fuels 107

Fossil Fuels Greenhouse Clean Energy Natural Gas 107

Legal Planet

AUGUST 6, 2023

However, it’s a disappointment to the initiative’s proponents and to a larger group of environmental advocates who seek to promote California’s quick transition from reliance on heavily-polluting and climate-damaging fossil fuels to renewable energy resources. The California Court of Appeal agreed in a 2021 decision.

Law 130

Law Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Regulations 130

PA Environment Daily

OCTOBER 7, 2024

On October 7, the Ohio River Valley Institute released the results of a new poll which found 90% of Pennsylvania voters support stricter regulations on the fracking industry, according to the poll conducted by Upswing Research for the Ohio River Valley Institute. Click Here for poll results narrative. Click Here for presentation slides.

Regulations 131

Regulations Natural Gas Clean Energy Electricity 131

Acoel

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Jonathan M. So add this to the growing list of decisions allowing local regulation of fossil fuel facilities. The post Local Regulation of Fossil Fuel Pipelines (or The Little City That Could) appeared first on ACOEL.

Fossil Fuels 52

Fossil Fuels Regulations Law 2021 52

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 24, 2022

Based on the analysis the state prepared as part of the scoping plan, demand for liquid transportation fuels like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel will be cut in half by 2034 (compared to 2021) and cut by three quarters by 2041 and by 85 percent in 2045.

Technology 312

Technology Technology Carbon Dioxide Electricity 312

Enviromental Defense

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

In this year’s edition of World Energy Outlook , the International Energy Agency showed that with the rapid roll out of renewable energy technologies, the demand for fossil fuels – gas, coal and oil – will peak this decade. These wildfires are the result of producing and burning fossil fuels. This is a big deal.

Fossil Fuels 116

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Greenhouse Government 116