Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

I recently had the chance to visit the Los Angeles Auto Show and I was amazed at the number of electric vehicle (EV) offerings. Electric pickup trucks like this Ford F-150 Lightning have much lower global warming emissions than comparable gasoline trucks, even when accounting for electricity generation and manufacturing emissions. .

Electricity 299

Electricity 2026 Regulations 2015 299

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

Since the beginning of 2022, electric vehicle sales in the United States have been downright electrifying. 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. billion to help California drivers switch from gasoline to electricity.

Electricity 323

Electricity Air Pollution 2030 Clean Air Act 323

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 6, 2025

As the year kicks off with a very cold January weather forecast, US power grid operators and the regulators who oversee them are paying close attention to ensure that the grid failures of several past extreme winter storms dont happen again. These outages differ from other, more common types of outages.) Although much shorter than the 4.5

Fossil Fuels 256

Fossil Fuels Electricity Wind Power Solar Power 256

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 17, 2025

In the rush to integrate artificial intelligence into the economy, fast-moving information technology companies are running into a problem: slow-moving electric utilities. In more ways than one, the electricity supply so vital to running a data center simply doesnt respond the way Silicon Valley and big investors want.

Electricity 196

Electricity Nuclear Power Technology Technology 196

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 16, 2024

Much of our electricity system is 50 to 70 years old, yet current plans for domestic manufacturing, electric vehicle fleets, community solar gardens and more clean energy all depend on a modern grid. New demands for electricity and the need to reduce climate-changing emissions are driving new grid planning efforts.

Electricity 257

Electricity Renewable Energy Clean Energy Law 257

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 15, 2024

The fuel, commonly known as natural gas, now powers the biggest portion of US electricity generation—more than 40 percent. Moreover, gas-fired electricity generation hurts communities and the environment in numerous additional ways beyond climate. Good decision making starts with having good information about details like those.

Renewable Energy 274

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Nitrogen Oxides 274

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

We progress despite regular cries of impending doom from regulated industries and their enablers. The results are always a cleaner environment and a stronger economy, driven by innovation chasing new opportunity. But it’s never easy. Yet California continually succeeds, through the courage of our convictions and navigating through the noise.

Air Pollution 279

Air Pollution Fossil Fuels Greenhouse 2010 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 23, 2024

Residential electricity rates for many Californians have increased significantly over the last year, making it more expensive to charge an electric vehicle (EV) at home. It’s still cheaper to recharge an EV than buy gasoline, but those savings have been eroded by surging electric rates. to $9.54.

Electricity 262

Electricity Fossil Fuels 2026 Climate Change 262

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

At this point, I’d wager that pretty much everyone in the US either has been affected or knows someone who has been affected recently by a natural disaster-related electric power outage. Indeed, for people who use electric-powered medical devices, a power outage is life-threatening. That doesn’t reduce the hardship of a power outage.

Fossil Fuels 212

Fossil Fuels Electricity Cooling Waste 212

Legal Planet

AUGUST 29, 2023

Under new legislation, California is moving to a novel system that includes income-based fixed charges for electricity. Public utility commissions are tasked with designing retail electricity rates that allow utilities to cover their costs and ensure that customers receive reliable and affordable electricity service.

Electricity 246

Electricity Law Conservation Climate Change 246

Circle of Blue

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Groundwater regulation, legal rights to clean water, and spending measures highlight this election cycle. Voters in parts of Cochise and Graham counties will decide whether to join the state’s more populated districts and regulate groundwater extraction. Local Regulation. Photo © Keith Schneider / Circle of Blue.

Regulations 264

Regulations 2022 Politics Electricity 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Last spring, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) , which operates the electricity grid serving 45 million people across the central United States, found o ut it was at a higher risk of power outages than it believed. The result, as I explain below, was skyrocketing electricity bills for thousands of people.

Electricity 239

Electricity Clean Energy Natural Resources 2022 239

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

To reach the state’s goals of 100% clean electricity and economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2045, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has been tasked with planning the clean electricity transition via its Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process. But the turn is not yet over.

Clean Energy 263

Clean Energy Regulations 2030 Electricity 263

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 13, 2022

This new regulation would apply to delivery vans, big rigs, box trucks, and buses. Regulate more tractor trucks, including the smaller fleets. and NOx emissions reductions from tractor trucks while still only regulating around 13 percent of California tractor fleets. This has two positives.

Electricity 239

Electricity Air Pollution Nitrogen Oxides 2030 239

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 14, 2024

This can happen through stringent government regulation, reputation, private certification, or some combination of these. The IRA provides a subsidy for purchases of electric vehicles for people making less than $300,000 per year. Simply calling for more effective regulation has not been adequate to halt this trend.

Deforestation 278

Deforestation Carbon Emissions Government Regulations 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

In extreme weather, when electricity demand is at its highest and the grid needs gas plants the most, gas plants have been failing at alarming rates. Although the country’s federal energy regulator has had a disconcertingly nonchalant attitude towards these events.) Gas power plants have a problem.

Fossil Fuels 240

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Technology 240

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

At the Union of Concerned Scientists, we’ve been looking into the benefits rural drivers could enjoy from switching from a gasoline vehicle to an electric vehicle. The lack of an accessible outlet to charge an EV at home is one such challenge faced by drivers when considering switching to an electric vehicle.

Electricity 278

Electricity 2025 2028 2026 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 19, 2023

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently developing a regulation to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from trucks, known as the Phase 3 GHG standards, which would in theory result in increased adoption of electric trucks. Adapted from Table A2 in ICCT’s January 2023 study mentioned above.

Electricity 209

Electricity Air Pollution Regulations 2023 209

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

The natural gas stored in Aliso Canyon can be withdrawn during times of high demand, for use by electricity generators and by direct gas consumers. After a demand forecast shows projected peak demand remaining below a specific threshold, a proceeding can be opened to potentially close the facility.

2024 279

2024 2022 2027 Natural Gas 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 25, 2022

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Without power grid modeling tools, the transition to clean electricity would be an absolute mess. Luckily, we don’t have to resort to guesswork because we have sophisticated grid modeling tools that help guide the transition to clean electricity. Are you ready for my wonkiest blog post yet?

Electricity 268

Electricity Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 268

Environment + Energy Leader

MAY 5, 2023

Likewise, the implementation of the truck marks an important step toward new California regulations that require the adoption of zero-direct emission truck refrigeration technologies.

Electricity 244

Electricity Technology Technology Regulations 244

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

It’s immediately clear how fully-electric battery electric vehicles (BEVs) can help reduce emissions; eliminating gasoline and tailpipes in favor of increasingly clean electricity helps limit both climate change and air pollution. Plug-in hybrids are a bit more complicated. BEV or PHEV?

Electricity 324

Electricity Air Pollution Regulations 2019 324

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 15, 2022

The EPA is getting ready to finalize a critical regulation limiting emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NO X ) and soot (or particulate matter, PM 2.5 ) from new heavy-duty trucks. State regulations have strict inducements, so the degree to which EPA aligns with such parameters is important. Limits on mal-maintenance/tampering.

Regulations 212

Regulations 2027 Nitrogen Oxides Technology 212

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

Bidirectional EVs Could Be the New Standard Electric vehicles (EVs) should be a clean transportation and a clean energy solution. This could let drivers use these batteries to power critical appliances during emergencies, their homes during power shutoffs, or even the grid when electricity demand is high.

Fossil Fuels 192

Fossil Fuels Recycling Clean Energy 2004 192

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Klein Chair, who has long studied public utility regulation, electricity market design, and renewable energy finance. Ruthie Lazenby, a UCLA Law fellow and Legal Planet blogger who is currently writing a series on community solar , is also contributing to E-CELL.

Law 325

Law Renewable Energy Clean Energy Fossil Fuels 325

Circle of Blue

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

Increasing income taxes on California’s wealthiest residents to pay for electric vehicles and wildfire prevention: a solid no. Regulating groundwater extraction in southeast Arizona: yes and no. Farther west, groundwater regulation in southeastern Arizona appeared headed to a split decision. billion environmental bond.

2022 328

2022 Electricity Regulations Law 328

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 10, 2023

electricity to about one-fifth today. The decline probably wasn’t due to environmental regulation. In fact, there was a surge in construction of new coal plants after 1970 due to high electricity demand. Regulation may have made a difference, since coal requires more extensive pollution controls than competing fuels.

2012 278

2012 2008 Clean Air Act Renewable Energy 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 3, 2023

According to the California Energy Commission, more than one in five of all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state at the start of this year was a zero-emission vehicle, which includes plug-in hybrids, battery electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. More than 16 percent of new cars sold this year are fully electric plug-ins.

Electricity 264

Electricity Regulations 2026 Air Pollution 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 19, 2023

In late April, California air regulators are poised to pass one of the most meaningful regulations to reduce pollution from commercial trucks, vans, and buses. A full transition to electric drayage truck operations in 2035. After 2036, all new MHDVs sold in California will be electric. There are more than 1.8

Electricity 260

Electricity Nitrogen Oxides Fossil Fuels Regulations 260

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 11, 2025

The House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee is scheduled to meet March 18 to consider six pieces of legislation-- -- Notice Of Oil & Gas Permits: House Bill 43 (Conklin-D-Centre) require publication of newspaper notice of oil and gas well permits; -- Invertebrate Biodiversity: House Bill 441 (Pielli-D-Chester) amends the (..)

Regulations 75

Regulations Waste Renewable Energy Natural Resources 75

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 22, 2022

California’s air pollution regulator, the Air Resources Board, is poised to adopt one of the most important steps that the state has ever taken to reduce exposure to air pollution and limit climate changing emissions. The ACCII regulations have several key components that make sure gasoline tailpipe pollution is greatly reduced.

Air Pollution 282

Air Pollution 2026 Nitrogen Oxides 2030 282

Enviromental Defense

AUGUST 28, 2024

Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today’s announcement by Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is a significant and shocking reversal on electricity planning in Ontario.

Electricity 127

Electricity Fossil Fuels Natural Gas Clean Energy 127

Enviromental Defense

JANUARY 14, 2025

At the top of the list of key climate regulations that need to be finalized before March 24th is the governments cap on pollution from the oil and gas industry. If a policy isnt finalized before March 24th, its unlikely to ever be. As a refresher, although Parliament is not active during prorogation, civil servants and Ministers still are.

Politics 109

Politics Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Climate Change 109

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Storage technology is threatening to upend one of the central axioms of the energy system: that the electricity generation and consumption must balance on a minute-by-minute basis. At the center of traditional utility regulation was a system of price control intended to protect consumers from monopoly prices. Economic changes.

Law 246

Law Fossil Fuels Regulations Electricity 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Switching from gasoline and diesel engines to electric motors is one of the most effective ways to reduce both global warming emissions and air pollution. In California, driving on electricity using the average plug-in vehicle can lower emissions to that of a hypothetical gasoline car that achieves 116 miles per gallon fuel economy.

Air Pollution 293

Air Pollution Electricity Climate Change 2030 293

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

More efficient (and cleaner) gasoline cars are part of the reason why gasoline use is down, but the increasing number of electric vehicles being sold in the state will likely drive gasoline use down even further. These regulations (both state and federal) that UCS has advocated for have saved drivers money and reduced emissions.

Carbon Dioxide 247

Carbon Dioxide 2005 Electricity Nitrogen Oxides 247

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Rate design has been a site of experimentation and contestation since the earliest days of electricity provisioning. In the earliest days of electricity provisioning, fixed charges were common in residential rates due to the limits of metering technology. Regulators and policymakers began to reevaluate their approach to rate design.

Electricity 247

Electricity Regulations 2017 Technology 247