On January 28, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to receive testimony on S. 1600, the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2013. This Act that would enable domestic production of critical minerals necessary in the manufacturing of many clean energy technologies. Overview Critical minerals play and important role in…
President Obama has directed EPA and DOT to develop fuel efficiency and emissions standards for medium- and heavy duty vehicles beyond model year 2018. On February 18, 2014, President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop the next phase of…
The California Air Resources Board’s proposed AB 32 Scoping Plan update calls for a mid-term emissions reduction target and recommends sector-specific actions. On February 10, 2014, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) released its Proposed First Update to the AB 32 Scoping Plan, outlining priorities and recommendations to achieve the state’s long-term climate goal of…
EPA’s 2013 enforcement results show violators paid more than $5.6B in fines, civil penalties, restitution, and environmental projects. On February 7, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its FY 2013 enforcement and compliance report detailing results of EPA civil and criminal enforcement programs and estimated environmental benefits. The results highlight that violators paid more…
On January 21, Kilowatt Financial announced $100 million debt facility with Citi to support residential energy efficiency upgrades. One day later, Joule Assets announced a $100 million fund to aggregate energy efficiency and demand response projects for private equity investors. Overview Although creative energy efficiency financing has existed for decades, new mechanisms are emerging to…
USDA’s Climate Hubs will establish regional climate science networks to strengthen agriculture and forestry response to climate risks. On February 5, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of seven Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change to strengthen agriculture and forestry response to climate impacts. The measure is…
Solar carve-outs have been implemented as part of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in 14 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, helping to support the expansion of solar energy projects throughout the nation. All of these states are on track to meet their long-term compliance goals, and all show increasing percentages of annual RPS…
NASA’s 2013 global temperature data show continued long-term climate warming trend with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) at its highest level in 800,000 years. On January 21, 2014, the National Aeronautics Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) in New York released a report analyzing 2013 global surface temperatures. The report showed that the…
The nine RGGI states have announced the first carbon allowance auction under the tougher 2014 emissions cap of 91 million tons. On January 13, 2014, the nine member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced the new 2014 carbon cap of 91 million tons, approximately 45 percent below the previous cap of 165…
EPA has issued final Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations to conditionally exclude carbon dioxide (CO2) streams in geologic sequestration activities from the definition of hazardous waste. On January 3, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final revisions for hazardous waste management under RCRA to conditionally exclude CO2 streams from the definition of…
New set-top box efficiency standards are expected to save more than $1B on annual consumer energy bills. On December 23, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced non-regulatory efficiency standards to improve pay-television set-top box efficiency by 10 to 45 percent by 2017. The agreement, developed in coordination with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),…
EIA’s latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projects a 56 percent increase in natural gas production by 2040, overtaking coal as the largest share of U.S. electric power generation. On December 16, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the AEO 2014 Early Release Overview presenting updated projections for U.S. energy markets through 2040. The AEO…
