News & Commentary

Winter Storm Elliott Report Highlights the Risk of Natural Gas Failures

July 20, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, East, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, TexasDana Ammann

PJM’s report on Winter Storm Elliott found that gas generators were responsible for 70 percent of forced outages during December 2022. Climate change will only intensify future severe weather. 

Community Science Is Changing How People Can Fight Pollution

May 23, 2023 PerspectivesHouston, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, IllinoisCourtney Lindwall

Grassroots groups are collecting their own pollution data to increase accountability and demand environmental justice.

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

April 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez

Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

US Faith Leader to Visit UK, Urging: Cut Carbon Not Forests

February 2, 2023 Expert BlogInternational, South CarolinaElly Pepper

"Instead of harming vulnerable communities of color in the U.S., the U.K. should be rapidly shifting to secure, cheap, clean renewable energy like wind and solar.”

Delaware River Commission Further Guards Basin from Fracking

December 19, 2022 Expert BlogDelaware, New Jersey, New York, PennsylvaniaSahana Rao

The Delaware River Basin Commission has moved to further protect the 13,579 square-mile watershed by finalizing new rules that, among other things, ban the discharge of fracking wastewater.

PennEast Gas Pipeline Cancelled by Developers

September 27, 2021 Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Delaware, PennsylvaniaSahana Rao

Development of the PennEast Pipeline has been put on hold! This fracked gas pipeline would be disastrous for the Delaware River Basin and would exacerbate the climate crisis—here’s how we can stop the pipeline permanently.

Decarbonized Buildings & Vehicles Create Good Missouri Jobs

August 13, 2021 Expert BlogMissouriGabrielle Habeeb, Ashok Gupta

Eliminating carbon emissions from our building and transportation sectors will be critical to maintaining a healthy and livable climate. Decarbonizing these sectors is putting Missourians to work while investing in a cleaner, more climate resilient future.

Missouri's Path to a Clean Energy Future

July 27, 2021 Expert BlogMissouriGabrielle Habeeb, Ashok Gupta

Decarbonizing the power sector in Missouri will benefit all electricity consumers and contribute to a healthier and more livable climate. This can be 

Latin America at the Leaders Summit on Climate

April 23, 2021 Expert BlogArgentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, MexicoCarolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce, Amanda Maxwell

The five Latin American countries that participated in the Leaders Summit on Climate – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico – displayed a broad range of ambition. Once again, some countries demonstrated their willingness to be climate action leaders while…

The Kansas Energy Story—and Opportunity

April 22, 2021 Expert BlogKansasGabrielle Habeeb, Ashok Gupta

Kansas may not be the first state that comes to mind when you think “renewable energy powerhouse”—but it has become one.

MISO and SPP Can Benefit from a More Connected Grid

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogTexas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, MissouriToba Pearlman

Electric grids across the Midwest, South, and in Texas failed a key resilience test during last month’s winter storm, and one key conclusion is clear: The grids connected via transmission lines fared significantly better than those isolated and on their…

Fracking Banned in the Delaware River Basin!

February 25, 2021 Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, DelawareMarisa Guerrero, Kimberly Ong

The historic vote, made today by the Delaware River Basin Commission, signals a strong stance in favor of a fossil fuel–free future.

Cities Are Leading the Way: 2020 Wins & Look Ahead

December 17, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Charlotte, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, St. LouisJay Orfield, Kimi Narita

Cities made tremendous progress in their climate challenge goals throughout a difficult 2020. Now, cities are eyeing all that is possible in the new year.

A Catalyst for the Midwest’s Clean Energy Transition

December 1, 2020 NRDC in ActionKansas City (Kansas), St. Louis, Missouri, New York CityBrian Palmer

Ashok Gupta spent decades cleaning up New York’s grid and reducing its reliance on dirty fuels. Now he’s working to bring the clean energy future to the Midwest.

St. Louis Centers Equity in Innovative Green Job Training

November 16, 2020 Expert BlogSt. LouisStefan Schaffer

This fall, the city begins recruitment for a new green jobs training apprenticeship.

Ameren Missouri’s Future Is in Clean Energy

September 30, 2020 Expert BlogMissouriAshok Gupta, Gabrielle Habeeb

Ameren Missouri recently released an ambitious long-term strategic plan that will significantly cut carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy resources like wind, solar and storage.

St. Louis Building Code Update: Raising the Roof (Floor)

July 26, 2018 Expert BlogMissouriKatharine McCormick

St. Louis adopted the 2018 IECC, or International Energy Conservation Code, a model code that creates a floor for energy performance in new buildings. Because the IECC update addresses a wide range of energy uses in both commercial and residential…

The South Is Warming Up to Solar

May 11, 2018 DispatchGeorgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, MississippiRobynne Boyd

In the past five years, solar capacity in the South has increased nearly thirtyfold.

These Southern Cities Are Going 100 Percent Clean (Energy)

October 23, 2017 DispatchAtlanta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina, Orlando, St. Petersburg, FloridaRobynne Boyd

Here’s how they’re getting started.

Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic? “That’s Not Who We Are.”

July 24, 2017 DispatchEast, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, GeorgiaRobynne Boyd

Southern communities prefer their coastlines sandy, beautiful, and bountiful—not filled with rigs and air guns blasting ships or covered in oil.