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Bending the CurvePosted by: Tony Dutzik on If the DoE's projections are to be believed, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States effectively peaked in 2007 and will not surpass the 2007 emission level until at least 2035, even if we do nothing else to curb global warming but implement the policies we already have in place. |
Another Risk of Nuclear PowerPosted by: Rob Kerth on The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, of which we are rapidly producing the one year anniversary, produced a blizzard of headlines. The news was full of new attempts to bring reactors back under control, evacuations from areas surrounding the power plant, and repeated reassessments of how serious the situation at the stricken facility was. And, over and over again throughout the new stories, mentions of water. We read about massive amounts of water being used to cool the reactors, radioactive water being dumped into the ocean, and warnings about the safety of drinking water dozens of miles or more from the actual site of the accident. |
A Useful New Tool for Looking at Global Warming EmissionsPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has unveiled a great new tool for learning more about specific sources of global warming pollution, such as power plants, refineries and landfills. EPA’s GHGData tool increases the transparency and user-friendliness of data the agency already collects. And not only is the data easy to find, but it is easy to share. |
The Little Train that Could ... and DidPosted by: Tony Dutzik on In an era of high gasoline prices and limited transportation choices, the case for investment in passenger rail is clear. In some places, true high-speed rail is the answer. But in others, simply getting the trains rolling again is an important first step. Ten years later, Maine's Downeaster has gone from uncertain experiment to unqualified success. |
California Cities – Leading the Race Toward a Clean Energy FuturePosted by: Travis Madsen on Our latest report tracks the progress of California's cities in transforming their energy infrastructure with solar photovoltaic power. |
Something's Happening Here; What it Is Is Increasingly ClearPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Let’s hope that the growing realization of the “sea change” in Americans’ driving behavior is followed by a more vigorous debate about how to retool transportation policy to provide the alternatives that Americans increasingly want and deserve. |
Washington State Becomes a Little More DemocraticPosted by: Benjamin Davis on Washington state debuted its online checkbook last week, joining the Transparency 2.0 movement and giving Evergreen Staters the ability to monitor many aspects of government spending. |
Uranium Mining Banned in Grand CanyonPosted by: Jordan Schneider on In the last ten years, the threat of toxic pollution from uranium mining has rapidly encroached upon the Grand Canyon, one of our greatest national treasures. Fortunately, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has just announced that the Obama Administration will place a 20-year moratorium on new uranium mining on 1 million acres of land around the rim of the canyon. |
Solar Energy Took My MilkmanPosted by: Tony Dutzik on The solar industry was the nation’s fastest-growing industry in 2010 and appears poised for continued growth … so long as the policy support that has helped nurture the industry in places like California remains intact. |
A Major Step Forward for Energy Efficiency in MarylandPosted by: Jordan Schneider on In Maryland, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has just moved to get one of the country’s most ambitious energy efficiency programs back on track. |
New Report: An Unsustainable PathPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on Maryland produces roughly 300 million chickens annually, more than 50 chickens per Maryland resident. Those chickens produce hundreds of thousands of tons of manure and waste each year. If those 300 million chickens were raised on small farms scattered throughout the state, perhaps all their manure could be usefully applied as fertilizer to cropland. |
2011 Year in ReviewPosted by: Tony Dutzik on From city halls to Capitol Hill, Frontier Group’s research lent critical support to campaigns on issues ranging from government accountability to global warming, while also helping to lay the factual and intellectual foundation for even more ambitious efforts in the years ahead. |
Fukushima: A Case Study in Getting it WrongPosted by: Tony Dutzik on At a time when people were hungry for any credible information about what was happening at Fukushima, the reassuring words of a Ph.D. associated with a major research university appeared to fill that gap. |
New Report: America's Emerging Clean Energy CapitalPosted by: Jordan Schneider on At the turn of the 21st century, Houston’s leaders are working to secure the city’s continued global energy leadership by tapping a new resource: clean energy. |
Getting the Message OutPosted by: Travis Madsen on A great television news clip covers our recent report on California's progress toward building a million solar roofs. |
New Report: A Smart SolutionPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on The commitment that Maryland made in 2008 to invest in energy efficiency is starting to pay off. Lower electricity use and lower peak demand have begun to save money for consumers and spurred local economic activity. A Smart Solution explains how consumers will spend $60 million less per year on their power bills as a result of recent energy efficiency investments, and how local businesses have benefited from investments in efficiency. |
New Report: America's Biggest Mercury PollutersPosted by: Travis Madsen on In 2011, environmental health advocates are poised to win a major victory -- requiring coal- and oil-fired power plants to clean up their toxic pollution. Our newest report looks at how the new standards will protect public health from dangerous mercury emissions. |
Federal Fuel Economy Proposal Shows the Power of State ActionPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on If adopted, yesterday’s proposal by the Obama administration to strengthen fuel economy and global warming standards for cars and light trucks will be the nation’s biggest effort yet to reduce global warming pollution and oil dependence. This progress is testament to the power of state-level action to protect the environment. |
Solar Panels Don’t Grow on Trees, Just Telephone PolesPosted by: Tony Dutzik on New Jersey receives the benefits of a small peaking power plant without having to use a single square inch of land or create any additional air pollution, and the solar panels will continue to generate power for years to come, without adding to the Garden State’s dependence on fossil fuels. |
New Report: Building a Brighter FuturePosted by: Travis Madsen on California is successfully building a brighter future by making solar power into a commonplace and affordable energy resource. Our newest report celebrates how far we have come. |
Another Vision of the Way Forward on Energy and ClimatePosted by: Tony Dutzik on RMI’s latest effort, Reinventing Fire, shows how aggressive implementation of clean energy technologies can move the United States toward complete freedom from fossil fuels by 2050 – well within my kids’ expected lifetimes and possibly (if I’m lucky) my own. |
We Can Stop What's ComingPosted by: Travis Madsen on This past weekend, activists surrounded the White House, calling for President Obama to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Their actions matter. We can stop what's coming. |
New Report: Common ConnectionsPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Massachusetts is expected to add 600,000 senior citizens to its population by 2030 (compared with 2000 figures), with many of those seniors “aging in place” in suburban communities that are difficult to reach with existing transit services. Demand for transit service is already on the rise, with significant increases in ridership in recent years. |
Back to the FuturePosted by: Tony Dutzik on It’s time to check up on a few items we’ve addressed previously here on the blog that are back in the news this week. |
Caution: Red Light Cameras AheadPosted by: Travis Madsen on Frontier Group's new report about the potential pitfalls associated with privatizing traffic law enforcement is receiving national media attention. |
I Am the 70 Percent!Posted by: Tony Dutzik on Why are the desires of what we might call (conservatively) “the 70 percent” of Americans who consistently support stronger environmental protections so often marginalized? It is not because of the efforts of "Republicans" or "Democrats" - rather, it is because of the pervasive power of special interests who benefit financially from their ability to pollute without consequence. |
New Report: The Way Forward on Global WarmingPosted by: Tony Dutzik on The adoption of a suite of state and local policies could curb U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by more than one-third by 2030 – not enough to prevent dangerous global warming, but still a sizeable down-payment on the emission reductions science tells us we need to achieve. |
Frontier Group Report Again Sets the Standard for a State Transparency WebsitePosted by: Benjamin Davis on Recently, West Virginia created their website, TransparencyWV, along Frontier Group's guidelines. Not only did West Virginia take a big step toward Transparency 2.0 by simply creating TransparencyWV, but the website is actually one of the best in the country. Its easy-to-use structure and wide range of information will now provide West Virginians with a comprehensive look into government spending. |
News Flash: Congestion Still Not Getting WorsePosted by: Tony Dutzik on By both of TTI's major measures - delay per driver and Travel Time Index - the average driver experienced less traffic congestion than he or she did at the end of the Clinton administration. Even when considered in the aggregate, Americans are spending less time stuck in traffic than they did in 2005. |
Americans Are Driving Less. Washington Should Pay Attention.Posted by: Tony Dutzik on The main question shouldn't be whether we spend too much or too little on those programs. Instead, we should ask why we continue to spend vast sums on building new highway capacity - especially when there are far more productive ways to invest that money. |