Topic: us policy

This paper presents detailed manufacturing energy-use and economic-activity data along with state-by-state policy summaries for the 10 member states of the Midwestern Governors Association. To help inform ongoing policy discussions across the region, this paper offers a snapshot of industrial energy use and current state approaches to reducing industrial energy intensity and energy costs for manufacturers.

This brief provides an overview of the Carbon Canopy, a novel partnership among companies, landowners, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that seeks to leverage markets for ecosystem services to increase the area of southern U.S. forests certified as sustainably managed. It is designed to inform companies, NGOs, and other organizations interested in developing or participating in similar programs that link forest certification with carbon offsets.

New rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce mercury and other toxic air emissions will affect dozens of antiquated power plants currently operating without pollution controls. These rules have stirred debate in some circles as to whether retrofitting or retiring outdated plants will cause shortfalls in electricity capacity. How will EPA mercury rules influence the electricity system? This fact sheet updates earlier assessments by taking a close look at recent studies on the reliability of the electricity grid to answer that question.

This brief describes a number of policy tools that can be employed to drive investment in renewable energy technologies and discusses which policy options may be the best fit based on the commercial maturity of a targeted technology.

This policy brief explains the various steps in calculating the social cost of carbon, the weaknesses and strengths of those calculations, and how they are used to inform climate policy. The aim is to help policymakers, regulators, civil society, and others judge for themselves the reliability of using the resulting numbers in making policy decisions.

Global companies are under increasing pressure to be energy efficient, from New York City to Shanghai. Financing has long been a barrier, but a variety of financing tools can help unlock capital flows. To help governments and business understand how they can leverage energy efficiency investment, we explain five public-private financing mechanisms.