Kara Cook’s Post

There are unprecedented billions of dollars flowing to communities, tribes, and states for climate action. It can be challenging to keep programs straight. But one of the largest, most flexible, and most time sensitive opportunities is CPRG. Implementation proposals are due April 1 so time is very short. This short post outlines the program and recommendations for how to apply these funds. https://lnkd.in/g86sZUzx

Wisconsin has ambitious climate plans, but the state’s Republican-controlled legislature has refused to pass funding to carry them out. That’s why Wisconsin city and state leaders are especially glad for a nearly $5 billion federal initiative meant to help states and municipalities advance climate action plans. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, has already provided a $3 million planning grant to Wisconsin’s Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, as well as smaller grants to the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and four tribal governments within the state’s borders. "This is a really awesome kick-start to emissions reductions in the state," said Maria Redmond, director of the State of Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy. Learn more: https://bit.ly/48N8br9 This story was first published by Energy News Network. #wisconsin #inflationreductionact #climateaction #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #emissionsreduction

$4.3 Billion to Transform Our Climate! Big news from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)! They've announced an unprecedented $4.3 billion in funding for 25 groundbreaking climate projects. Imagine slashing greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking 5 million homes off the grid over 25 years. Here's what's happening across the U.S.: 🌽 Nebraska: Cutting agricultural waste and boosting energy efficiency with $307 million. 🏭 Pennsylvania: Reducing industrial pollution and creating 6,000 new jobs with $396 million. 🚛 Southern California: Decarbonizing freight vehicles, setting a new standard for clean transport. 🌿 Michigan & Tribal Partners: Pioneering new renewable energy projects. 🌊 Atlantic Coastal States: Preserving wetlands to sequester carbon. 🔥 Alaska: Replacing oil-burning systems with cutting-edge heat pumps. 🏡 Nez Percé Tribe: Retrofitting homes for enhanced energy efficiency. Why This Matters: This initiative will cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 971 million metric tons by 2050 - that’s like removing the carbon footprint of 215 million cars for an entire year! 🚗💨 Imagine the impact on our air quality and climate. At TerraPro Solutions, we are beyond excited to see these initiatives come to life. This step forward aligns with our mission to innovate and implement sustainable solutions that pave the way for a greener, cleaner future! #ClimateAction #Sustainability #GreenEnergy #FutureIsNow #RenewableEnergy

Statewide, and also within Multnomah County, transportation is responsible for over 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, the single-largest emissions category. That’s what makes the CIP’s transportation-decarbonization grants and investment language exciting, especially when incorporating safety infrastructure as led and prioritized by the most impacted communities. Through land use, we can do much more to address climate change at the nexus of housing, transportation, and community needs to help decarbonize our cities. As City of Portland's Portland Clean Energy Fund continues to evolve, we hope to see land use and the Climate Investment Plan’s transportation investments continue to be essential tools in achieving climate mitigation goals.

Climate policies and regulations will not magically benefit environmental justice communities. Policymakers need to intentionally and meaningfully examine and alter the systems and policies that result in disproportionate burdens, disparities, and injustice in these communities. While the CLCPA is a major step forward, environmental justice stakeholders are concerned that a cap-trade-and-invest program with little to no protections will reinforce existing patterns of pollution and sickness in communities of color and low-income communities. We can’t take any more chances on the quality of life and health of New Yorkers. Guardrails for cap-trade-and-invest are essential to ensuring all communities see the benefits of reduced emissions and pollution and do not come at the expense of some. Thanks to Marie French for her coverage on our research: https://lnkd.in/eF22R7BW

Those of you who know me are aware that I'm pretty active on policy matters, but hardly a knee jerk partisan. I search for the "sensible center," if one exists these days, especially on global affairs. But on climate issues I encourage you to read up and, if you agree, give credit where it is due. IMO #POTUS and team are doing more on climate solutions--by far-- than any other nation. Much of it is innovative, "job creative" and will redound to millions of low-income families benefit over the years and decades to come. Say what you want about his age, gait or gabbiness. He is a futurist visionary on climate solutions! #POTUS #climate #innovation #policy #grid #equity

Curious about how different policy designs can impact emissions reductions in New York State? Without guardrails, cap-trade-and-invest programs might lead to pollution "hotspots" in disadvantaged communities. Discover how NY can do better in our special report with Resources for the Future on how to distribute emissions reductions more fairly. It's time for climate policies that prioritize equity 🌎🛠️ https://lnkd.in/ee-t3ExY

Massachusetts has adopted ambitious #ClimateGoals, but we need to make progress every session in order to meet them. As an organization that's been working to catalyze climate action since 2011, we know the importance of passing ambitious legislation that moves us toward our shared climate goals and advances our #CleanEnergyEconomy. That’s why Greentown Labs is one of 28 institutions and businesses calling on the Massachusetts Legislature to pass the 2024 Omnibus Climate Bill before July 31. This crucial legislation will build a responsibly-sited grid, deploy #RenewableEnergy, improve community engagement, electrify our transportation, and #decarbonize our homes and businesses. #MAPoli

From Maryland Matters By Josh Kurtz Sometimes, states fight climate change in dramatic and tangible ways, with gigantic solar arrays, wind turbines, abundant #electricvehicle #chargingstations, or highly visible coastal resiliency projects. Other times, the battle is more prosaic and bureaucratic and harder to see. Four times a year, in a small room near #WallStreet, #Maryland and many of its neighboring states wage a quiet but durable war against pollution from coal-fired electric plants. The office in New York is the headquarters of RGGI Inc., a nonprofit consortium of a dozen Northeastern and #MidAtlantic states. Commonly referred to as “Reggie,” RGGI stands for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. .. That description alone would make almost anyone’s eyes glaze over. But this fact should make them pop wide open again: Over the course of 57 auctions dating back to 2009, Maryland alone has taken in $970 million, which it has used to fund an array of clean energy projects and energy assistance payment programs for low-income residents. On its website, the Maryland Department of the Environment refers to RGGI as “a central component of Maryland’s greenhouse gas strategy.” “RGGI has emerged as the premier example of how multiple states can work together on a #climate and energy policy and expand it over time,” said Barry Rabe, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, who studies government climate action. “There’s nothing in that opinion the prevents the states from moving ahead with greenhouse gas regulation, including cap-and-trade,” said Ben Grumbles, the former Maryland Department of the Environment secretary who recently became executive director of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), the umbrella organization for state environmental regulators. “Increasingly, the #SupremeCourt is paving the way for states to do more. If the political will is there, states can make real progress.” Despite RGGI’s importance, it operates in relative obscurity, trapped in the jargon and arcana of trading markets and science. “RGGI,” Grumbles said, “is one of the best-kept secrets that delivers results for the nation on a #bipartisan basis.”... Maryland officials were part of the early conversations about the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a project of the Georgetown Climate Center at Georgetown University that would have set up an RGGI-like structure. But in the end, only #Massachusetts, #Connecticut, #RhodeIsland and the District of Columbia decided to join formally. In the fall of 2020, Hogan refused to sign the memorandum of understanding officially entering the state into the consortium. Six other states followed suit — and the plan, for now, is dormant. #VIDAT can help with tracking #carbonavoidance #carbondelta for safer #bikeways #sidepaths 🚲

RGGI is a fantastic bipartisan model. We challenge the best Cap-and-trade for energy production to focus on #transportation. Use #capandtrade for #carbon #avoidance that every commuter using a #bicycle creates. The average cyclist emits 34 grams of #co2emissions per mile The average Internal Combustion Engine emits 404 grams of CO2 per mile. Math is math. Why is the Social Cost of Carbon pegged at $51 per metric ton IF it is emitted into our environment (US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants it at $198 per metric ton) accepted and there is no focus on CARBON AVOIDANCE? Katie Scharf Dykes may we please chat? Microsoft and IBM are technology leaders Microsoft for Startups and Envizi (by IBM) may we talk? Walmart your employees need your help. Walton Family Foundation California Bicycle Coalition