Cities
Beyond Buying Renewables: How Cities Can Influence the Energy System
As US cities and counties transition to clean energy for their own operations and communities, many are finding that stakeholders and policies beyond their jurisdictions affect their ability to purchase clean energy. Policy and regulatory decisions made by states, utilities, public utilities commissions, and wholesale market governing bodies…
3 Ways Cities Can Build Back Better through Green Recovery
As we approach the fourth month of the pandemic, cities across the United States continue to be hit hard. I recently spoke with mayors who are being asked to simultaneously manage unprecedented public health challenges, a rise of social unrest, increased unemployment, and a looming housing crisis, on top of…
Five Trends: US Cities and Counties Are Going Renewable
Cities are a core driver of climate change, accounting for more than 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Precisely because their communities are such big emitters, local governments can be at the forefront of tackling climate change and leading the switch to clean energy. Over the past five years,…
Applying Hope in a Time of Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic is many things: a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a crisis for specific sectors. Even as the curve of new cases flattens in many nations, it is not clear how long restrictions on interaction and travel will need to be imposed to keep people safe. And…
The Clean Economy Act Is a Breakthrough for Virginia and the South
With the enactment of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam this past Sunday, Virginia has become the first state in the American South to commit to 100 percent zero-carbon electricity. This is a big step forward for a state where laws and regulatory hurdles…