Leah supports city and state efforts to eliminate fossil fuel use in buildings. Her primary work is in the western U.S., and she also provides regulatory and policy support for building electrification across the country.
Leah began her building electrification career at RMI as a graduate intern contributing to The Economics of Electrifying Buildings report. She furthered her expertise at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) where she produced an industry-leading forecast of the impacts of building electrification. She also provided regulatory and strategy support related to DERs and Community Choice Aggregation on PG&E’s Energy Policy and Procurement team.
Leah deepened her climate knowledge when she was selected as a Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) fellow in 2019. She is currently serving as a Fellowship Coordinator for the 2020 CELI cohort.
MEM, Energy and the Environment, Duke University
BS, Geology and Environmental Science, University of Michigan
Oakland, CA
Burning gas, wood, and biomass in buildings now has more negative health effects than burning coal in many states, says a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The peer-reviewed study, published in Environmental Research Letters, is the first to examine the effects of burning…
Buildings are quickly becoming a cornerstone of ambitious climate policy, as policymakers recognize they can’t achieve the necessary science-based emissions reductions without tackling this stubborn sector. This means states and cities across the country won’t meet their climate goals if new buildings in their jurisdiction include fossil fuel systems that…
States and cities across the United States are starting to tackle a crucial transition: eliminating fossil fuels in buildings.
COVID-19 isn’t the only crisis taking a toll on California this summer. Record-breaking heat has helped fuel the largest wildfire season on record, with more than two million acres already burned. Smoke from the fires has blanketed much of the state, causing some of the worst air quality in…
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), California’s largest combined gas and electric utility, became the first dual-fuel utility in the country to formally support ending new gas hookups in buildings. In a letter to the California Energy Commission (CEC) this week, PG&E endorsed efficient, all-electric new construction as part of…
California continues to lead the nation in accelerating the transition to an all-electric future, demonstrating foresight that will help the state achieve its climate and air quality goals and prepare to bounce back from the coming economic slump. Regulators recently approved two pilot projects that will advance the market…
Seventy million American homes and businesses burn natural gas, oil, or propane on-site to heat their space and water, generating 560 million tons of carbon dioxide each year—one-tenth of total US emissions. But now, we have the opportunity to meet nearly all our buildings’ energy needs with electricity from an…