The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
Resource Library
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Integrating a life-cycle dimension into future policies to assess the social, environmental and economic implications of various products across their life cycle and throughout their value chain is critical to achieving sustainability and a circular economy, writes Rachel A. Meidl, fellow in energy and environment.
Global energy and environmental challenges have spurred an increased focus on sustainable sources of energy while global investments in the green energy sector have surged. Low-carbon, “zero” emission technology and scientific advancements required to facilitate the energy transition—such as wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels, and lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems—are pivotal …
View Full ResourceThis guide is aimed at state energy agencies that are looking to strengthen their relationships with local under-resourced communities or are beginning to engage in energy justice work. The guide is a collection of best practices, ideas, and principles that provide states a foundation for building equitable relationships with community-based organizations (CBOs) and for working with them on solar development.
Partnerships between state energy agencies and CBOs are a key component of advancing energy justice. Solar development in under-resourced communities will be most effective and equitable when trusted community organizations are involved. Community engagement can lead to innovative, equitable, and …
View Full ResourcePresident Biden’s executive actions on climate change in his first week in office show that he is hitting the ground running when it comes to climate policy. He has already taken steps to recommit the U.S. to the Paris Agreement, revoke the Keystone XL pipeline permit, elevate climate change to a national security priority, create several new positions within the government focused on environmental justice, explore a potential ban on new oil and gas leasing on federal land, and expand conservation of federal land and water.
In his inaugural address, President Biden said “A cry for survival comes from the …
View Full ResourceIn this report:
– We outline how Congress can use a federal clean energy standard to put the U.S. on a path to 100% clean electricity by 2035.
– We show how a CES can be designed to rapidly decarbonize the power sector and center equity, good jobs, and community benefits while doing so.
– We also outline a number of investments and justice-centered policies that will be required to achieve this rapid 100% clean power goal.
– And we argue that this crucial policy commitment made by Democratic leaders can and must overcome any potential legislative barriers. This includes …
View Full ResourceThe U.S. faces unprecedented challenges in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic while building a secure and affordable energy future to overcome the climate crisis. Perhaps more than any other energy resource, energy efficiency holds tremendous potential to address these challenges by creating jobs and economic activity while sharply reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and slashing energy costs for households and businesses. This document outlines the Alliance to Save Energy’s immediate policy priorities for stimulating investment and activity in the efficiency sector that President-elect Joe Biden’s administration and the 117th Congress should address in the early months of 2021. In addition …
View Full ResourceClimate change poses an unprecedented threat to the planet, requiring rapid economic and social transformations that will affect workers and communities and have broader impacts on society. Governments, labor groups, investors, civil society, and environmental organizations are increasingly using the principles of just transitions to address the social implications of climate policy and ensure that workers and communities are supported and empowered through these changes. There is ample theoretical guidance on how to pursue just transitions at a societal level, but it is essential to make the tools and strategies for just transitions more accessible and relevant to policymakers. This …
View Full ResourceThis report considers how a Just Transition framework can serve to shape conversation and next steps in addressing climate change. Rooted in an ethos of parity and collaboration across occupations, race, socio-economic status and sectors, its foundational premise is that a healthy economy and a clean environment can and should coexist, and the individuals and communities that have been most impacted by the legacies of environmental harm and would be most affected by shifts in the energy industry should be the first to access and experience the myriad benefits of a green energy economy and country. With a Just Transition …
View Full ResourceAs part of his campaign, President-elect Biden released two plans relating to climate and clean energy: the Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice (“the Climate Plan”) and the Plan to Build a Modern, Sustainable Infrastructure and an Equitable Clean Energy Future (“the Clean Energy Plan”). In addition, the President-elect highlighted climate change as one of four priorities of the Biden-Harris transition (Climate Transition Plan).…
View Full ResourceThis review describes the ecosystem of stakeholders and programs, and identifies promising opportunities to address low-income energy affordability, such as behavioral economics, data analytics, and leveraging health care benefits. Scalable approaches require linking programs and policies to tackle the complex web of causes and impacts faced by financially constrained households.…
View Full ResourceThis perspective article reflects on four core challenges and opportunities for energy justice research, scholarship and practice in its next wave of development: (1) the alignment, connectivity and orientation of energy justice terminology, (2) leveraging impact and achieving outcomes in partnership between academic and non-academic communities and activists, (3) the need to acknowledge and define the audience for energy justice contributions and (4) the need for energy justice scholars and practitioners to “practice what we preach”.…
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