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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2022 was a pivotal year of both opportunity and continued risk for the sustainability of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain. Countries in key markets are elevating their transportation electrification ambitions while also taking steps towards centering environmental protection and human rights in the supply chain. Yet more work is needed to ensure that parties are held to consistently high standards worldwide. Throughout 2022, UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), along with ClimateWorks, has conducted outreach to a variety of organizations active in EV battery supply chain sustainability efforts—including human rights and transportation electrification …
View Full ResourceMany states are already considering new emissions reduction goals or ways to increase ambition. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York, and Washington, among others, have ongoing processes to cut carbon emissions that may be strengthened with the Inflation Reduction Act on the books and new state leadership. However, determining which policies can most effectively meet emissions targets and the tradeoffs between different policies can be challenging.
With the release of state-level Energy Policy Simulators (EPS) for the contiguous 48 states, Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC and RMI aim to solve this challenge. The free, open-access EPS …
View Full ResourceLow-carbon hydrogen could be an important component of a net-zero carbon economy, helping to mitigate emissions in a number of hard-to-abate sectors. The United States recently introduced an escalating production tax credit (PTC) to incentivize production of hydrogen meeting increasingly stringent embodied emissions thresholds. Hydrogen produced via electrolysis can qualify for the full subsidy under current federal accounting standards if the input electricity is generated by carbon-free resources, but may fail to do so if emitting resources are present in the generation mix. While use of behind-the-meter carbon-free electricity inputs can guarantee compliance with this standard, the PTC could also …
View Full ResourceWith the urgent challenge of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 in mind, we must prioritize building the clean infrastructure required to achieve that goal as quickly as possible and without sacrificing any environmental standards.
A 2020 CEQ study found that the median time to complete an Environmental Impact Statement across all federal agencies is 3.5 years, while the average completion time is even longer at 4.5 years.1 Of the 1,276 EISs reviewed by CEQ, half took longer than 3.5 years to complete and one quarter took more than 6 years.
Due to the amount of time, effort, and interagency …
View Full ResourceA new analysis commissioned by the BlueGreen Alliance from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds that the more than 100 climate, energy, and environmental investments in the Inflation Reduction Act will create more than 9 million good jobs over the next decade—an average of nearly 1 million jobs each year. That includes more than 6 million jobs created over the next 10 years by grants, loans, and tax credits and nearly 3 million jobs stimulated by new loan guarantee authority for the U.S. Department of Energy. The bill’s broad investments will also help …
View Full ResourceThe Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 represents a historic, $369 billion investment in the modernization of the American energy system. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) preliminary assessment finds that this law—in combination with other enacted policies and past actions—will help drive 2030 economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 40% below 2005 levels. The
legislation would get the U.S. a significant way towards our overall 2030 climate goals, positioning the U.S. to reach 50-52% GHG emission reductions below 2005 levels in 2030 with continued executive branch, state, local, and private sector actions not included in this analysis. Examples of continued …
To understand some of the real-world challenges of decarbonization, ClearPath and LucidCatalyst collected a database of all county-level wind ordinances in Iowa. We then conducted a detailed geospatial downscaling analysis of the Princeton Net-Zero America Project (NZAP) 2050 wind energy projections for each county in Iowa, applying each county’s setback requirements and standards. We qualitatively considered transmission and interconnection issues that could limit clean energy growth of all varieties. Ultimately, the wind development challenges in Iowa are common across the U.S. and should be incorporated into deep decarbonization modeling and clean energy policy.…
View Full ResourceGlobal demand for food and water is expected to grow by 50% by mid-century, placing increasing pressure on existing water, energy and food systems. This increase in demand for food presents an opportunity for clean energy technologies such as geothermal energy to support the development of “sustainable food systems”.
The use of geothermal heat in the agri-food value chains has several benefits, including increased food productivity due to growing crops and animals in optimal environments, and reduced food spoilage due to timely processing, drying/dehydration and cold storage/refrigeration. Other benefits include empowering women and youth who are heavily involved in food …
View Full ResourceAs the Department of Energy (“DOE”) considers rulemaking pertinent to the SPR’s acquisition of crude petroleum through forward contracts, it should consider requiring that producers engaged in contracts with the SPR adhere to the most stringent
environmental standards for oil production. It is a worthwhile opportunity to ensure that the Administration’s efforts to increase oil production minimize environmental harm. Furthermore, creative production contracts involving the sale of put options (as we previously advocated for), could help set a soft “floor” on oil prices, preventing a large-scale return to consumer purchases of gas guzzling cars. As the Administration considers how to …
EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), finalized in 2012 and under section 112 of the Clean Air Act, regulates the amount of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that can be emitted from coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units (EGUs). In response to the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision, Michigan v. EPA, EPA is required to determine whether it is “appropriate and necessary” to regulate toxic pollution from these power plants. While the Trump EPA finalized a rule (2020 Reconsideration) that reversed the 2016 Obama EPA’s determination that it is appropriate and necessary, President …
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