Considerations for Washington’s Linkage Negotiations with California and Québec

Washington State is exploring linking its cap-and-invest emissions trading system with the already linked market of California and Québec. To inform the discussions, Resources for the Future analyzed auction allowance revenue and emissions both with and without linkage and studied how the range of outcomes could affect Washington’s environmentally overburdened communities designated as highly impacted by air pollution.

The analysis found that linkage would lead to greater regional emissions reductions, more regional environmental benefits, and a more affordable program because of the expanded emissions reduction opportunities across the linked jurisdictions. However, assuming no new state policy interventions, Washington’s revenue would …

2024 PPIAF Annual Report

Historically, private sector investment has been a vital source of infrastructure funding. Yet, while there are signs of recovery, private investment in infrastructure for low- and middle-income countries has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Notably, these investments saw a 5% decline in 2023, totaling $86 billion. Uncertainty — driven in part by unclear regulations — contributes to these limited investment levels.

Clear, well-established rules make it easier and less risky for private investors to participate in infrastructure projects. Data bear this out, showing a strong correlation between PPP regulatory reforms and investment levels over the last three decades. Countries that …

State Energy Efficiency Scorecard

The State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, now in its 16th edition, ranks the 50 states and DC on their policies and programs to advance energy efficiency. Amid rising energy costs, many states are recognizing energy efficiency’s important role in making energy more affordable and helping families and businesses reduce costs. But most additional energy efficiency investments since the 2022 scorecard are in just a few states, and the vast majority of states need to do more to harness energy efficiency to help families cut costs. The scorecard captures the latest policy developments and state efforts to save energy and highlights opportunities …

Circular Carbon Market Report

The Circular Carbon Market report aims to provide leaders across the sector and beyond with useful data and insights to help accelerate the achievement of our climate goals. At this important moment, mid-decade and only 5 short years away from 2030 net-zero goals, we have not only analyzed annual fundraising data, but have also assessed the sector’s progress over the last decade and identified key lessons to bring forward.

Through data analysis and interviews with many of the people who have been critical to the sector’s growth, this report looks at how far the sector has come and what must …

Europe’s Long Journey to Renewable Hydrogen

The European Union (the EU) has very ambitious targets when it comes to renewable hydrogen development (10 million tonnes to be produced domestically by 2030 and the same amount to be imported). However, the region is very unlikely to reach these targets. The development of domestic renewable hydrogen is slowed by a lengthy permitting process, high costs of renewable hydrogen, the need to develop hydrogen transport infrastructure, and the lack of offtake agreements. The regulatory framework on renewable hydrogen has taken a long time to develop, which has also delayed projects. The regulatory framework is also seen as being stifling, …

A Path to a Healthier America: Ditching Old Diesel Trucks

This Energy Vision report looked at 31 of the most populous counties in the U.S. – including the 10 largest metropolitan areas – and how to replace the oldest 20% of the heavy-duty diesel trucks still in operation there: 130,000 highly polluting vehicles built prior to 2013.

Diesel is the most polluting vehicle fuel on U.S. roadways. Diesel exhaust contains carcinogenic particulate matter and other harmful chemicals that contribute to smog, haze, and acid rain. It poses a major ongoing health risk to the 77 million residents of these 31 counties, including the 16.7 million children whose health is most …

Draft Connecticut Climate Resilient Energy Code

The draft Connecticut Climate Resilient Energy code is a voluntary code intended to cover the installation of climate resilient energy systems and the provision of power to critical services during grid outages. The code covers the installation of climate resilient energy systems including solar, energy storage, and efficient heating and cooling to maintain living conditions and power essential services for affordable housing residents sheltering in place during grid outages. The code requires minimum levels of onsite backup power, as well as controls and procedures that reduce energy demand during outages and improved building envelope standards and other measures that increase …

Sustainable Energy in America 2025 Factbook

The Sustainable Energy in America Factbook – produced annually for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy by BloombergNEF – provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the American energy expansion.

In 2024, U.S. power generation reached its highest volume in two decades, driven by growth in renewable energy technologies and by stable natural gas generation capacity. These energy growth sectors face favorable market conditions as the United States eyes rising energy demand.

The 2025 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook covers the progress of the energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy sectors. Download the report to find the latest data …

Low Carbon Thermal Energy Roadmap for Textile Industry

The textile and apparel industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 2% of annual emissions. A major challenge is its reliance on fossil fuel-based thermal energy for process heating, such as steam production and thermal oil heating, which contributes to substantial carbon dioxide emissions. The industry increasingly recognizes the need to decarbonize, especially as global demand for apparel grows.

This report, commissioned by the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) and authored by Global Efficiency Intelligence, focuses on strategies to transition textile plants in five key textile-producing countries (China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia) to low-carbon …

Clean Fuel Standards: The Market-Based Policy for States Looking to Clean Up Transportation

Federal leadership transitions often bring significant changes to energy policy, which can create market and policy uncertainty for businesses, organizations, and state governments — and the shift from the past administration to the current one is no exception. During this time of evolving federal priorities, many states seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants have had to navigate a complex regulatory landscape. To ease this navigation, states can look toward bipartisan, cost-effective policies that do not rely on federal assistance or approval for implementation.

In this complex environment, clean fuel standard policies (also called low-carbon fuel standards, clean …