Environmental & Social Justice

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President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan has plenty for clean energy advocates of all stripes to like. For transmission advocates, the plan includes an investment tax credit aimed at building 20 GW of high voltage lines; for the solar industry, a 10-year extension of a direct-pay ITC for solar and...

Implementing Virginia’s ambitious environmental justice goals could cost the state millions of dollars and require hiring dozens of new full-time employees, as well as consultants, according to a new report from the Interagency Environmental Justice Working Group. The 44-page report did not specify a dollar amount, but a majority of...

2020 was the year when clean tech, like other business sectors across the country, was put on notice that talking about diversity in the workplace was not enough. The Black Lives Matter movement that erupted in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd shifted the industry’s focus to action...

The global energy transition must move more swiftly and provide generous employment opportunities so that workers in vulnerable communities aren’t left reeling from the accompanying economic disruption, a panel of experts said Tuesday. The Center for Strategic and International Studies and Climate Investment Funds gathered panelists for a webinar entitled...

A proposed Washington state tax on carbon emissions drew strong support at a Thursday legislative hearing. Environmentalists and activists for low-income residents and communities of color praised the tax bill introduced by Democratic state Sen. Liz Lovelett. The legislation garnered a mixed response from industrial and corporate players, and a...

Massachusetts could be the first state to allow residents to donate their tax refunds to help developing nations build resilient communities. Massachusetts state Reps. Antonio Cabral (D) and Tram Nguyen (D) re-introduced legislation last month that would include a new section on tax forms asking taxpayers whether they want to...

California’s energy policy leaders came together Wednesday to weigh the potential impact of the state’s sharply rising electricity rates on its carbon reduction and electrification goals. The heads of CAISO, the state Public Utilities and Energy commissions, and the legislative committees that oversee energy heard from CPUC staff and academic...

The challenge of decarbonizing New York’s economy is compounded by the need to do it in way that balances the needs and views of diverse groups and communities, state energy policy makers heard this week. "The most unjust [clean energy] transition is the one that doesn’t happen, and that’s what...

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ (D) second state budget seeks millions in funding to make good on the commitment he made a year ago to address climate change. However, the policy measures he proposed to put the state on a path to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050 will likely meet the...

A plan to build small community solar projects and reduce electric bills for some low-income residents in Nevada is facing pushback from consumer advocates, who object to passing program costs to nonparticipating ratepayers. The proposed Expanded Solar Access Program is the result of Assembly Bill 465, passed by the Nevada...