Need to Know

GLOBAL
  - After a year of collaboration with the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), the U.S. Federal Reserve announced in mid-December that they were now a member of NGFS; an effort of central banks from around the world, focused on reducing potential threats from climate change.  More... 

FEDERAL
 - In late December 2020, the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a Climate Progress in Year-End Legislation Fact Sheet.  Read the Fact Sheet...

 - Although the Trump administration tried to, they were unable to dismantle The Climate Assessment report.  More...

 - The Department of Defense's (DOD) immense budget and their interest in climate change could aid in the climate action fight.  More...

 - In December, the Center for American Progress released a report on how the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) can be redesigned for taking on environmental racism and for building climate resilience in deprived communities of color.  More...
 
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN'S CLIMATE TEAM
 - Get to know President-elect Biden's climate team.  More...

- President-elect Biden's transition team is reportedly finding that the Trump administration has caused more damage then originally thought when it comes to the new administration's abilities for being able to address climate change.  More...

 - A $40 billion loan that had been awarded to the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the 2009 stimulus package was never used, and may now be able to assist the DOE in "jump-starting" the President-elect's plan for climate and infrastructure.  More...

MULTIPLE STATES
 - The State of Wyoming released a study showing that over the next five years, eight states would lose billions of dollars in tax revenue and investment monies, if a ban on drilling on federal land was put in place.  More...

 - In late 2020, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., all signed onto joining the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P).  In doing so they join other states that had already signed on.  Thank you to those of you who signed onto the Ceres' letters of support for TCI-P over the past several months.  More...

INDIVIDUAL STATES
COLORADO
 - Excel Energy-Colorado, PacifiCorp, and Salt River Project - all who own the Hayden Generating Station - stated that they would be closing down the coal plant's two areas by 2028.  Originally they had planned to do so by 2036.  More...

MASSACHUSETTS
 - Early last week, it was announced that after six months of conversation, a legislative deal had been reached on a state climate bill that would make it a state law for Massachusetts to be carbon zero by 2050.  More...

 - Coinciding with the above, you can find information - full reports, and more - on Massachusetts Decarbonization Roadmap on their state website.  More...

MICHIGAN
 - Due to the Michigan to Montana (M2M) Alternative Fuel Corridor - a federally-funded effort - electric vehicle (EV) stops and charging stations are being put in along I-94.  More...

MINNESOTA
 - Late last year, Minnesota approved a plan that would allow Xcel - the state's largest utility - to improve five wind farms to make them more energy efficient.  The project will take ten years at a cost of $750 million.  More...

NEW JERSEY
 - The offshore wind farm - Ocean Wind - which will be ready for use by 2024, will be one of the first globally to have the largest and strongest turbines ever built.  More...  

 NORTH CAROLINA
 - In December 2020, a change was made to building codes in North Carolina, to allow building developers to bypass some energy efficiency measures for others that are considered "flashier."  More...

Opportunities to Participate

NOTE: The following is an opportunity for colleges and universities for sign-on; not an opportunity for individuals at colleges and universities.  Are you an individual at a higher education institution who believes your college/university may be interested in signing onto the below opportunity?  We encourage you to reach-out to the leadership at your institution and let them know. 

MINNESOTA
In May 2020, Ceres had organized a letter of support for the ECO Act that was helpful in getting it passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives. 

Unfortunately, the Senate did not act on it.  However, Ceres anticipates that ECO will be considered early on during the 2021 legislative session.  Both the House and Senate energy and climate committees will be holding hearings on ECO next Tuesday, January 19th to get the process started.

Coinciding with this, Ceres is planning to re-deliver an updated ECO support  sign-on letter to the General Assembly in the coming weeks.  If your institution is interested in signing onto this letter, please contact Deana Dennis at: ddennis@ceres.org by February 1st.   

 Newsletter Header Photo by Florian Pintar on Unsplash

Sources:

Aton, A.  (2021, January 6).  Biden climate team says it underestimated Trump's damage.  E&E News.  URL.  

Colman, Z.  (2021, January 1).  Biden set to supercharge clean energy push with $40B stash.  Politico.  URL.  

Cusick, J.  (2020, December 17).  RELEASE: CAP Outlines Blueprint To Address Climate Resilience and Environmental Racism in Low-Income Communities of Color.  Center for American Progress.  URL. 

Flavelle, C.  (2021, January 1).  How Trump Tried, but Largely Failed, to Derail America’s Top Climate Report.  The New York Times.  URL. 

Friedman, L.  (2020, December 19).  Biden introduces his climate team.  The New York Times.  URL.

House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.  (2020, December 21).  Fact Sheet: Climate Progress in Year-End Legislation.  U.S. House.  URL.  

Hurdle, J.  (2021, January 7).  Giant turbines will generate power at New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm.  NJ Spotlight News.  URL. 

Johnson, K.  (2020, December 15).  U.S. Fed joins global peers in fight against climate change.  Reuters.  URL. 

Hughlett, M.  (2020, December 24).  Minnesota regulators approve $750M Xcel wind-power project.  StarTribune.  URL. 

Kohler, J.  (2021, January 4).  Xcel Energy, partners to close northwest Colorado coal-fired power plant years ahead of schedule.  Denver Post.  URL. 

Norton, M.  (2021, January 4).  Negotiators Reach Deal On Major Climate Bill.  wbur.  URL. 

Ouzts, E.  (2021, January 7).  North Carolina panel moves to weaken building energy conservation rules.  Energy News Network.  URL. 

Pyzyk, K.  (2021, Januar 4).  Midwest group works to fill alternative fuel station gaps along Interstate 94.  Energy News Network.  URL. 

Reuters Staff.  (2020, December 15).  Ban on federal drilling leases would cost eight U.S. states billions, study finds.  Reuters.  URL. 

Massachusetts.  MA Decarbonization Roadmap.  The State of Massachusetts.  URL.  

Wolff, E.  (2021, January 4).  How the Department of Defense could help win the war on climate change.  Politico.  URL. 

Our monthly policy updates, information, and opportunities to participate, are developed with support from Ceres, which is an organizational partner of Second Nature.  Ceres has identified the following states plus Washington, D.C. for our primary focus - Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. - because of the beneficial legislative climates and real opportunities for policy advancements in these states.  

Note: The states included in each monthly Policy Update will be based on what policy updates we are recommending for that month, and are due to change - but will always be focused on the above 15 states (plus Washington, D.C.) - from month to month.