Monthly Policy Update October 2023
Second Nature Higher Education Delegation
In December 2023, Second Nature will once again be leading a small higher education delegation at this year’s United Nations Conference on Climate Change. If you or someone at your institution are planning to attend, let us know so that we can connect with you throughout this global event and share details about sessions, receptions, side events, and more.
GLOBAL
The UAE holds a major oil and gas conference just ahead of hosting UN climate talks in Dubai
Publication Date: October 2, 2023 | Source: AP News - Why This Matters: The Emirati president-designate of the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks urged oil and gas companies Monday to be “central to the solution” for climate change. The conference is centered around the drilling, processing, and sale of fuels driving climate change.
Health experts urge action on climate change at FIU's Global Health Conference of the
Americas
Publication Date: October 2, 2023 | Source: Florida International University - Why This Matters: A global conference held in Colombia convened over 300 experts to discussing pressing global health challenges, and focused on climate change as a major threat to global health. At the conference's conclusion, Florida International University launched a coalition dedicated to addressing the interconnected challenges of global health and climate change.
FEDERAL
Inside the rough-and-tumble race to clean up America's abandoned oil wells
Publication Date: September 29, 2023 | Source: Energy News Network - Why This Matters: The federal government has pledged billions of dollars to plug thousands of abandoned oil wells around the country, but at the same time, more orphan wells continue to emerge. Plugging wells continue to be challenging, largely due to worker and funding shortages, and additional investment is needed to address this critical environmental and public health challenge.
Disaster recovery projects
stall nationwide as FEMA runs out of money
Publication Date: September 29, 2023 | Source: Grist - Why This Matters: The federal agency has paused $2.8 billion in disaster recovery spending as it braces for a looming government shutdown. Disasters like the Maui wildfires, hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico, and heavy flooding have drained FEMA in recent months.
Biden Creates the American Climate Corps, 90 Years After FDR Put 3 Million to Work in National Parks
Publication Date: September 30, 2023 | Source: Inside Climate News - Why This Matters: The new American Climate Corps will remove wildfire fuel in forests, install chargers in cities, retrofit thermostats in low-income homes, and potentially move on to union jobs in the clean energy economy.
Biden Announces Huge Hydrogen Investment. How Much Will It Help Climate?
Publication Date: October 13, 2023 | Source: Inside Climate News - Why This Matters: The Department of Energy awarded up to $7 billion in grants and clean hydrogen "hubs", but some of that money could instead be used to support fossil fuels. The hubs, which will aim to produce 3 million metric tons of hydrogen per year by 2030, need to ensure that energy comes from low-emission sources in order to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
STATES
CALIFORNIA
What happens if you force companies to reveal how much they contribute to climate change?
Publication Date: October 14, 2023 | Source: Vox - Why This Matters: A new bill signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom will force billion-dollar businesses in the state disclose greenhouse gas emissions publicly including indirect scope 3 emissions. That includes 5,300 companies, including Apple, Google, Walmart, and Chevron.
MINNESOTA
State, federal funding fuels expansion of Minnesota microgrid research center
Publication Date: September 20, 2023 | Source: Energy News Network - Why This Matters: The University of St. Thomas’ Center for Microgrid Research recently won a $7.5 million state legislative appropriation and $11 million in federal defense bill earmarks to help it expand. The center is dedicated to increasing the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid.
NEW YORK
New York rejects offshore wind, onshore renewables request for larger subsidies
Publication Date: October 12, 2023 | Source: Politico - Why This Matters: Governor Kathy Hochul's administration rejected requests from companies for bigger payments to complete large-scale wind, solar, and offshore wind projects, which could threaten the state's ability to meet its climate goals.
NYC's big building-decarbonization law faces its first major test
Publication Date: September 21, 2023 | Source: Energy News Network - Why This Matters: Local Law 97, New York City's groundbreaking law to reduce emissions from big buildings, comes into effect next year. Buildings that haven't reduced emissions below certain thresholds face fines, but recently released guidelines provide loopholes for emitters, according to climate advocates.
PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Advisors Endorse Emissions Curbs to Fight Climate Change but Don't Endorse RGGI Membership
Publication Date: September 30, 2023 | Source: Inside Climate News - Why This Matters: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's secret working group on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) endorsed participation in a "cap-and-invest" process, but not RGGI in particular. Pennsylvania would become the 13th state in the electric-sector program.
VIRGINIA
What's at stake if RGGI disappears in Virginia?
Publication Date: October 10, 2023 | Source: Bay Journal - Why This Matters: While Pennsylvania looks to enter, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin continues to push toward the state's withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Since 2009, member states have reduced carbon emissions by 50%, almost twice the national average.
WISCONSIN
In Wisconsin, federal IRA grants could break bottleneck on climate funding
Publication Date: October 11, 2023 | Source: Energy News Network - Why This Matters: The newly-created Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, has already provided a $3 million planning grant to Wisconsin's Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, and some additional grants to tribal governments within the state.
The states and updates included in each Monthly Policy Update are based on what we are recommending for reading for that month, due to what we view as being directly relevant to higher education. From month to month, the states focused on are due to change. Do you have feedback on our Monthly Policy Updates (what you like, what you would like to see improved, etc)? Please email us: policyteam@secondnature.org. Note: 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 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. Our Policy Updates may, or may not, include these states (and Washington, D.C.).
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