Monthly Policy Update |

November 2022  

Policy Updates

NEED TO KNOW
Ahead of COP27, New Climate Reports are Warning Shots to a World Off Course
Publication Date: November 1, 2022 | Source: Inside Climate News

• Why This Matters: A new report shows how hard it will be to deliver on the non-binding Global Methane Pledge to cut emissions of the gas 30 percent by 2030. In fact, in 2021, concentrations of the potent but short-lived climate pollutant jumped faster than in any year since measurements started in the mid-1980s. To reduce their own methane emissions, colleges and universities should consider serving less meat and dairy on campus, given that animal agriculture is the single largest contributor to US methane emissions. 

GLOBAL
COP27 Climate Summit in Egypt: What to Expect
Publication Date: October 28, 2022 | Source: Council on Foreign Relations

• Why This Matters: The 27th United Nations climate change conference, or COP27, in Egypt is expected to focus on whether countries are following through on commitments made last year in Glasgow. Egypt has framed the 2022 conference as Africa’s COP, and a priority is to increase financing for low- and middle-income countries. 

Climate reparations are on the agenda at COP27 - whether wealthy nations like it or not
Publication Date: October 11, 2022 | Source: Grist

• Why This Matters: Loss and damage is expected to take center stage at COP 27. Activists and developing nations hope to leave the conference with a sustainable system for funding loss and damage restitution over the long term. 

Climate Joe Biden just voted signed an international climate treaty. And Mitch McConnell voted for it.
Publication Date: October 28, 2022 | Source: Vox

• Why This Matters: Last month, President Joe Biden signed a bona fide international climate treaty, which was ratified in the Senate with bipartisan support in a 69-27 vote. The rare bipartisan law ensures the US is now committed to phasing out HFCs, a class of powerful greenhouse gases. Higher education institutions should ensure they are transitioning to alternative refrigerants. 

FEDERAL
Biden Threatened to Raise Taxes on Big Oil. Climate Activists Have Wanted That for Years
Publication Date: November 1, 2022 | Source: Inside Climate News

• Why This Matters: Last week, President Joe Biden threatened to pursue new legislation that would tax fossil fuel company profits if they don’t ramp up production to help bring down the historically-high energy costs. ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips and TotalEnergy have together earned more than $100 billion in profits this year so far. 

US unveils $1 billion effort to electrify school buses
Publication Date: October 31, 2022 | Source: Grist

• Why This Matters: Nearly 400 school districts across the country will receive around $1 billion in funding to purchase new, mostly electric school buses as part of a Biden grant program as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program seeks to reduce children's exposure to harmful exhaust from diesel buses and combat climate change. Higher education institutions have the opportunity to join electric vehicle purchasing programs and also moving toward transportation electrification. 

STATES
MULTIPLE STATES
How does your state rank on fostering community-led energy?
Publication Date: October 14, 2022 | Source: Canary Media 

• Why This Matters: The Institute for Local Self-Reliance assigned each state a community power score based on whether it has 10 different kinds of policies that support local clean energy, most heavily weighing community choice aggregation, shared renewables, net metering, and carve-outs for distributed energy and solar in renewable portfolio standards. Massachusetts and New York rank the highest for making shared renewables projects possible. 

New England states poised to capitalize on new federal climate law incentives
Publication Date: October 24, 2022 | Source: Energy News Network 

• Why This Matters: The Inflation Reduction Act will allocate about $369 billion over 10 years for climate change measures, including: 1) tax credits for renewable energy production and storage, 2) loans and grants for energy transmission projects and transmission planning, 3) grants and rebates to replace heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, and 4) financial assistance for clean energy technology manufacturing. Northeastern states are particularly well positioned to capitalize on these opportunities; every New England state except New Hampshire has adopted a climate law obligating them to greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

ILLINOIS
Chicago Institutions Just Got $25 Million to Study Local Effects of Climate Change. Here's How They Plan to Use It
Publication Date: October 26, 2022 | Source: Inside Climate News 

• Why This Matters: A group of higher education institutions have received a $25 million grant from the IRA to research local climate change impacts in Chicago. Among them are Northeastern Illinois University, an Hispanic-serving institution, which will offer a data science minor in which students will observe local climate and air quality data, and Olive-Harvey College, a community college, which will begin training students on soil health through a new GIS certification program. 

LOUISIANA
Louisiana project highlights unknowns of carbon capture
Publication Date: October 17, 2022 | Source: Energy News Network

• Why This Matters: Louisiana utility Cleco wants to capture a power plant’s carbon emissions, but it would require huge amounts of water, raising supply concerns. As higher education institutions invest in carbon capture, it's worth examining real world examples of carbon capture projects to better understand their potential shortcomings. 

MAINE
Commercial building owners are about to get a new tool to fight climate change in Maine
Publication Date: October 26, 2022 | Source: Energy News Network

• Why This Matters: Maine is the latest state to offer Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, or C-PACE, loans, a tool that lets property owners repay loans for solar, energy efficiency and other projects through a line on their property tax bills. More than 20 states have active programs in place. 

MINNESOTA
White Earth Tribal College becomes a bright spot for solar energy job training 
Publication Date: October 27, 2022 | Source: Energy News Network

• Why This Matters: A new program offered at a northwestern Minnesota reservation college is connecting Indigenous students with solar energy jobs. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Legacy Fund installed about 200 kWh of solar power around the reservation, and a higher education partnership with Rural Renewable Energy Alliance has resulted in this robust training program. 

NEW YORK 
UB teams receive over $2.6 million in federal funding for environmental research
Publication Date: November 1, 2022 | Source: University of Buffalo News

• Why This Matters: Research teams affiliated with the University at Buffalo’s RENEW Institute have received three federal grants totaling over $2.6 million for studies focused on environmental concerns, funded by National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. The newly funded studies include advancing net-zero-water buildings with self-sustaining water supplies and developing in-ground sensors to monitor soil health, and provide a good example of how higher education institutions can benefit from federal research dollars. 

Opportunities to Participate 

FEDERAL 
Implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act
Ceres, one of Second Nature's partners, wants to know what’s most pressing for you as we continue to focus on Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) implementation. Please contact Zach Friedman with your priorities for implementation, agency rules, and guidance-making. 

NOTE: The following opportunities are for colleges and universities for sign-on; not opportunities 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 opportunities?  We encourage you to reach-out to the leadership at your institution and let them know. 

STATE
OHIO
During Ohio's lame duck session, Ceres is providing multiple opportunities for universities to stay engaged and continue supporting the Energy Waste Reduction Act (HB 389), which incentives utility companies to boost the energy efficiency of their customers' homes. This is critical energy efficiency legislation that will ultimate lower the energy costs of colleges and universities. 

How to support this effort: Ceres, a Second Nature partner, is coordinating sign-on letter in support of HB 389. If your institution is interested in signing on in support, you can sign-on via this form by November 10th. Please contact Deanna Dennis at Ceres for more information (ddenis@ceres.org). 

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.).