Need to Know

FEDERAL
Senator Joe Manchin, who last month announced he would vote against the Build Back Better bill in its current form, said last week that he would be open to a climate-focused spending bill. More. . .
Why This Matters: The Build Back Better bill had earmarked $555 billion for renewable energy and clean transportation incentives over a decade in the country’s largest climate change investment. This money would have reduced the cost for universities to transition to clean energy, and Manchin’s latest comments signify this funding could pass as its own legislation.

In 2021, the Biden Administration restricted fossil fuels foreign aid, instituted a “Buy Clean” policy, reversed Trump era rollback on lighting efficiency standards, and assembled an environmental justice team, among other climate achievements. More . . .
Why This Matters: Plenty of what Biden accomplished in 2021 is directly relevant to higher education, such as renewed energy efficiency standards that should incentivize schools to institute energy efficiency measures.

INDIVIDUAL STATES
CALIFORNIA
A bill calling for the state to achieve net-zero by 2045 failed this past legislative session, ultimately failing due to contentious disagreement over the need for carbon capture and carbon removal. The legislation allowed only 10 percent of the state’s remaining greenhouse gas (GHG) to be offset with carbon removal, which many in the state objected to. More . . .
Why This Matters: As schools develop their Climate Action Plans and work to achieve carbon neutrality, it’s important to consider whether or not carbon sequestration will play a role, and recognize some of the potential drawbacks of this approach.

CONNECTICUT
Governor Ned Lamont signed a sweeping executive order aimed at reducing pollution and addressing climate change last month. The order will review all public buildings for energy, develop home appliance standards and building codes aimed at reducing energy costs, seek to make the state transit bus fleet all electric by 2035, and expand air quality monitoring statewide. More. . . .
Why This Matters: This order is an important signal for Connecticut higher education institutions to electrify their own fleets and prioritize energy efficiency; it’s also a sign that other New England states will likely enact meaningful action in the months to come.

MICHIGAN
Legislators recently introduced a bill extending the sunset for the Energy Waste Reduction Standard to 2026, while retaining the annual cumulative savings target of 1%. More . . .
Why This Matters: Without an extension to the sunset, Michigan businesses and institutions could lose access to cost-saving energy waste reduction programs through utilities. Support from higher education institutions for this piece of clean energy legislation is therefore critical.

NEW YORK Governor Kathy Hochul announced last week her support for what would be the nation’s first statewide gas ban for new buildings, calling for the state to pass legislation requiring all new buildings to use zero-emissions sources of heat by 2027. More . . .
Why This Matters: States across the country have been considering such a ban, which would impact institutions’ future expansion and provide further incentive for colleges and universities to begin exploring zero-emissions heating sources in the short term.

NORTH CAROLINA
The state’s new law, HB 951, codifies Governor Cooper’s Clean Energy Plan to achieve 70% carbon emissions reductions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. More . . .
Why This Matters: The bill directs an additional 2,660 MW of solar energy over the next 45 months, largely controlled by Duke Energy. Higher education institutions can save significant money through a number of available incentives, rebates, and programs.

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf vetoed Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 earlier this week, which aimed to stop Pennsylvania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. More . . .
Why This Matters: Since 2008, RGGI states have cut power sector emissions in half, reduced electricity prices, and outpaced the nation in economic growth. Pennsylvania universities will see reduced clean energy costs if the state remains in the program.

CITIES
NEW YORK CITY
Last month, NYC passed a bill to address its largest source of carbon emissions, fossil fuels for heating and cooking in new buildings. By 2027, the bill will prevent estate developers from installing fossil fuel-powered appliances in all new construction. More . . .
Why This Matters: The move makes NYC the largest city to limit natural gas in new buildings, signaling that other municipalities will likely follow suit. Higher education institutions should take this into account in new construction, and electrify new and existing buildings.

Did You Know?

Midwest cities lag behind coastal cities in developing strong renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, though Madison and Minneapolis shine in national clean energy ranking. In general, cities were largely not on track to meet their own greenhouse gas reduction goals. More . . .
Why This Matters: Higher education institutions' decarbonization plans have the potential to greatly impact the cities they are located in, particularly given that cities' clean energy policies are generally falling short.

Opportunities to Participate

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.

Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have initiated the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule making processes to adopt a zero-emission truck regulation. The ACT will require manufacturers to increase model availability to meet the needs of fleet operators and drive investment in clean transportation research and development. More . . .
Why This Matters: The ACT will help bring down costs for zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which will allow higher education institutions to electrify their transportation at a much lower cost, and reduce their overall emissions.

How to support this effort: Ceres, a Second Nature partner, has drafted a sign-on letter in support of ACT that they will be sending to Governors of CA, CT, ME, MA, NJ, and NY. If your institution is interested in signing on, the deadline to do so is February 25th. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ceres's Jenny Helfrich at helfrich@ceres.org.

Sources:
Collins, D. (2021, December 16). Lamont signs sweeping order on climate change, pollution. AP News. URL.

Frazin, R. (2022, January 4). Manchin expresses openness to climate action amid spending bill stalemate. The Hill. URL.

Iaconangelo, D. (2022, January 6). N.Y governor backs nation’s first statewide gas ban. E&E News. URL.

Indian Times Staff. (2022, January 6). Five Climate Moves by the Biden Administration You May Have Missed in 2021. URL.

Lyderson, K. (2021, December 16). Midwest lags, though Madison and Minneapolis shine in national clean energy policy ranking. Energy News. URL.

Michigan State Legislature. (2021, December 8). House Bill No. 5619. Michigan State Legislature. URL.

Pontecorvo, E. (2021, December 15). New York City bans gas heating and stoves from new buildings. Grist. URL.

Pontecorvo, E. (2021, December 15). How a debate over carbon capture derailed California’s landmark climate bill. Grist. URL.

Proudlove, A. (2021, November 24). At the forefront: The biggest state clean energy legislative trends of 2021. Utility dive. URL.

Roberts, D. (2021, December 17). Rounding up the year in climate politics. Canary Media. URL.

Storrow, B. (2021, November 22). Northeast states abandon cap-and-trade plan for cars. E&E News. URL.

Szybist, M. (2022, January 10). NRDC: Governor Wolf Vetoes Anti-RGGI Resolution. NRDC. URL.

Ceres Staff. (2021, December). Policy Background Memo: Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) Rule Adoption. Ceres. URL.

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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