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Page Updated:
June 9, 2025


• Government. Agencies     • Environmental Action
• The Fading Solar Tax Credit  

Governmental News (Latest Stories First) - In the Last Six Months

  • • In Puerto Rico, a Struggle for Power Comes to Light
    The Trump Administration is Clawing Back Millions in Climate Grants Promised to Credit Unions in Puerto Rico

    NYT

    June 4, 2025 -Reporting on the effects of the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to claw back some $20 billion in climate grants: Of that, more than $100 million had been promised to credit unions in Puerto Rico. They planned to use the grants to offer people low-cost loans for rooftop solar installations.

    As of this month, the money still hasn’t arrived.

  • • Interior Moves to Rescind 2024 Rule on Alaska’s Petroleum Reserve
    Regulation Overstepped Legal Limits, Hindered Responsible Energy Development in the Resource-Rich Region

    {U.S. Department of the Interior}

    June 2, 2025 -The Department of the Interior has proposed rescinding a rule put in place last year that added new restrictions on oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Rescinding the 2024 rule will remove regulations that are inconsistent with the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (NPRA), restore the original intent of the Act for the management of the area, and eliminate roadblocks to responsible energy production.

    After a thorough legal and policy review, Bureau of Land Management and Department officials concluded that the 2024 Bureau of Land Management rule entitled “Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska” exceeds the agency’s statutory authority under the NPRA, conflicts with the Act’s purpose, and imposes unnecessary barriers to responsible energy development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

  • • Energy Dept. Cancels $3.7 Billion
    for New Technologies to Lower Emissions
    The 24 awards Would have Gone to a Range of Companies Trying to Reduce Pollution That's Heating the Planet

    NYT

    May 30, 2025 -The Energy Department announced on Friday that it was terminating $3.7 billion in Biden-era awards to companies trying to demonstrate technologies that might one day help tackle global warming.

    Some of the 24 canceled awards would have gone to industrial companies that were aiming to reduce emissions from cement, iron, glass and chemicals production.

  • • E.P.A. Wants to Erase Greenhouse Gas Limits on Power Plants
    Agency Plans to argue that Carbon Emissions From Power Plants do Not Contribute “Significantly” to Climate Change

    NYT " width="219" height="56" alt="WAPO"/>

    May 24, 2025 -The Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to eliminate all limits on greenhouse gases from coal and gas-fired power plants in the United States, according to internal agency documents reviewed by The New York Times.

    In its proposed regulation, the agency argued that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants that burn fossil fuels “do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution” or to climate change because they are a small and declining share of global emissions. Eliminating those emissions would have no meaningful effect on public health and welfare, the agency said.

  • • Trump’s Proposed Budget Would Cut a Major Ecology Program
    From Bee Science to Understanding the Impact Of a Warming World on Plant Life, Here’s What the Ecosystems Mission Area Does

    NYT

    May 21, 2025 -The Trump administration’s proposed budget for 2026 ends funding for one of the country’s cornerstone biological and ecological research programs.

    Known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, the program is part of the U.S. Geological Survey and studies nearly every aspect of the ecology and biology of natural and human-altered landscapes and waters around the country.

  • • States and Cities Fear a Disaster Season
    Full of Unknowns Amid Federal Cuts
    Trump’s Efforts to Downsize the Government Threaten Essential Functions that Americans Have Come to Rely On Before, During and After Natural Disasters

    NYT

    May 21, 2025 -States and cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are heading into hurricane season? with an extraordinary level of uncertainty, unable to gauge how significant cuts at vital federal agencies will affect weather forecasts, emergency response and long-term recovery.

    They're bracing for the likelihood that fewer meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will lead to less accurate forecasts, and that the loss of experienced managers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will lead to less coordination and more inaction.

  • • Where Local Forecast Offices No Longer
    Monitor Weather Around-the-Clock
    For at Least Half a Century, the National Weather Service has been an Around-the-clock Operation. That is No Longer Possible in Parts of the Country

    WAPO

    May 16, 2025 -For at least half a century, the National Weather Service (NWS) has been an around-the-clock operation. But after the U.S. DOGE Service led efforts to shrink the federal government, that is no longer possible in some parts of the country.

    In four of the agency’s 122 weather forecasting offices around the country, there aren’t enough meteorologists to staff an overnight shift, according to the NWS Employees Organization, a union representing agency workers. And at least several more forecast offices are expected to stop staffing an overnight shift as early as Sunday.

  • • EPA Will Weaken Rule Curbing ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water
    The Agency said it Will Reconsider Drinking Water Standards for Four Chemicals that have been Linked to a Range of Illnesses

    WAPO

    May 14, 2025 -The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it plans to rescind and reconsider limits on four “forever chemicals” under a landmark drinking water standard implemented last year by President Joe Biden.

    The drinking water rules were adopted as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to limit public exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), hazardous chemicals linked to a range of serious illnesses. The original rule covered six common PFAS contaminants, including PFOA, a known human carcinogen, and PFOS, a likely carcinogen.

  • • Trump Administration to Fast-Track Permits for Utah Uranium Mine
    An Environmental Review of the Project, Known as Velvet-Wood, Would Normally Take Roughly a Year, But...

    NYT

    May 12, 2025 -The Interior Department said it would fast-track the permitting process for a uranium mine in Utah as part of President Trump’s plan to shorten environmental reviews and speed the construction of certain types of energy projects.

    An environmental assessment of the Velvet-Wood mine project will be completed in 14 days, the agency announced. Such a review would typically take about one year.

  • • U.S. Government to Stop Tracking the Costs of Extreme Weather
    Making it Harder to Study Wildfires, Storms and Other “Billion Dollar Disasters”

    NYT

    May 8, 2025 -The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday it would stop tracking the cost of the country’s most expensive disasters, those which cause at least $1 billion in damage.

    The move would leave insurance companies, researchers and government policymakers without information to help understand the patterns of major disasters like hurricanes, drought or wildfires, and their economic consequences, starting this year. Those events are becoming more frequent or severe as the planet grows hotter, although not all disasters are linked to climate change.

  • • E.P.A. Plans to Shut Down the Energy Star Program
    Employees were Told that the Popular Energy Efficiency Certification Program Would Be “De-Prioritized and Eliminated”

    NYT

    May 6, 2025 -The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) plans to eliminate Energy Star, the popular energy efficiency certification for dishwashers, refrigerators, dryers and other home appliances, according to agency documents and a recording of an internal meeting.

    E.P.A. managers announced during a staff meeting on Monday that divisions that oversee climate change and energy efficiency would be eliminated as part of an agency reorganization. That includes the E.P.A.’s climate change office as well as the division that oversees Energy Star.

  • • First-of-its-Kind Hawaii Bill Raises
    Tourist Taxes to Fund Climate Relief
    Governor is Expected to Sign the ‘Green Fee’, Which Adds 0.75% Levy to State’s Existing Tax on Short-Term Lodging

    TGL

    May 5, 2025 -Lawmakers in Hawaii have passed first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against natural disasters fueled by the climate crisis.

    Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green, supports the creation of the so-called “green fee”, and is expected to sign it.

  • • Hawaii Announced a Climate Lawsuit
    So the Government Sued Hawaii First

    NYT

    May 1, 2025 -On Monday, Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii said his state intended to sue fossil fuel companies over their role in climate change to make them pay for damage from its effects, like the 2023 wildfires that devastated Maui.

    “I guess this might be breaking news,” he said during an interview on local television. “We will be filing suit.”

    On Wednesday, the Trump administration sued Hawaii first, seeking to block the lawsuit before it could even be filed.

  • • House Votes to Block California from Banning Sales of Gas Cars by 2035
    Both the Senate Parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office Have Concluded that Congress Lacks Authority to Block California’s Climate Policy

    WAPO

    May 1, 2025 -The House voted Thursday to block California from enforcing a rule that would ban sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035.

    Lawmakers voted 246-164 to pass a resolution targeting the rule, which ranks as one of the nation’s most ambitious policies aimed at combating climate change and promoting electric vehicles. However, it is unclear whether the Senate will follow suit and send the measure to President Trump’s desk.

  • • As US Dismantles Its Climate Policy, Other World Leaders Seek Solidarity
    The U.N.’s Secretary-General Said, “No Group or Government Can Stop the Clean Energy Revolution”

    ICN

    Apr. 25, 2025 -As the U.S. Department of State proposed this week to shut down its office managing international climate policy, leaders from several other countries that are key to the climate fight said they are determined to press ahead with global action.

    If it withstands congressional review, the State Department’s move, announced Tuesday, could further solidify the Trump administration’s intentions to withdraw from international climate processes, as announced in a Jan. 20 executive order.

  • • Interior Department to Fast-Track Oil, Gas and Mining Projects
    Trump Plans to Dramatically Reduce Environmental Reviews Before Permitting Drilling and Mining Projects on public Lands and in Federal Waters

    NYT

    Apr. 23, 2025 -The Interior Department said late Wednesday that it would fast-track approvals for projects involving coal, gas, oil and minerals on public lands, arguing that President Trump’s declaration of an energy emergency allowed it to radically reduce lengthy reviews required by the nation’s bedrock environmental laws.

    Environmental reviews that typically take a year to complete would be finished in 14 days, administration officials said. More complicated environmental impact statements that usually take two years would be completed in 28 days, they said.

  • • Release of E.P.A. Climate Grants Is Paused by New Court Ruling
    After a Federal Judge on Wednesday Ordered the Release of Up to $650 Million in Frozen Grants, an Appeals Court Temporarily Halted the Payouts

    NYT

    Apr. 17, 2025 -Hours after a federal judge ordered Citibank to pay out as much as $625 million in federal climate grant money that had been frozen at the Trump administration’s request, an appeals court stayed the decision. The grant money was frozen again before any was sent to recipients.

    It amounted to at least a temporary setback for nonprofit recipients of $20 billion in funds that were appropriated by Congress through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.












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  • • The States Where You Can Still Get Cash For Clean Energy
    Trump has Taken Aim at Green Programs — but These States are Forging Ahead

    WAPO

    Mar. 22, 2025 -Over the past two months, Trump has targeted or frozen many programs that he calls part of the Green New Deal — including grants for electric-vehicle chargers and community solar.

    But some programs are still underway in several states, including one that gives homeowners thousands of dollars off a new heat pump, electrical panel or other home efficiency improvements.

  • • US Coast Guard Academy Censors
    ‘Climate Change’ From Its Curriculum
    The Terminology Will Be Stricken in Classes for Future Officers in a Service that Confronts Global Warming Every Day

    ICN

    Mar. 7, 2025 -The missions of the U.S. Coast Guard propel its members across changing and sometimes perilous waters, into neighborhoods damaged by ever-more-intense hurricanes and around the melting ice of the Arctic.

    But the academy that trains most of the officers of the nation’s sea-going law enforcement and search and rescue force has eliminated “climate change” and related terminology from its curriculum in an effort to conform to President Donald Trump’s policies.

  • • Cuts Could Close Campsites and Trails in California
    Forest Service Memo Says

    NYT

    Mar. 5, 2025 -In California, summer could be on the chopping block.

    Almost 4,000 campsites across many of California’s 18 national forests could close for part or all of the summer season, according to an internal United States Forest Service spreadsheet viewed by The New York Times on Friday. These potential shutdowns follow a wave of federal government firings and budget freezes last month that have led to staffing shortages and stalled contracts for basic services like pumping toilets.

  • • Minnesota’s Red-Tape-Cutting Experiment
    Last Year, the State Passed a Law to Tackle a Major Barrier to Cleaner Energy

    NYT

    Feb. 28, 2025 -One of the biggest hurdles to bringing clean energy sources online in the U.S. often isn’t a lack of money, necessity or even willpower. It’s red tape.

    In some states, simply getting government approvals to build solar or wind projects can take more than a year, and that can come on top of local opposition or federal environmental reviews.

  • • FEMA Quietly Eases Rules that Protect Buildings in Flood Zones
    The Agency Issued an Internal Memo Saying it Would “Pause” a Regulation Directing that Schools, Libraries and Other Public Facilities Damaged By Disasters Be Rebuilt Safely

    NYT

    Feb. 14, 2025 -The Federal Emergency Management Agency has decided to stop enforcing rules designed to prevent flood damage to schools, libraries, fire stations and other public buildings. Experts say the move, which has not been publicly announced, could endanger public safety and may be in violation of federal law.

    The change in policy was laid out in a Feb. 4 memo by FEMA’s chief counsel, Adrian Sevier, that was viewed by The New York Times.

  • • Where Did Billions in Climate and Infrastructure Funding Go?
    The Agency Issued an Internal Memo Saying it Would “Pause” a Regulation Directing that Schools, Libraries and Other Public Facilities Damaged By Disasters Be Rebuilt Safely

    Grist

    Feb. 13, 2025 -y the time President Donald Trump retook office, lawmakers had announced nearly $700 billion in funding for infrastructure- and climate-related projects under two bills passed during Joe Biden’s administration — the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law. That money was promised to all sorts of community and local projects, from clean energy initiatives to water system upgrades.

  • • An EPA Rule Will Reduce Lead in Drinking Water
    Unless This Effort
    to Block It Succeeds

    ICN

    Feb. 13, 2025 -A landmark Environmental Protection Agency rule enacted at the end of last year sought to address the lead crisis—which threatens the health of millions of Americans—by tightening limitations on toxic lead and copper in drinking water. But that might not be the final word.

    U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) introduced a resolution last month to block it and forever bar the EPA from writing a substantially similar rule again.

  • • Trump Stocks E.P.A. With Oil, Gas and Chemical Lobbyists
    Top Political Appointees are Already at the E.P.A. Preparing to Erase the Agency’s Climate Rules and Pollution Controls

    NYT

    Jan. 25, 2025 -Trump is stocking the Environmental Protection Agency with officials who have served as lawyers and lobbyists for the oil and chemical industries, many of whom worked in his first administration to weaken climate and pollution protections.

    Lee Zeldin, Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the E.P.A., has little experience with environmental policy. He will be expected to hit the ground running, though, to fulfill Mr. Trump’s fire hose of orders directing the agency to cut regulations.

  • • Energy Dept. Backs $22 Billion in Loans to Reshape U.S. Power Grids
    The Loan Guarantees are One of the Final Attempts by the Outgoing Biden Administration to Encourage Power Companies to Cut Emissions

    NYT

    Jan. 16, 2025 - The Energy Department said on Thursday that it planned to offer $22.9 billion in loan guarantees to help eight electric utilities around the country modernize their power grids, add large amounts of renewable energy — and pass along any resulting savings to customers.

    The deals amount to one of the biggest commitments ever made by the department’s Loan Programs Office, which under President Biden has already doled out tens of billions of dollars for battery factories and other low-carbon energy projects.

  • • How to Get FEMA Help
    The Agency Offers Different Types of Financial Assistance After Disasters

    NYT

    Jan. 16, 2025 - After disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers different types of financial assistance.

    The fastest is what FEMA calls “serious needs assistance,” which is a one-time payment of $770. That money is meant to be used for immediate needs, such as food or other supplies, for people who had to leave their homes.

  • • FDA Bans Controversial Red Dye
    Found in Candy, Drinks and Snacks

    WAPO

    Jan. 15, 2025 - Federal officials moved Wednesday to ban a controversial bright red dye used in drinks and snacks that has been linked to cancer in animals, a decision arriving decades after the coloring was removed from cosmetics.

    The Food and Drug Administration’s action affects red dye No. 3, which was approved for permanent use in food and ingested drugs more than 50 years ago.

  • • Supreme Court Clears a Path for Climate Lawsuits to Proceed
    The High Court Declined to Hear a Challenge to a Major Case in Which Honolulu is Suing Energy Companies Over Climate Change

    NYT

    Jan. 13, 2025 -In a decision widely seen as benefiting climate activists, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to a lawsuit filed by Honolulu against oil companies over their role in global warming.

    The Honolulu case is one of the most prominent among two dozen similar suits brought by state and local governments that argue oil companies engaged in a decades-long coverup about climate change in a quest for profit, and should have to pay for the consequences.

  • • Biden to Designate Chuckwalla and
    Sáttítla National Monuments in California
    With These Two New Monuments, Mr. Biden Has Protected More Federal Land and Waters than Any Other President

    NYT

    Jan. 9, 2025 - President Biden will travel on Tuesday to the Coachella Valley in California to announce the creation of two national monuments that together will protect more than 848,000 acres of land in the state from drilling and mining as well as wind, solar and other energy development.

    According to the White House, one site in the mountains near Joshua Tree National Park will be designated the Chuckwalla National Monument. The other, in the woodlands north of Mount Shasta near the Oregon border, will be the Sáttítla National Monument.

  • • Treasury Sets Rules for Billions in Hydrogen Subsidies
    With a Lucrative Tax Credit, the Biden Admin. Hopes to Establish a New Industry that Might Help Fight Climate Change

    NYT

    Jan. 3, 2025 - The Biden administration on Friday made final its long-awaited plan to offer billions of dollars in tax credits to companies that make hydrogen, in the hopes of building up a new industry that might help fight climate change.

    When burned, hydrogen mainly emits water vapor, and it could be used instead of fossil fuels to make steel or fertilizer or to power large trucks or ships.

  • • Biden Sets an Aggressive Climate Goal for the U.S.
    But, the Promise of Deeper Emissions Cuts Will Very Likely Be Ignored By the Trump Administration

    NYT

    Dec. 19, 2024 -President Biden on Thursday announced an aggressive new climate goal for the United States, saying that the country should seek to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 61 percent below 2005 levels by 2035.

    The target is not binding and will almost certainly be disregarded by President-elect Trump, who has called global warming a “scam.” But Biden administration officials said they hoped it would encourage state and local governments to continue to cut the emissions that are rapidly heating the planet, even if the federal government pulls back.

  • • Gas Exports Pose Some Risks to U.S. Economy and Environment
    This, According to
    a Long-Awaited Study

    NYT

    Dec. 17, 2024 -The Biden administration on Tuesday released a lengthy study that outlined the economic and environmental risks of shipping more liquefied natural gas overseas, a move that could complicate President-elect Trump’s plans to approve additional gas export terminals.

    If the U.S. were to continue exporting liquefied natural gas in the way that has made it the world’s biggest gas supplier, the study by the Energy Department found, it could drive up energy costs in America by further exposing the domestic market to international pricing....

  • • PG&E Secures $15 Billion Loan From U.S. Energy Department
    The Loan, the Biggest-Ever Commitment from the Loan Programs Office, is Intended to Fund the California Utility’s Grid and Climate Resiliency Projects

    NYT

    Dec. 17, 2024 -The Energy Department plans to offer a record $15 billion loan guarantee to Pacific Gas & Electric, California’s largest utility, to improve its electrical grid and fund climate resiliency projects, the department said on Tuesday.

    The loan guarantee is the biggest commitment to date from the department’s Loan Programs Office, which has doled out tens of billions of dollars in loans and guarantees under the Biden administration to fund energy and electric vehicle projects.

  • • Supreme Court to Hear Challenge
    to California Tailpipe Emissions Limits
    The Justices Agreed to Decide Whether Industry Groups Have Suffered the Sort of Injury That Gave Them Standing to Sue Over an Unusual Waiver

    NYT

    Dec. 13, 2024 -The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to consider whether business groups may challenge an unusual federal program that lets California set its own limits on tailpipe emissions to combat climate change.

    The groups, including fuel producers and sellers, told the justices that the court’s intervention was needed to prevent California from effectively setting national policy.



Noteworthy

  • • History of the Clean Water Act
    History of the Clean Water Act

    Sep. 12, 2019  (EPA)- The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first major U.S. law to address water pollution. Growing public awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to sweeping amendments in 1972. As amended in 1972, the law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act (CWA).

    The 1972 amendments:

    Established basic structure for regulating discharges into the waters of the U.S.
    Gave EPA the authority including setting wastewater standards for industry
    Maintained requirements for water quality standards
    Illegalized discharge any pollutant into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions
    Funded the construction of sewage treatment plants
    Recognized the need for planning to address the critical source pollution problems

  • • Is Ethanol Really a Good Idea?
    Food Vs. Fuel: What
    Trump's Ethanol Policy
    Means For The Food System

    Forbes Magazine -The EPA moved forward with President Trump’s directive to lift a federal ban on high ethanol blended gas during the summer months, though not quickly enough for Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who Reuters reports is urging the EPA to lift the ban on a much quicker timeline.

    Lifting the ban is a policy shift that’s being celebrated by large-scale corn growers and decried by biofuel opponents. But the policy has implications for the food system too, as many food system reformers say the last thing U.S. farmers should be growing is more corn.

  • • EPA to Halt Fuel Economy Standards
    California Getting Ready
    to Fight Back

    Mar. 29, 2018 - The Trump administration is poised to abandon America's pioneering fuel economy targets for cars and SUVs, a move that would undermine one of the world's most aggressive programs to confront climate change and invite another major confrontation with California.

    The EPA is expected to announce in the coming days that it will scrap mileage targets the Obama administration drafted in tandem with California that aim to boost average fuel economy for passenger cars and SUVs to 55 miles per gallon by 2025, according to people familiar with the plans.

  • • The E.P.A is a Sinking Ship
    E.P.A. Officials,
    Disheartened by Agency’s
    Direction, Are Leaving in Droves

    Dec. 22, 2018 - More than 700 people have left the Environmental Protection Agency since President Trump took office, a wave of departures that puts the administration nearly a quarter of the way toward its goal of shrinking the agency to levels last seen during the Reagan administration.

  • • How Low Can the EPA Go?
    EPA Reverses Policy on
    'Major Sources' of Pollution

    Jan. 25, 2018 - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it was withdrawing a provision of the Clean Air Act that requires a major source of pollution like a power plant to always be treated as a major source, even if it makes changes to reduce emissions.

    The decision to withdraw the "once-in always-in" policy is part of President Donald Trump's effort to roll back federal regulations and was sought by utilities, the petroleum industry and others. Never mind about the health of the American people.

  • • Trump Imposed Tariffs on PV Imports
    30% Tariff Disappoints
    Trade Industry

    Jan. 22, 2018 - Trump has agreed to a recommendation by the International Trade Commission (ITC) to grant U.S. solar manufacturers relief from unfair trade practices in the form of tariffs on solar cells and modules imported to the U.S.

    This will hurt the solar industry which currently employs over 250,000 workers.

  • • Fed. Compromise on Anti-PACE Law
    Industry, Lawmakers Compromise
    on Anti-Property Assessed
    Clean Energy Legislation

    Dec. 27, 2017 - A financing program that’s let more than 180,000 homeowners pay for solar panels and clean-energy appliances through their local tax bills is poised to survive an effort by Republicans to add regulations that would have effectively shut it down.

  • • The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
    Summary of the National
    Environmental Policy Act

    Originally Passed in 1968 (EPA) — NEPA was one of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment. NEPA's basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment.

    NEPA requirements are invoked when airports, buildings, military complexes, highways, parkland purchases, and other federal activities are proposed. Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), which are assessments of the likelihood of impacts from alternative courses of action, are required from all Federal agencies and are the most visible NEPA requirements.

    Click now for more,
    including a history of this act.

  • • Shouldn’t We Abolish Fossil Fuel Subsidies?
    America Spends Over $20Bn Per
    Year On Fossil Fuel Subsidies.

    July 30, 2018 (The Guardian) -Imagine that instead of taxing cigarettes, America subsidized the tobacco industry in order to make each pack of smokes cheaper.

    A report from Oil Change International (OCI) investigated American energy industry subsidies and found that in 2015–2016, the federal government provided $14.7bn per year to the oil, gas, and coal industries, on top of $5.8bn of state-level incentives (globally, the figure is around $500bn). And the report only accounted for production subsidies, excluding consumption subsidies (support to consumers to lower the cost of fossil fuel use – another $14.5bn annually) as well as the costs of carbon and other fossil fuel pollutants.

  • • The D.O.E. Solar Decathlon
    How To Shine In The Solar Village

    October 6, 2017 - At noon Eastern Standard Time today — the second day of competition for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon in Denver — the Northwestern University team was sitting in first place, according to scores released on the competition website.

    The Solar Village, where all 13 teams’ houses are standing for the competition, is now open to the public.

    With scoring under way on three of the 10 competition categories — Heath & Comfort, Appliances, and Home Life — Northwestern was tied with Swiss Team and UC Berkeley/U of Denver on the three segments in Health & Comfort — temperature, humidity and indoor air quality.

  • • Budget Slashed for Clean Energy
    Trump’s Budget Expected
    to Massively Slash Research
    On Renewable Energy
    — And ‘Clean Coal’

    May 18, 2017 -The Trump administration is expected to propose massive cuts to federal government research on wind and solar energy next week, according to current and former Energy Department officials familiar with budget discussions.

    The department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which funds research on advanced vehicles as well as other aspects of clean energy, would face a roughly 70 percent cut in 2018, carving about $ 1.45 billion from its $2.09 billion 2017 budget.

  • • The SunShot Initiative
    What is the SunShot Initiative?

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office focuses on achieving the goals of the SunShot Initiative, which seeks to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of the decade.

  • • The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
    Notes from the Solar Underground:
    US Solar’s Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

    The global solar industry relies on mandate. Let's hope it doesn't go away.

  • • Carbon Tax Center
    What is the Carbon Tax Center?

    Why revenue-neutral carbon taxes are essential,what’s happening now, and how you can help.

    In a carbon-constrained world, a permanent U.S. carbon tax is essential to reduce emissions that drive global warming.

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Federal, state and local agencies that can assist
with your questions about renewable energy, environmental
protection, tax credits, rebate incentives and more.

(Scroll Down to See the Whole List)


Governmental Agencies

Federal Agencies

 


The Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management


BOEM Logo
BOEM offshore leasing and operations are governed by a wide variety of laws, regulations, and other communications with the offshore industry.
The Bureau enforces compliance with these regulations and periodically updates rules to reflect advancements in technology and new information. This section provides access to BOEM rules, regulations, and guidance to the offshore industry.

Combined Heat and Power Partnership


 CHP Logo
The CHP Partnership is a voluntary program seeking to reduce the environmental impact of power generation by promoting the use of CHP. The Partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other clean energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new projects and to promote their environmental and economic benefits.

Energy Resources Program

Geothermal Energy

 USGS Logo
Geothermal energy is a significant source of renewable electric power in the western United States and, with advances in exploration and development technologies, a potential source of a large fraction of baseload electric power for the entire country. The USGS Geothermal Resource Investigations Project is focused on advancing geothermal research through a better understanding of geothermal resources and the impacts of geothermal development. This is achieved by applying a wide range of research methods to characterize resource occurrences, perform monitoring, and develop resource assessments. The project team works closely with a number of external collaborators from federal and state agencies, academia and industry on projects throughout the US and internationally (provide link to map of field study areas).

The Solar Energy
Technologies Program

(Dept. of Energy)

The Solar Energy Technologies Program focuses on developing cost-effective solar energy technologies that have the greatest potential to benefit the nation and the world. A growing solar industry also stimulates our economy by creating jobs in solar manufacturing and installation. See also the SunShot Initiative which strives to make solar competitive with fossil fuels by 2020.
 

 

 

National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration

 
 NOAA Logo
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. NOAA warns of dangerous weather, charts seas and skies, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources, and conducts research to improve understanding and stewardship of the environment.
 

National Renewable
Energy Laboratory


 NREL Logo
Focusing on creative answers to today's energy challenges.
From fundamental science and energy analysis to validating new products for the commercial market, NREL researchers are dedicated to transforming the way the world uses energy.
With more than 35 years of successful innovation in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today our discoveries provide sustainable alternatives for powering our homes, businesses, and our transportation system.

 

U.S. Dept. of Environmental Protection


EPA had employed 17,000 people across the country, including headquarters offices in Washington, DC, 10 regional offices, and more than a dozen labs.

Staff were technically trained; more than half were engineers, scientists, and policy analysts. In addition, a large number of employees are legal, public affairs,financial, information management and computer specialists.

Michael S. Regan was sworn in as the 16th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency on March 11, 2021, becoming the first Black man and second person of color to lead the U.S. EPA.

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System addresses water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the United States.

Created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act, the NPDES permit program is authorized to state governments by EPA to perform many permitting, administrative, and enforcement aspects of the program.
 
 

 

State Agencies

The California Solar Initiative - CSI


 Go Solar Logo
The California Solar Initiative offers cash back for installing solar on your home or business.
The state strives to create megawatts of new solar-generated electricity, moving it towards a clean energy future.
And you can help!

Join the thousands of home and business owners who have earned cash back rebates by installing solar energy systems through the California Solar Initiative. Customers earn cash rebates for every watt of solar energy installed on homes, businesses, farms, schools, and government and non-profit organizations.


Connecticut Energy and
Environmental Protection


Connectivut Environental Symboldd>
In charge of conserving, improving and protecting the state's natural resources and environment. Promotes the supply of clean, affordable and reliable energy.

 

 

 


 

 

State Agencies (continued)

Database of State Incentives
for Renewable and Efficiency


Overview of Florida's state rebate program. Applies to Commercial, Residential, Nonprofit, Schools, Local Government, State Government, Fed. Government, Multi-Family Residential, Institutional. Also covers other states' similar incentive programs.
 

Florida Dept. of
Environmental Protection


The lead agency for environmental management and stewardship and is one of the more diverse agencies in state government, protecting air, water, and land. It is divided into three primary areas: Regulatory Programs, Land and Recreation and Planning and Management.

 

Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency


Illinois EPA Logo
This site covers all aspects of the environment in the state.
Use the link to report violations of air and water quality rules and regulations.

 

Maine Department of
Environmental Protection


Maine Dept of Env Protection Logo
The DEP is responsible for protecting and restoring Maine's natural resources and enforcing the state's environmental laws.
The agency can trace its roots back to the Sanitary Water Board that was created in 1941. The purpose of that Board was to study, investigate, recommend means of eliminating and preventing pollution in waters used for recreational purposes.
The Board was renamed the Water Improvement Commission in 1951. In 1969, the Commission's title was abbreviated to the Environmental Improvement Commission.

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Massachusetts Department
of Environmental Protection


Massacheusetts EPA Logo
The Department of Environmental Protection is the state agency responsible for ensuring clean air and water, the safe management of toxins and hazards, the recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, the timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.

 

NJ Board of Public Utilities


A regulatory authority with a statutory mandate to ensure safe, adequate, and proper utility services at reasonable rates for customers in New Jersey.



NJ Department of
Environmental Protection

NJ Dept Env. Protection Logo
On America's first official "Earth Day" — April 22, 1970, the NJ DEP was born. It became the third state to consolidate its past programs into a unified major agency to administer aggressive environmental protection and conservation efforts.
Since then it began a role to manage natural resources and solve pollution problems. In what started with about 1,400 employees in five divisions, NJDEP now has a staff of approximately 2,900 and is a leader in the country for its pollution prevention efforts and innovative environmental management strategies.

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NY: NYSERDA


NYSERDA’s earliest efforts focused solely on research and development with the goal of reducing the State’s petroleum consumption. Subsequent research and development projects focused on topics including environmental effects of energy consumption, development of renewable resources, and advancement of innovative technologies. Check the website for funding opportunities and other incentives to go green.

 

 

Ohio EPA


State of Ohio Logo
Their mission is to protect the environment and public health by ensuring compliance with environmental laws and demonstrating leadership in environmental stewardship.


Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality


Oregon Government Logo
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a regulatory agency whose job is to protect the quality of Oregon's environment. Well, YEAH!

 

 

PA Department of
Environmental Protection


PA Dept of Env Protection Logo
Responsible for administering Pennsylvania's environmental laws and regulations. They work to reduce air pollution, insure water quality, and more.

 

Sarasota County (Fla.) Government

Roadmap to Sustainability.


Sarasota County government is committed to environmental, cultural and economic sustainability. This means:
  Replenish the resources we use or consume.
  Ensuring our values guide us into the future.
  Investing in our community to ensure future prosperity.
To achieve the balance necessary for a sustainable community, our programs and services must be economically viable, environmentally sound and socially equitable.

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