Lisa Hatina’s Post

A new report from Acadia Center and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) reveals that enhanced community engagement for clean energy infrastructure projects is critical to achieving New England’s 2050 decarbonization goals. The report highlights the opportunity to accelerate the region's clean energy progress by addressing local concerns and better equipping communities to meaningfully participate in siting and approval processes.   Drawing from prominent case studies around the region, the report also identifies promising options for developers, communities, and policymakers to improve project planning and engagement, helping reduce the risk of failures, legal challenges, and delays. Without comprehensive reforms to improve community engagement processes and modernize siting and permitting policies, the region’s clean energy transition risks significant delays and setbacks.   Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gGaRqqct Register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/erAtSggc  

Excited to share my latest publication on socio-technical transitions of #offshore wind energy with Stephen Axon. Historically, installation of energy infrastructures has often excluded communities and disproportionately affected populations via environmental stressors. Evaluating policies and regulations between the Global North and Global South can provide insights into the challenges of developing a blue economy from an environmental and socio-economic perspective. Multiscale government interactions (federal, state, local) through policy and regulation can at times create bottlenecks in sustainable development. Exploring these interactions can deepen understandings of how the blue economy is conceptualized and utilized as a resource for sustainable growth by promoting the responsible use, and conservation of, marine resources. https://lnkd.in/g95qyTRA

California’s Energy Commission has reached a decision to consider the non-energy #impacts of #energy projects when evaluating their feasibility. This decision represents a departure from the conventional approach that primarily focuses on energy-related factors in project evaluations. By considering non-energy impacts, such as public health, #environmental justice, and community well-being, regulators aim to promote more holistic and equitable decision-making processes. The move reflects a growing recognition of the interconnectedness between energy projects and broader #social, #economic, and environmental outcomes. While this approach is not entirely uncommon, it marks a significant step towards prioritizing sustainability and equity in California's energy #transition efforts. https://lnkd.in/gdbEr8wA

Illinois clean energy transition excludes key constituents in energy justice equation, study argues #IL: Illinois has made transitioning to clean energy a major priority in recent years with the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) in 2016 and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021. Both pieces of legislation prioritize an equitable transition, aiming to avoid and address historical wrongdoings associated with environmental injustice. However, a recent study, published in Political Geography by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, suggests the state, in attempting to redress historical wrongs, used an overly . . . #windpower #windenergy

Excited to share a new paper from our Climate, Health & Energy Equity Lab (CHEEL). In it, we propose a practical if unusual new approach to advancing both climate mitigation and health equity in the US (and other high-income countries). Specifically, we show that health-improving energy efficiency upgrades to low-income housing can be funded through the VCM sale of carbon offsets - the offsets generated by upgrade-enabled reductions in household energy use. This type of locally generated “social carbon” offset gives companies a unique opportunity to reduce carbon footprints by investing in economic and health equity within the US communities where they operate. A second key contribution of the paper –  powered by the work of Vanderbilt University undergraduate Maya Maciel-Seidman – is our new and accessible methodology for calculating efficiency-enabled household energy and carbon savings. This new methodology is based on combining quick and easy physical measurements with energy and carbon data from publicly available data sources. While not a comprehensive solution to the energy equity and climate crises, our ready-to-deploy approach for getting energy efficiency upgrades to low-income households (renters in particular) stands to bring immediate economic and health relief to tens of thousands of US households left beyond the reach of public energy assistance. We are grateful to our campus partners at the Wond'ry and deeply thankful to our community partners in this work - Ms. Elois Freeman and the Housing Ministry of Westwood Baptist Church in Nashville: their input and collaboration informed the pilot research and methodology development reflected in this paper. Our work has also been supported by Rama & Sid Das – the first CHEEL donors and continued enthusiastic supporters of CHEEL's actionable research and pedagogies. Carol Ziegler, NP-C, APHN-BC, DNP, James Muchira, Maya Maciel-Seidman, Aaditi Lele, Samuel Lu, Cindy Yan – working with you is a joy and an inspiration! Here’s to our continued efforts on CHEEL’s mission of designing and deploying interventions that drive climate mitigation by improving economic, health, and environmental outcomes for marginalized communities! #EnergyEfficiency #EnergyEquity #HealthEquity #climatemitigation #socialjustice #socialcarbon #carbonoffsets

Ontario’s Broader Public Sector (BPS) Energy Reporting Program can help Municipalities, School Boards, Hospitals, and others save money and energy. BPS organizations are required to submit annual use data reports that can help identify best practices, manage their energy use and find energy-saving opportunities. This year, BPS organizations must submit reports for both 2022 and 2023 as well as update and publish their energy conservation and demand management plans on their website by July 1. https://lnkd.in/ec2aTTqH Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) | AMCTO | Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO) | Council of Ontario Universities | Enbridge Gas | Climate Challenge Network #Ontario #OntarioEnergy #EnergyEfficiency #OntarioBPS

Exciting news! Our report on municipal energy aggregation programs in Massachusetts was mentioned in the Boston Globe Media. The story, produced in partnership with WBUR, sheds light on the state's energy market. Check out the full story here: https://lnkd.in/et_bbvss. Thank you to Sabrina Shankman, Globe Staff, and Miriam Wasser, WBUR for mentioning our work. Our report was possible thanks to the support of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) and the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy. 💡 Our study focuses on opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation of Community Choice Energy (CCE) aggregation programs across Massachusetts municipalities. The study examines the goals that motivated municipalities to acquire CCE programs, the self-reported challenges associated with their implementation, and the benefits obtained, including cost-savings. The researchers also discuss the potential of CCE programs to support federal and state climate goals by increasing renewable energy demand while reducing costs, thus contributing to climate mitigation (i.e., ability to reduce CO2 emissions), and facilitating the green energy transition. 🌱 #EnergyEfficiency #Sustainability #MassachusettsEnergy #BostonGlobe

As we build the infrastructure we’ll need for the energy transition – how can we ensure meaningful engagement with benefits for local communities? CATF’s latest tool compiles a select list of resources on community benefits in the U.S.: https://lnkd.in/eJPviGFG

Exciting news from California as the state takes a significant step towards integrating human health considerations into energy policy decisions. Here at Quantum Energy, our TotalView Impact Analyzer does exactly this by quantifying human health and ecosystem benefits of clean energy investments. #EnergyPolicy #HumanHealth #Sustainability #CleanEnergy https://lnkd.in/gKFGD_t4.

This study by a team of researchers from the UMass Amherst focuses on opportunities, challenges, and benefits associated with the implementation of Community Choice Energy (CCE) aggregation programs across Massachusetts municipalities. Read the report to find out how CCE programs facilitate the green energy transition. https://bit.ly/3xDZaT6