America is in the midst of a clean energy revolution. Currently, wind and solar energy provide nearly 10 percent of our nation’s electricity and in 2018 America produced almost five times as much renewable electricity from the sun and the wind as in 2009. Renewables on the Rise documents the dramatic rise of clean energy over the past decade and looks toward a future that is 100 percent renewable.
Pittsburgh is no longer the “Smoky City” of days gone by, but pollution from industry continues to pose a threat to public health. Cutting Through the Smoke documents the health toll of industrial pollution in the area, the Allegheny County Health Department’s history of weak enforcement of clean air laws, and recent actions by the department that provide hope that air polluters in the county will finally be held accountable.
Americans should be able to expect that water at our beaches is clean and safe for swimming. In fact, that was a key goal when our nation adopted the Clean Water Act in 1972. But an analysis of sampling data from around the country shows that, all too often, water at American beaches may be putting swimmers' health at risk.
Boulder, Colorado is an environmentally conscious city with a problem: The city's lack of housing has contributed to most of its workforce living in surrounding, sometimes sprawling communities. This forces thousands of people into long car commutes that exacerbate global warming and air pollution. By enabling compact development, Boulder can create neighborhoods where homes, jobs, and recreational opportunities co-exist. Doing so will enable residents to walk, bike and take transit to where they are going - helping Boulder bolster its environmental and climate leadership.
To help develop smart public policy around solar energy, many public utilities commissions, utilities and other organizations have conducted or sponsored “value-of-solar” studies that attempt to quantify the monetary value of the benefits delivered, and costs imposed, by the addition of solar energy to the electric grid. Many value-of-solar studies, however – especially those conducted by electric utilities – have left out key benefits of solar energy. To make decisions that serve the public interest, policymakers should account for the full value of solar energy, including societal benefits to the environment and public health.
Year after year, state and local governments propose billions of dollars’ worth of new and expanded highways that often do little to reduce congestion or address real transportation challenges, while diverting scarce funding from infrastructure repairs and key transportation priorities. The fifth edition of Highway Boondoggles finds nine new budget-eating highway projects, slated to cost a total of $25 billion, that will harm communities and the environment while likely failing to achieve meaningful transportation goals.
Communities across the U.S. – from rural towns to big cities – are increasingly adopting composting programs to cut the amount of waste they pay to dump at landfills and trash incinerators. Composting can replenish soils vital for growing food; cut methane emissions and pull carbon out of the atmosphere; and replace harmful synthetic fertilizers. There are accessible steps that every community can take to realize the benefits of composting.
Infrastructure is at the heart of America's greatest challenges. From ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans to addressing global warming, which threatens to change life as we know it, the nation's infrastructure policy is an opportunity to undertake the challenge of building a better world. As the national debate around infrastructure continues, federal decision makers should prioritize public health, the preservation of a livable climate, and the quality of life in our communities by focusing on five key areas - energy, water, solid waste, transportation and preserving our natural infrastructure.
The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) included measures to create a stable insurance market where individual consumers could obtain affordable, comprehensive insurance. However, actions by the federal government have lessened weakened the market for individual insurance, limiting consumers’ ability to obtain comprehensive insurance at a reasonable price. A Better Health Insurance Market for Oregon explores how the state can stabilize the market by reducing uncertainty and risk for insurers and encouraging healthier consumers to continue to buy insurance coverage. To achieve long-term stability for all consumers, however, Oregon must also pursue options for reducing the high cost of health care.
