With budget gaps fraying a large and fragmented public transportation system, transit voices in San Francisco and Oakland push for a single regional operator.
Rooftop solar adoption in the U.S. is expanding beyond wealthier households, with more middle- and low-income families benefiting from this renewable energy source.
The median household income for new rooftop solar users dropped to $115,000 in 2023, down from $141,000 in 2010.
Government policies, decreasing installation costs and financing options like solar leasing have made solar more affordable.
States like Maine saw rapid growth in small-scale solar, while access still varies widely depending on location.
Key quote:
“Solar has gotten cheaper, and so that has made it more accessible to a broader swath of the population.”
— Galen Barbose, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researcher
Why this matters:
As rooftop solar becomes cheaper and more accessible, more households can benefit from lower electricity costs and reduced emissions. Ensuring that lower-income families gain equal access supports a fair distribution of public policy benefits and accelerates the transition to clean energy.
Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China could significantly raise prices for clean energy technologies like electric vehicles, solar panels and heat pumps.
Trump plans to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports, and increase tariffs on Chinese goods by 10%, affecting clean energy tech.
Economists predict these tariffs will add $3,000 to vehicle prices and 35-75 cents per gallon to gas.
Experts warn the tariffs could stifle innovation and hinder efforts to combat climate change by making green tech less affordable.
Key quote:
“The planet is burning. If there’s anything we should try to cooperate on, it’s stuff that makes a clean transition happen.”
— Ansgar Baums, senior fellow at the Stimson Center
Why this matters:
Higher prices on green technologies could slow the shift to cleaner energy, making it harder to reduce emissions. Protectionist policies may disrupt trade and impede global efforts to fight climate change by making clean tech less accessible.
The Supreme Court refused to block a Biden administration rule aimed at preventing toxic coal ash from contaminating groundwater near shuttered power plants.
The rule targets coal plants closed before October 2015, requiring measures to stop coal ash leaks.
East Kentucky Power Cooperative sought to pause the rule, citing high compliance costs.
The Supreme Court denied the request without explanation or dissent, allowing the rule to stay while lower courts review the case.
Why this matters:
Coal ash contains harmful substances like mercury and arsenic that can contaminate drinking water and harm public health. This ruling supports efforts to reduce pollution risks tied to older coal plant waste.
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles from everyday products, have been found in organs, blood and even the placenta, raising alarm over their health effects.
These particles carry harmful chemicals like phthalates and PFAS, which disrupt hormones and may contribute to diseases such as heart conditions, cognitive deficits and cancer.
Simple lifestyle changes, like avoiding microwaving plastic containers and choosing stainless steel or glass, can significantly reduce exposure.
Key quote:
“It’s so pervasive because there’s so many ways we don’t think something’s plastic, but we realize it actually is.”
— Dr. Leonardo Trasande, Director of Environmental Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine
Why this matters:
The health implications are staggering, but the solutions often feel out of reach. Avoid plastic altogether? Good luck in a world practically built on it. But experts like Dr. Leonardo Trasande are pointing to small, practical changes as ways to limit the damage. Meanwhile, the bigger battle looms: curbing plastic production before these particles saturate every inch of the planet—and our bodies. Read more: Microplastics in farm soils: A growing concern.
Floating fish farms could soon occupy parts of the Gulf of Mexico under a revived plan supported by the Trump administration, sparking debate over aquaculture’s environmental impact.
NOAA has identified five potential aquaculture zones in the Gulf, aiming to balance industry needs with marine ecosystem concerns.
Critics worry these farms will worsen the Gulf’s "dead zone," threaten wild fish populations and suffer damage from violent storms.
Proponents argue offshore aquaculture is necessary to meet growing seafood demand as wild fish stocks decline.
Key quote:
“We have warmer waters and all of the difficulties our fisheries are having because of climate change, but none of that supports an argument for factory fish farms. If we care about climate change, we shouldn’t have them in our oceans.”
— Marianne Cufone, executive director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition
Why this matters:
Aquaculture could ease pressure on wild fisheries and reduce seafood imports, but it risks harming marine ecosystems and exacerbating pollution. With climate change already impacting fisheries, balancing food production and environmental health is critical.
California is investing $1.4 billion to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, signaling its commitment to EV adoption amid political uncertainty at the federal level.
California’s Energy Commission approved a plan to install 17,000 new EV chargers over four years.
At least 50% of the funds will support low-income and disadvantaged communities affected by pollution.
The state’s move counters potential rollbacks in EV support if Trump returns to the presidency.
Key quote:
“The plan prioritizes clean air benefits in low-income and disadvantaged communities that need it the most.”
— Patty Monahan, lead transportation commissioner
Why this matters:
Expanding EV infrastructure is critical for reducing air pollution and promoting equitable access to cleaner transportation. Without sufficient chargers, EV adoption could stall, particularly in underserved communities, worsening environmental and health disparities.
CRC, a major California oil producer, faces more than $1 billion in cleanup costs for over 11,000 idle wells.
The company’s bonds cover only a fraction of these costs, raising concerns about taxpayers bearing the burden.
Critics worry CRC may repurpose idle wells for carbon storage to postpone cleanup obligations.
Key quote:
“It offers a way to be paid to do something with these wells, as opposed to simply paying to do cleanup. It’s arguably a way to say, we don’t need to do cleanup now.”
— Joshua Macey, Yale Law School professor
Why this matters:
Abandoned wells can leak methane and other toxins into air and groundwater, posing health risks. If companies avoid cleanup, taxpayers face financial and environmental consequences, exacerbating issues in communities near these sites.
Legal and industry experts say there are uncertainties about the future of hydrogen hubs, a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s clean energy push.
A massive push for hydrogen energy is one of the first test cases of new federal environmental justice initiatives. Communities and advocates so far give the feds a failing grade.
