Local

Never before have local actions been so critical. Governors, mayors, and town boards have initiated and expanded their commitments to climate action even as the U.S. federal government is once again stepping away from international climate leadership. There is a fascinating US interactive map, populated in real time, showing a geographical overview of financial incentives and regulatory policies, state-by-state, that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency here.

There are now 24 states, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, taking part in the U.S. Climate Alliance, committing them to taking real, on the ground action that urgently addresses the climate challenge. These states represent 54% of the U.S. population and 57% of the U.S. economy. In becoming an Alliance member, states commit to:

Implementing policies that advance the goals of the Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025;
Tracking and reporting progress to the global community in appropriate settings, including when the world convenes to take stock of the Paris Agreement.
Accelerating new and existing policies to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy deployment at the state and federal level.

LOCAL NEWS

Politico

A solar industrial complex is turning Republicans into believers

By Zack Colman 09/10/26

The solar industry is converting Republican politicians one factory at a time. President Donald Trump has called solar power “the scam of the century” in his effort to roll back the Biden climate agenda, and…

Inside Climate News

New Mexico Bans Uranium Leasing on State Lands

By Dylan Baddour and Wyatt Myskow 09/04/26

Officials in New Mexico, the nation’s largest historic producer of uranium ore, banned new leasing of state lands for uranium mining on Friday.

Grist

The fossil fuel industry is spending record amounts to keep California from regulating it

By Joseph Winters 08/27/26

The fossil fuel industry isn’t just raking in record profits amid the war with Iran. In California, it’s also spending big to oppose climate and worker-safety legislation.

Politico

Controversial plastic recycling technology divides Albany Democrats

By Mona Zhang 07/31/26

A thorny question is dividing Democrats in Albany and thwarting legislative efforts to reduce toxic plastic waste: Does chemical recycling actually work?

Climate Colored Goggles

Are Californians willing to pay for clean energy?

By Sammy Roth 07/28/26

A volley of stories from California’s leading news outlets left me furrowing my brow this month — not annoyed so much as perplexed.

Yale.edu

How Local Governments Can Use Communication to Drive Climate Action

By Monica Dwight and Others 07/23/26

When a hurricane threatens a community, government officials have a responsibility to communicate accurate information about the hazard and provide guidance to community members on how to stay safe. Further, they should educate the public…

Springer Nature Link

The symptoms of climate denial: tracing the intersections of denial, right-wing extremism and masculinity

By Debra J. Davidson and Others 05/27/26

Confronting climate denial requires inquiries into the social factors that lend denial frames their receptivity. We seek to extend recent research focused on the role of masculinities and right-wing extremism in climate denial by integrating…

E&E NEWS

Capital control: States strip power from cities, counties

By Adam Aton and Jeffrey Tomich 04/15/26

Michigan’s rural counties were blocking solar energy projects, so Democratic state lawmakers quashed the opposition by passing new statewide standards. Local opposition was mounting against data centers in West Virginia, so the Republican-dominated Legislature stripped…

Empire Report

Climate Action and Affordability Can and Must Go Hand-In-Hand

By Governor Cathy Hochul 03/20/26

All New Yorkers should be immensely proud that their home state is a national leader for clean energy and climate action. As Governor, I take that role very seriously, knowing it is our mission to…

THE NEW York times

A Left-Right Alliance Puts Iowa’s CO2 Pipelines on the Presidential Agenda

By Jonathan Weisman 07/30/23

Emma Schmidt, a lifelong environmental activist in Rockwell City, Iowa, had long searched for potent allies in her fight against a massive carbon dioxide pipeline planned for her state.

the new statesman

It’s time for local politicians to show climate leadership

By Adam Lent 07/26/23

In a shameful week, the two main national parties turned their backs on the environmental challenge just as its consequences became horrifically clear.

KEY RESOURCES

Many changes are going to come about because politicians fight to control global warming through laws and regulations. Some of them are worthy of our praise and support. These governors have joined the US Climate Alliance and have pledged to uphold the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement within their respective state.

Transportation & Climate Initiative

TCI’s Regional Policy Design Process

05/15/20

In light of the unprecedented need for governors and agencies to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Transportation and Climate Initiative jurisdictions have shared an adjusted timeline for developing a regional clean…

The Pew Charitable Trusts

To Counteract Trump on Climate, States Set Clean Energy Targets

09/24/19

Democratic state lawmakers passed a wave of bills this year they hope will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, even as the Trump administration moves in the opposite direction.

United States Conference of Mayors

The United States Conference of Mayors

07/02/19

The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with a population of 30,000 or larger. Each city is represented by its chief elected official, the mayor. View their 2019 Adopted…

Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate Change

05/28/19

Co-chaired by Maros Sefcovic and Michael Bloomberg, The Global Covenant of Mayors serves cities and local governments by mobilizing and supporting ambitious, measurable, planned climate and energy action in their communities by working with city/regional…

USCA

United States Climate Alliance

04/05/19

The United States Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of governors committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Smart, coordinated state action can ensure that the United States…

100% Commitments in Cities, Counties, & States

04/05/19

Across the U.S. over 90 cities, more than ten counties and two states, have already adopted ambitious 100% clean energy goals. Six cities in the U.S.--Aspen, Burlington, Georgetown, Greensburg, Rock port, and Kodiak Island--have already…

We Are Still In

01/31/19

Already in 2017, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg formed the “We Are Still In” coalition, which now includes some 3,500 leaders across the country who have pledged action on climate change that would, if…

citizens climate lobby

Citizens Climate Lobby

01/19/19

Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. By building upon shared values rather than partisan divides, and empowering our supporters to work in keeping…

Beyond Carbon

01/09/20

Check if your state, territory, or district is working on climate and clean energy policies, including 100% clean energy laws, carbon pollution reduction targets, and policies to expand transit and support electric vehicles.

Load less

MORE NEWS

spectrum news 1

A progressive take on New York Legislature’s climate goals

By Susan Arbetter 06/28/23

Extreme heat continues across the American south this week while Canada experiences its worst wildfire season on record, also driven by extreme heat. According to Reuters, the searing heat is part of a global pattern…

The Nation

Virginians Are Fighting Climate Change Through Down-Ballot Races

By Madeline Ostrander 06/27/23

n off-year primary election used to be a quiet affair. But last week’s Virginia primaries caught national attention—even races that played out in humble settings and small locales—as the front lines in fights over everything…

Legal Planet

Supreme Court Allows Major State, Local Government Climate Change Litigation to Proceed on Merits

By Richard Frank 04/26/23

This week the U.S. Supreme Court gave state and local governments a big–if preliminary–legal win against the fossil fuel industry. The justices declined to take up numerous cases in which government entities have sued oil,…

RMI

Supporting Local Governments as Climate Change Threatens Their Communities

By Ella Mure and others 04/21/23

This year’s Earth Day theme encourages us to evaluate the ongoing investments needed to protect our planet. With climate disasters becoming more frequent and severe, the US Government Accountability Office warns climate change will cost…

Politico

Wall Street firms face W.Va. boycott over alleged fossil fuel bias

By Jordan Wolman 06/14/22

BlackRock Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., JP Morgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and U.S. Bancorp are due to be placed on West Virginia’s Restricted Financial Institution List in 45…

USA Today

Red voters for green energy? Conservatives say they support solar and wind power too

By Kyle Bagenstose 06/10/22

During the Cold War, John Lehman served as Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. Later, he was appointed a Republican member of the 9/11 commission.

The Hill

Trump-era rollbacks left US behind peers in climate change fight: report

By Zak Budryk 06/01/22

For the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), researchers traced countries’ progress toward net-zero emissions, a goal nearly every nation has established. From 2010 to 2019, the U.S. ranked 20th out of 22 western democracies and 43rd…

Salon

“No time to ask nicely”: Protesters arrested after blocking roads over Manchin, Sinema obstruction

By Julia Conley 05/24/22

Pro-democracy campaigners in West Virginia and Arizona on Monday risked arrest at sit-ins in downtown Charleston and Tucson, demanding that Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema end obstruction of their party's agenda and allow…

E&E News

Manchin’s strategy isn’t climate denial — it’s craftier

By Chelsea Harvey 12/23/21

Sen. Joe Manchin isn’t a climate denier — at least not in the traditional sense. He doesn’t deny the existence of human-caused climate change.

npr

What losing Build Back Better means for climate change

By Lauren Sommer 12/20/21

With billions of dollars for clean energy, the Build Back Better legislation has the potential to substantially and rapidly cut heat-trapping emissions in the U.S. But Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., rejected the bill on Sunday,…

The Hill

Climate hawks pressure Biden to replace Fed chair

By Sylvan Lane 09/02/21

Environmentalists are pressing President Biden to factor in the Federal Reserve’s record on climate change under Jerome Powell when he decides whether to renominate the central bank’s chairman for a second term.

The Hill

Progressives launch campaign to exclude gas from Congress’s clean electricity program

By Rachel Frazin 09/01/21

Progressives are pushing to try to keep natural gas out of a Democratic proposal aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the electric sector.

The Washington Post

Inspired by Texas Dems, Lindsey Graham urges Republicans to ‘leave town’ to stop $3.5 trillion budget package

By Katie Shepherd 07/19/21

In a ploy to hamper Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget package, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham on Sunday proposed his fellow Republican senators follow the example of the Democratic Texas lawmakers who left their state to stop legislation that would have…

Wall Street Journal

Bipartisan Group Backs Gas-Tax Increase as Option to Fund Infrastructure

By Andrew Duehren 04/23/21

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers endorsed a report that includes raising the gasoline tax as a possible way to pay for infrastructure spending, lending support to a measure that both Republican and Democratic proposals…

NBC Philadelphia

Philadelphia Commits to Carbon Neutrality By 2050

By Rudy Chinchilla 01/15/21

Scientific consensus indicates “that we have to go further if we are truly to prevent the worst impacts of climate change,” Mayor Jim Kenney said.

ENERGY NEWS NETWORK

Cities, states would lose voice on model energy code updates under proposal

By Alex Ruppenthal 01/13/21

The International Code Council is set to consider a proposal that would strip public sector members of their voting rights on updates to influential model building energy code.

NBC Boston

‘All-Out Offensive’ Planned on Climate Bills in Mass

By Colin A. Young 12/26/20

With the time left to make a deal ticking away and other matters jockeying for attention, climate policy advocates are mounting an effort -- one group declared it "an all-out offensive" -- to keep pressure…

Greenwich Time

Survey: Voters support bold actions on transportation, climate issues

By DJ Simmons 12/25/20

A majority of eastern U.S. voters support the multi-state Transportation and Climate Initiative as a way to jump-start the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recently released scientific survey of…

The Washington Post

The District, three states sign agreement to curb transportation emissions

By Luz Lazo 12/22/20

The group, which could be joined by other states, set a goal of reducing vehicle pollution by 26 percent in the next decade.

Energy News Network

Connecticut power plant proposal at odds with climate goals, critics say

By Lisa Prevost 12/18/20

As Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s climate council finalizes recommendations for how the state can meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals, state agencies are simultaneously overseeing final approvals for a new natural gas-fired power plant.

Energy News Network

Michigan utilities funded candidates during key caucus leadership races

By Tom Perkins 12/18/20

Campaign finance records show an uptick in activity as lawmakers challenged a critic of the utility industry’s agenda.

OPB

Reporting on timber lobbying prompts Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to call for audit of state institute

By Tony Schick and Rob Davis 09/03/20

The Oregon Forest Resources Institute worked to undercut academic research and acted as a lobbying and public relations arm for the timber industry. Now, the governor has asked for an audit.

Purdue

Providing a Local Perspective on Global Climate Change

By Abby Leeds 06/30/20

How important is climate change to you personally? This question is guaranteed to produce a wide range of opinions across America. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication groups the American public into six audiences…

Center for American Progress

States Are Laying a Road Map for Climate Leadership

By Sam Ricketts, Rita Cliffton, Lola Oduyeru, and Bill Holland 04/30/20

The United States and the world face an urgent crisis—one that requires American leadership at home and abroad. But while the Trump administration is utterly failing in the task due to incompetence, indifference, corruption, or…

Citizens' Climate Lobby

Climate successes from the states

By Jamie DeMarco 04/17/20

Climate successes from the states By Jamie DeMarco, CCL State-Level Carbon Pricing Coordinator We are all looking forward to the day when we can safely meet with your community and lawmakers again, working for climate…

Planetizen

Public Supports East Coast Climate Pact—More Than Governors

By Irvin Dawid 03/06/20

Public comments were largely favorable regarding the 12-state program intended to reduce transportation emissions by using a cap-and-invest system, but governors are cautious due to an expected effect on gas prices.

abc news

GOP lawmakers walk out after Oregon climate bill advances

By Andrew Selsky 02/25/20

Republican Senators Slipped Out Of The Oregon State Capitol On Monday, Preventing The Senate From Convening In An Attempt To Doom A Bill Aimed At Stemming Global Warming.

VOX

This one weird trick can help any state or city pass clean energy policy

By David Roberts 12/26/19

Federal climate politics in the US remains as gridlocked as ever, but the past few years have seen a remarkable flourishing of climate and clean energy policy at the subnational level, in states and cities…

World Resources Institute

2019 Was a Watershed Year for Clean Energy Commitments from U.S. States and Utilities

By Lori Bird and Tyler Clevenger 12/20/19

U.S. states and utilities made more ambitious clean energy commitments in 2019 than ever before, with many committing to reaching 50% or 100% clean energy in the coming decades.

State of the Planet

A Climate Change Double Whammy in the U.S. Corn Belt

By Marie Denoia Aronsohn 12/18/19

The United States Corn Belt includes western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas. The region has dominated corn production in the U.S. since the 1850s, accounting for more than a third of…

abc News

In Florida and elsewhere, GOP pressured over climate change

By Bobby Caina Calvan 11/27/19

Two-thirds of Americans are willing to pay more for everyday items made out of environmentally sustainable materials instead of single-use plastic, according to a survey from PBS NewsHour and Marist Poll.

NYLCV

New York City Council Passes Coastal Resiliency Plan for East Side

By Shachar Sharon 11/16/19

NYLCV Pens Op-ed and Sends Letter of Support to City Council

The Washington Post

From Apple to wineries, California companies turn to solar amid outages

By Marie C. Baca 10/18/19

As climate change threatens to make power outages more frequent, California businesses are turning to solar-powered systems to protect their operations when the lights go out

Miami Herald

Miami Beach declares a climate emergency

By Alex Harris 10/18/19

Miami Beach has declared a climate emergency, thanks to the advocacy efforts of Miami youth climate advocates. They see it as a victory, and a first step toward convincing the city to do more to…

Sag Harbor Express

Climate Change Is Happening on the East End

By Alisha Steindecker 09/25/19

The flooding on sunny days on Dune Road in East Quogue or the harmful algal blooms found in Georgica Pond in Wainscott or Lake Agawam in Southampton are no accident. The earth is warming, and…

Los Angeles Times

Newsom will announce new plans for a satellite to track climate change

By Taryn Luna 09/25/19

Former Gov. Jerry Brown famously said last year that California would launch its “own damn satellite” to track climate change in defiance of the Trump administration. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce a new…

Newsday

Students demonstrate on Long Island to demand action to stop climate change

By Khristopher J. Brooks and Jean-Paul Salamanca 09/20/19

Whether they trekked into Manhattan or traveled from school grounds to Town Hall, students on Long Island spoke up in unison Friday as youth across the globe demanded action from world leaders on climate change.

Star Tribune

Minnesota grows business, jobs as it greens the local economy

By Neal St. Anthony 09/15/19

Renewables now account for 25% of total Minnesota power production. Policymakers and utilities are talking about doubling that by 2030.

Insideclimate News

A southern governor’s climate and clean energy plan aims for zero emissions

08/30/19

North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature remains an obstacle to big changes, so the administration is looking for work-arounds and short-term wins....

1 2 3 Next »

LOCAL

LOCAL

CITY, COUNTY, TOWN & STATE PLANS

LOCAL NEWS

KEY RESOURCES

MORE NEWS