Emissions reduction

Carbon-free buildings

New York becomes first state to commit to all-electric new buildings

The state finalized rules ensuring most new edifices will install electric heat pumps and stoves instead of gas appliances, lowering costs and improving air quality.

By Alison F. Takemura . 30 July 2025
Emissions reduction

N.C. governor vetoes bill that would have delayed clean energy goal

The bill would have eliminated a 2030 emissions-reduction target for Duke Energy — and caused the utility to build less generation, just as power demand is rising.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 2 July 2025
Policy & regulation

The EPA puts toxic power plant emissions back on the table

Advocates are already fighting to preserve Biden-era rules that would cut toxins and greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas power plants.

By Kathryn Krawczyk . 13 June 2025
Policy & regulation

A proposal for a Massachusetts wood-burning plant is back from the dead

Springfield residents thought they had defeated a plan to burn wood waste for energy that would greatly worsen air quality. Now they’re gearing up for another fight.

By Sarah Shemkus . 9 June 2025
Food and farms

Biden’s climate-smart ag program was better than nothing. Trump killed it.

In a climate-dumb move, the Trump administration ended a flawed but necessary program aiming to lower agricultural emissions. We can still draw useful lessons from it.

By Michael Grunwald . 4 June 2025
Clean industry

A new, low-carbon way to make chemicals, without the big, dirty factories

Startup OCOchem has built factory-assembled “artificial photosynthesis” cells to make formate, a widely used chemical now produced with fossil fuels.

By Jeff St. John . 29 May 2025
Clean industry

How states can pick up the slack on industrial decarbonization

States can’t replace the billions in funding the Trump administration is trying to claw back, but they have options for keeping up momentum on cleaning up industry.

By Jeff St. John . 22 May 2025
Emissions reduction

The country’s biggest grid operator has a new tool to track emissions

Utilities, states, and Big Tech firms want to know how dirty their grid power is. MISO and startup Singularity have rolled out a tool that can show them.

By Jeff St. John . 14 May 2025
Energy efficiency

Has Maine learned how to make heat pumps lower electricity costs for all?

Heat pump adoption in the state has soared. Now a new state energy-efficiency plan aims to accelerate the trend to cut emissions and control power prices.

By Sarah Shemkus . 14 May 2025
Energy efficiency

Trump’s all-out war on energy efficiency

From targeting Energy Star to pausing more obscure rules, the Trump administration is derailing measures that help save money by reducing energy use.

By Alison F. Takemura . 12 May 2025