Puerto Rico Hands Control of its Power Plants to a Natural Gas Company

Puerto Rican authorities have hired a natural gas company to operate the island’s publicly-owned fleet of fossil fuel power plants, despite the commonwealth facing increasing pressure to rapidly transition its aging energy system to renewable sources. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced Wednesday that his government had signed a contract with New Fortress Energy, a New York-based […]

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Maryland’s Largest County Just Banned Gas Appliances in Most New Buildings—But Not Without Some Concessions

Montgomery County, Maryland, home to more than a million residents, passed landmark legislation this week requiring new residential and commercial buildings to be all-electric—barring some exceptions—starting 2027. While advocates celebrated the significance of the legislation, it came with an asterisk.  Passed unanimously by the county council on Tuesday, the amended “Comprehensive Building Decarbonization” legislation—or Bill […]

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Citing Health and Climate Concerns, Activists Urge HUD To Remove Gas Stoves From Federally Assisted Housing

Federal officials are considering a request from environmental, public health and public housing activists asking that they remove gas stoves from properties that are supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Citing concerns about climate change and adverse health effects that have been linked to exhaust from the stoves, advocates asked HUD officials […]

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Environmental Advocates Call on Gov.-Elect Wes Moore to Roll Back State Funding for Fossil Fuel Industry

Contrary to Maryland’s climate and clean energy goals, the Maryland Energy Administration has announced $9.25 million in grants for expanding natural gas infrastructure in the state, angering environmentalists who have called the move a handout to the fossil fuel industry at ratepayer’s expense.  The MEA grant announcement came the day after Maryland became one of […]

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Is natural gas the solution to Africa’s energy needs? New research says no.

Should African countries use natural gas to power their economies until they can build more climate-friendly renewable electrical grids? The question has been at the heart of an acrid debate this year, pitting would-be fossil fuel powerhouses like Senegal and Mozambique against climate activists on the continent, who say a new round of resource extraction […]

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In Court, the Maryland Public Service Commission Quotes Climate Deniers and Claims There’s No Such Thing as ‘Clean’ Energy

Maryland’s Office of People’s Counsel (OPC) has asked a state circuit court to order the Maryland Public Service Commission to investigate a gas utility company for deceiving its customers by falsely claiming that natural gas is cleaner than electric power and undermining the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The disagreement emerged when OPC, […]

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With fracking promising a quick energy boost, can Colombia say no?

protest“For the first time ever, there is a government that is against fracking,” says Amarilys Llanos Navarro. An activist and lawyer with the Cesar Without Fracking and Gas Movement, an anti-extractivist movement in Colombia’s northern department of Cesar, is referring to Gustavo Petro, who took office as president in August and has vowed to ban […]

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