Supporting Clean Cars Rules to Drive Climate Mitigation, Electric Vehicles, and Fuel Savings August 9, 2018 Share Last week, the federal government formally proposed to roll back the country’s clean car rules and limit states’ rights to address climate change and clean air—a move that would halt in its tracks the country’s first fuel economy improvements since the 1980s, forgo critical greenhouse gas reductions, and cost Americans nearly $17 billion in savings at the pump in 2025.
Foundation Office Receives LEED Platinum Certification December 14, 2017 Share This week, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded the Heising-Simons Foundation office space LEED Platinum certification.
Study Finds Latinos Highly Engaged with Climate Change Issue October 10, 2017 Share Self-identified Latinos in the United States are more convinced that global warming is happening and that it is caused by human activity, according to a national study conducted by grantee the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Latinos are also more worried about climate change, more supportive of climate change policies, and more willing to demand political action than non-Latinos.
Californians Support Leading Climate and Clean Energy Policies August 2, 2017 Share Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed new laws to extend a groundbreaking policy to curb climate change and to improve air quality in polluted neighborhoods. The legislation was approved by two-thirds of lawmakers with bipartisan support, continuing the state’s long tradition of practical policies that improve both the economy and the environment. These new laws …
Foundation Joins “We Are Still In” Coalition in Support of Paris Agreement July 7, 2017 Share As the director of a program focused on climate and clean energy, these last few months have been a rollercoaster: one day there’s more bad news from the federal government and the next there is more good news from the states. In these fast-changing times, the Heising-Simons Foundation remains committed to supporting efforts to protect people and the planet from the worst impacts of climate change.
New Report on How Wholesale Electricity Markets Impact Wind Production February 14, 2017 Share The Great Plains Institute (GPI) recently released a report concluding that the launch of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) electricity market in 2005 resulted in an increase of wind plant capacity factors. Using publicly available data, GPI built an econometric model to estimate the real-time effect on wind plant generation. Per the model, the market resulted in …
The Path Forward on Clean Energy in the United States January 13, 2017 Share The path forward to curb climate change and advance clean energy in the United States has taken a sharp turn, following the recent election. As our Foundation’s Chair and CEO both noted recently, our organization takes a long view and remains committed to helping accelerate progress. I remain optimistic that even if the new federal …
The Valuable Momentum of the Paris Agreement October 10, 2016 Share Last week, the United Nations announced that enough countries have ratified the landmark Paris Agreement to curb climate change that it will enter into force in early November. This is a major step forward, and I am thrilled at the global leadership that is so critical to the goals we are trying to achieve in …
Heising-Simons Foundation Joins Coordinated Effort to Expand Energy Efficiency September 22, 2016 Share Next month, more than 100 countries will meet to discuss a possible amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These greenhouse gases, used in air conditioners and refrigerators around the world, are up to 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing climate change. …