states
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In the Trump era, all climate progress will be local
When the federal government is run by climate science deniers, it’s up to cities and states to lead.
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New tool maps how badly climate change affects you
A new web tool from the Natural Resources Defense Council lets you map climate change threats — excessive heat, disease risk, pollution, drought, and flooding — anywhere in the United States. Above is the full U.S. map showing the average number of extreme heat days in 2000-2009, but you can also zoom in on your […]
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States can't be trusted to monitor their own drinking water
Lest you think we were getting all worked up for no reason, here is some evidence that states should not be left to their own devices when it comes to making sure our water is clean. A GAO report released yesterday found that states were underreporting or misreporting 84 percent of safe drinking water monitoring violations.
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Most of the U.S. could be energy self-sufficient
With a little development elbow grease, we could be in pretty good shape for the day the energy apocalypse comes and states have to split into small self-reliant compounds. The majority of U.S. states -- 31 of the 50 -- could be completely self-sufficient with locally-produced renewable energy, according to a report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In fact, most states could produce many times more energy than they need. They've got South Dakota down as having the potential to produce 32,431 percent of its energy usage! (There's also a bigger map and an interactive map that is actually not all that interactive as far as I can tell.)
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31 states can be self-sufficient with local renewable energy
The following map was the headline graphic to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s 2009 report, Energy Self-Reliant States, unveiling the enormous potential for each state to meet its own electricity needs internally. I re-created the map for web viewing, so it’s now even easier to share how each state can meet its electricity consumption with […]
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Silver linings behind Supreme Court's bummer clean air decision
This morning's Supreme Court decision in American Electric Power Co. vs. Connecticut is undoubtedly a setback for the environment. Yet there are two silver linings for environmentalists in today's opinion.
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Top 10 greenest states — how does yours stack up?
Vermont New York Washington Oregon Minnesota California Nevada New Hampshire Massachusetts Maine Hmm … based on this, we're going to go ahead and say that if you want a green state, the best possible location is the middle of the alphabet. Beyond that, any surprises here? Vermont has "green" right in the name (albeit in […]
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Why don’t larger solar power markets have lower prices?
This is part of a series on distributed renewable energy posted to Grist. It originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. Before the holidays we posted a chart illustrating the average cost of solar by state, highlighting Minnesota’s claim to the most expensive solar PV in […]
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'Cities' may not matter as much as we think
When we talk about "cities" strictly limited to a fraction of a place's total area and population, we're being arbitrary and missing important points.