ProGov21 Policy Library

Insights into Building Performance Standards in the Northeast Region

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania

Source Acadia Center

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

Buildings are one of the top emitters of greenhouse gas emissions. Communities should implement Building Performance Standards (BPS) to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions in commercial and multifamily buildings. BPS are linked to broader climate goals and environmental...

2004 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Ordinance 04-175 Regulating Use of Coal Bed Methane

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2004

Level County

State(s) Alaska

Source Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

This ordinance establishes an areawide conditional use permit for coal bed methane exploration and development. An entity that wants to install and operate coal bed methane facilities must have its permit application approved. This ordinance outlines the permit application process...

Estimating Policy Effects on Reduced Vehicle Travel in Hawaii: A Technical Guide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level State

State(s) Hawaii

Source State Smart Transportation Initiative

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Transportation & Mobility

This report compares estimates of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in Hawaii under current conditions versus VMT when policies are implemented to manage travel demand. These policies include transportation demand management (employer-based programs that encourage employees to carpool,...

A Decade of Successes Against Fossil Fuel Export Projects in Cascadia

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level State

State(s) Oregon, Washington

Source Sightline Institute

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

Since 2012, fossil fuel companies have devised more than 50 projects to export coal, oil, or gas from Cascadia's coast. Thanks to local opposition, 40 of those projects have been canceled, averting 1,717 million metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions. This report calls on...

Net Zero Energy Roadmap for the City of Burlington, Vermont

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) Vermont

Source City of Burlington, Vermont

Policy Areas Community Development, Energy, Transportation & Mobility

Pollution and energy inefficiency are exacerbating the global climate crisis, but cities can pass local policies to address these issues. The City of Burlington, Vermont launched the net-zero-energy program in 2018 to eliminate fossil fuel use by the ground transportation and heating...

Hydrogen in California: Air Pollution and Emissions Impacts

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2024

Level State, City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source The Greenlining Institute

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

City use of hydrogen harms our climate and burdens low-income communities of color. This fact sheet highlights emissions risks and considerations throughout the lifecycle of hydrogen. Best practices include collaborating with environmental justice and community groups to align on...

2006 Boulder Carbon Tax Ordinance 7483

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2006

Level City or Town

State(s) Colorado

Source City Council of the City of Boulder

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance imposes the Climate Action Plan Tax as an excise tax upon persons consuming electricity as residential, commercial, or industrial customers. The tax shall be imposed upon the basis of each customer’s consumption of electricity measured in Kilowatt/Hours. The purpose...

The Path to Carbon Dioxide-Free Power: Switching to Clean Energy in the Utility Sector

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2003

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Tellus Institute

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

This report explores a range of national policies to increase energy efficiency, accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies and shift energy use to more efficient power systems while reducing the electricity bills of consumers and businesses. The policies considered...

2010 King County Ordinance 16927 Energy Efficiency and Emissions Reduction

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2010

Level County

State(s) Washington

Source St. Paul City Council

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces, Energy

This ordinance requires developers of county capital improvement projects to submit a strategic energy-efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction plan that includes options for reducing emissions; improving energy efficiency; identifying financial incentives for achieving energy...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Chicago: Emissions Inventories and Reduction Strategies for Chicago and its Metropolitan Region

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2010

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source Center for Neighborhood Technology

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Transportation & Mobility

This report compiles 33 potential emissions reduction strategies that, when implemented together, can help Chicago meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The area with the largest potential for reduction is energy use in buildings...

Driving Down Emissions: Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source Smart Growth America

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development, Housing, Health, Transportation & Mobility

Transportation accounts for the largest share of carbon emissions in the U.S. Car-oriented land use and community design play a significant role in the nation’s transportation emissions; communities are built in a way that makes it difficult and unsafe to access daily needs outside...

Pathways to 100: An Energy Supply Transformation Primer for U.S. Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Meister Consultants Group

Policy Areas Energy, Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources

Pathways to 100 provides a high-level map of pathways for municipalities seeking to transform their energy supply, outlining strategies for both municipal operations and for all energy users within municipal limits. The document is organized around a three-step process that cities...

Effects of Parking Provision on Automobile Use in Cities: Inferring Causality

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source State Smart Transportation Initiative

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Transportation & Mobility

Many cities include minimum parking requirements in their zoning codes and provide ample parking for public use. However, parking is costly to provide and encourages increased automobile use, which is linked to traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and negative health and...

Re-Thinking the Urban Freeway: Options for Rebuilding, Replacing, Altering or Otherwise Addressing Aging Freeways

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development, Public Spaces, Transportation & Mobility

Urban freeways create barriers to movement within cities, institutionalize social inequities, contribute to environmental degradation, and encourage suburban sprawl. As urban freeways approach the end of their useful lives, decisions on the fate of an individual freeway will be place...

Increasing Energy Efficiency: Legal Techniques and Impediments

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town, County, National, State

State(s) All States

Source New York Law Journal

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

Increasing energy efficiency is the most important action that can be taken to combat climate change. There are currently an abundance of legal techniques available at the federal, state and municipal levels that cumulatively could accomplish a great deal in cutting energy use, lowering...

Water Main Geothermal: Could Existing Water Pipes Replace Dirty Energy Utilities?

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Housing

Water main geothermal combines the efficiency and technical capability of ground-source geothermal in cold climates with costs competitive to fossil gas furnaces. This report shows that water main geothermal could provide a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional home heating...

The Built Environment, Climate Change, and Health: Opportunities for Co-Benefits

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2008

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source SPARCC

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Transportation & Mobility

The built environment, climate change, and public health are closely connected; human-generated greenhouse gases derive from aspects of the built environment such as transportation systems and infrastructure, building construction and operation, and land-use planning. Transportation...

Mobility Equity Framework: How to Make Transportation Work for People

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County, Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) California

Source The Greenlining Institute

Policy Areas Transportation & Mobility

This report outlines a framework for mobility equity, or a transportation system that increases access to high quality mobility options, reduces air pollution, and enhances economic opportunity in low-income communities of color. Decades of local, regional, and state transportation...

An Approach for Better Aligning the Nation’s Clean Air and Clean Energy Goals

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2003

Level State, National

State(s) All States

Source Tellus Institute

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

Policies to spur increased investment in renewable electricity generation can offer significant public benefits, including economic development and energy security, as well as improved public health and environmental quality owing to air pollution reductions. Congress has attempted...

Taking the High Road to Cleaner Air for Kids and Communities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Finance & Procurement, Transportation & Mobility

Although electrification reduces greenhouse gas emissions, switching to electric vehicles (EV) can negatively impact workers by giving rise to anti-union EV manufacturers, like Tesla. To address this problem, this memo urges local governments to leverage their procurement power to...

Capturing Energy Waste in Ohio: Using Combined Heat and Power to Upgrade Electric System

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Energy, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources

Ohio's electric power is highly inefficient, and in 2009 lost over $17.6 billion in energy market value. To improve efficiency, lower utility bills, and decrease emissions, energy producers should implement combined heat and power (CHP) technologies, which generate power from wasted...

Clean Diesel: Overcoming Noxious Fumes

Type Article

Year 2001

Level National, State

State(s) California

Source ACCESS Magazine, University of California, Davis

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Transportation & Mobility

Diesel engines, known for powering most heavy-duty trucks and transit buses, have long been a source of pollution, contributing to air quality and public health problems through nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter emissions. To address these issues, states implement stringent...

2008 King County Proposed Ordinance 107: Sustainable Development & Green Building

Type Act or Session Law

Year 2008

Level County

State(s) Washington

Source King County Council

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

This ordinance continues King County’s requirement to use green building and sustainable development practices in all capital projects that the county plans or grants funds for. Green building and sustainable development practices are those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce...

Bag It! New Fee Could Reduce Disposable Bag Use in Cuyahoga County

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level County

State(s) All States, Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

If a recently proposed ordinance is passed, small fees will be placed on disposable bags in Cuyahoga County. Disposable bags require energy and natural resources to be produced and cause significant pollution. This policy can help reduce the usage of disposable bags, and consequently,...

Equitable Community Solar: Policy and Program Guidance for Community Solar Programs that Promote Racial and Economic Equity

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

Community solar, also called “shared solar”, creates local economic value. Residents save money on their monthly bills by subscribing to a “solar garden”––they reserve a share in a solar array located offsite, and the power generated by their solar panels shows up as a credit on their...

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