Energy, Climate Change,
and Our Environment

The President has taken unprecedented action to build the foundation for a clean energy economy, tackle the issue of climate change, and protect our environment.

Energy and Environment Latest News

  • Modernizing our Electric Transmission Infrastructure and Driving the Development of Clean Energy

    Posted by Dan Utech on July 21, 2015 at 11:51 AM EST

    President Obama is committed to improving the nation’s electric grid and spurring the development of renewable energy. Since the President took office, the United States has increased electricity generation from solar energy 20 fold and tripled the amount of electricity we generate from wind. To further build on this progress, the Obama Administration remains committed to modernizing and improving our transmission grid.  Improving our transmission grid will make electricity more reliable, save consumers money, catalyze the transition to a clean energy economy, and reduce the carbon pollution that is leading to climate change. 

    That is why, today, the Administration is announcing new investments in the next generation of power transmission and smart grid technology in 13 states and executive actions that will make it easier and faster to permit transmission lines, including:

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  • Join a Google+ Hangout on Building Climate Change Resilience through Community Service

    Posted by Ken Meyer on July 14, 2015 at 2:04 PM EST

    Last week, the Obama Administration announced a new set of actions to support low-income and other vulnerable communities in preparing for the impacts of climate change. Included in this set of actions are new steps to increase the role of community service in helping these communities prepare through the creation of a Resilience AmeriCorps pilot program.

    On Wednesday afternoon, senior White House officials and key resilience partners will be hosting a White House Google+ Climate Hangout to discuss President Obama's commitment to protecting vulnerable communities from climate change and the Administration's launch of the Resilience AmeriCorps pilot program. We invite you to join the Hangout and participate in the conversation by tweeting your questions and comments using #ActonClimate. This conversation will be moderated by Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

    Watch the Google+ Hangout on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, at 2:00pm ET.

    Participants include: 

    • Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director, White House Council on Environmental Quality
    • Ali Zaidi, Associate Director, Natural Resources, Energy, and Science, White House Office of Management and Budget
    • John Kelly, Deputy Chief of Staff, Corporation for National and Community Service
    • Sam Carter, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
    • Peter Goldwasser, Deputy Director, Cities of Service
    • Kate Meis, Executive Director, Local Government Commission
    • Jackie Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Fort Collins, Colorado

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  • President Obama Designates 3 New National Monuments, Protecting More than 1 Million Acres of Public Land

    Posted by Christy Goldfuss on July 10, 2015 at 2:36 PM EST

    President Obama signs National Monument designations in the Oval Office, July 10, 2015

    President Barack Obama signs National Monument designations in the Oval Office, July 10, 2015. The three new monuments include Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, Waco Mammoth in Texas, and the Basin and Range in Nevada. Standing behing the President, from left, are: Victor Knox, National Park Service, April Slayton, National Park Service, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Chief Tom Tidwell, Randy Moore, Forest Service, and Director Neil Kornze. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

    Today, we joined community members from California, Texas, and Nevada to celebrate the President’s announcement of three new national monuments. The new monuments include Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, Waco Mammoth in Texas, and Basin and Range in Nevada. Together, these striking places demonstrate the wide range of historic, cultural, and natural values that make America’s public lands so treasured.

    With these new designations, President Obama will have used the Antiquities Act to establish or expand 19 national monuments. Today’s addition of three national monuments will protect more than 1 million acres of public land, adding to the more than 260 million acres of public lands and waters President Obama has protected for future generations – more than any other President.

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  • Increasing Solar Access for All Americans

    Posted by Dan Utech on July 7, 2015 at 12:58 PM EST

    Last year, the United States brought online as much solar energy every three weeks as it did in all of 2008, and the solar industry added jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy. And since the beginning of 2010, the average cost of a solar electric system has dropped by 50 percent.

    But we know that our economy is strongest when every American has the tools to get ahead. That means just as we are working to make high-quality health care and community college more available and affordable to middle-class and low-income families, we must also work to expand opportunities for families to use cleaner sources of energy that can help households save on their utility bills.

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  • Estimating the Benefits from Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reductions

    Posted by Howard Shelanski and Maurice Obstfeld on July 2, 2015 at 2:00 PM EST

    By now, just about everyone accepts that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are warming our planet and changing our climate in harmful ways.  With growing frequency we see headlines about extreme weather events such as heat waves, polar melting, severe drought, and violent storms—a dangerous mix whose costs for our economy and environment will only grow over time.  Transitioning to a lower carbon economy is an essential step toward reducing these costs. The social cost of carbon (SCC) is a tool that helps Federal agencies decide which carbon-reducing regulatory approaches make the most sense—to know which come at too great a cost and which are a good deal for society. The SCC is a range of estimates, in dollars, of the long-term damage done by one ton of carbon emissions. 

    The effort to incorporate the SCC into regulatory impact analysis started during the Bush Administration.  At that time, each Federal agency developed its own estimate of the SCC using a variety of methodologies. In 2009, the Obama Administration established a working group of technical experts from across the government to develop a single set of estimates, based on the best available science and economics, to be used by all agencies in their emissions reducing regulations. In February 2010, after considering public comments on interim values that agencies had been using, the working group released harmonized and improved SCC estimates, along with a Technical Support Document (TSD) that explained how the SCC estimates were derived. Recognizing that the underlying models would evolve and improve over time as scientific and economic understanding increased, the Administration committed to periodic updates of the 2010 estimates. 

    In November 2013, OMB published a request for comment on a set of updated SCC estimates and the methodology used to develop them, to supplement the comments already routinely received when agencies use the SCC in particular rulemakings.  In response, we received about 150 substantive comments, some quite lengthy and technical, as well as about 39,000 form letters that expressed support for our efforts to establish a harmonized SCC.

    Today, we are following up on that public comment process and announcing next steps for further refining the social cost of carbon:

    • First, we are publishing a detailed summary and formal response to the many thoughtful comments we received.
       
    • Second, we are issuing some minor technical revisions to the SCC, and publishing a revised TSD that explains those changes. The resulting central SCC estimate for a ton of CO2 emitted in 2015 is $36.
       
    • Third, to ensure that the next SCC update keeps up with the latest available science and economics, we will seek independent expert advice on opportunities to improve the estimates, including many of the approaches suggested by commenters and summarized in the Response to Comments document. Specifically, we are asking the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide advice on the pros and cons of potential approaches to future updates. Input from the Academies, informed by on-going public comment and the peer-reviewed literature, will help to ensure that the SCC estimates used by the federal government continue to reflect the best available science and economics. Federal agencies will continue to use the current SCC estimates in regulatory impact analysis until further updates can be made to reflect the forthcoming guidance from the Academies.

    The SCC will become increasingly important if we are to protect our economy, environment, and quality of life for current and future generations from the mounting costs of climate change. The Administration is committed to ensuring consistency across Federal agencies in how they value the carbon emission reductions that will result from their rules.  We will continue to keep these estimates informed by the most up-to-date science and economics so that agencies can appropriately account for the social cost of carbon emissions in evaluating the costs and benefits of their regulations.

     

    Howard Shelanski is the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Maurice Obstfeld is a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers.

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  • The Administration Takes a Big Step in Addressing Climate-Damaging HFCs

    Posted by Brian Deese and Dan Utech on July 2, 2015 at 12:30 PM EST

    Today, the United States took decisive action on climate change by curbing the use of the potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These factory-produced chemicals, which are primarily used in air conditioning and refrigeration, can pack up to 10,000 times the global warming punch of carbon dioxide. Absent ambitious action to limit their use, emissions of HFCs in the United States are expected to nearly triple by 2030.

    That’s why the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized a rule under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program that will prohibit the use of certain HFCs where safer and more climate-friendly alternatives are available. Simultaneously, the agency also listed as acceptable additional climate-friendly alternatives, expanding the options for businesses to use chemicals that are less harmful to the global climate.

    EPA’s final rule will help us make a significant and meaningful cut in our greenhouse gas emissions—up to the equivalent of 64 million metric tons of carbon dioxide of avoided emissions in 2025.

    Leading businesses are already stepping up to replace HFCs with safer and more climate-friendly alternatives, and these measures from EPA will go hand-in-hand with these private-sector efforts. The United States is at the cutting edge not only when it comes to developing the next generation of safe and cost-effective alternatives to HFCs, but also in terms of incorporating these alternatives into American cars, air conditioners, refrigerators, foams, and other products.

    Innovative American companies are leading the charge to ensure Americans will have climate-friendly insulation in our homes, HFC-free air-conditioners in our cars, and more sustainable supermarkets and corner stores. For example, last September, the White House hosted an event at which 22 private-sector companies and organizations stepped forward with commitments to reduce emissions from HFCs. Those commitments will reduce cumulative global consumption of these greenhouse gases by the equivalent of 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2025, equivalent to 1.5% of the world’s 2010 greenhouse gas emissions and the same as taking nearly 15 million cars off the road for 10 years.

    The momentum we are making both through the final rule EPA announced today and also through these private-sector commitments advances global climate action. In April, the United States joined with Canada and Mexico to propose an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to tackle HFCs globally. Last month, G-7 Leaders committed to continue efforts to phase down HFCs and to negotiate a Montreal Protocol amendment this year, and the African Group, India, island countries, and the European Union all support an amendment. We have also made HFCs a key element of our bilateral climate discussions, and our bilateral announcements with China, India, and Brazil all recognize the need to advance progress on managing HFCs in the Montreal Protocol. Scientists predict that such strong international action would help shave off up to half a degree of warming by the end of the century, substantially furthering our goal to limit global temperature rise.

    Today’s announcement takes a big step toward a more sustainable future and demonstrates to other countries that we are making serious efforts at home to complement the global solutions that we are advocating for internationally.

    Here are some early examples of what companies and organizations have to say about EPA’s action today:

    “We are delighted to see these final SNAP regulations. The action offers clarity to the industry and very positive, long term impact for the environment.”

    – Steven Trulaske, Owner, True Manufacturing

    “Honeywell applauds the EPA on their landmark action to restrict the use of high-global-warming HFCs, which are among the most potent greenhouse gases in use today. EPA’s action will accelerate the adoption of solutions with far less impact on the atmosphere while also spurring private sector innovation and creating jobs.”

    – Ken Gayer, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell’s Fluorine Products business, Honeywell

    “AHAM applauds the EPA decision in its final SNAP rule to adjust certain compliance deadlines, which demonstrates the Administration’s flexibility and desire to work with the appliance industry to make the most impactful environmental gains. It also reflects the voluntary steps that home appliance manufacturers are taking to end the use of HFCs as foam-blowing agents. The home appliance industry is committed to delivering the most energy efficient and environmentally responsible products to American homes.”

    – Joseph M. McGuire, President, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

    “Chemours continues to support the President’s Climate Action Plan and EPA’s commitment and action using existing EPA authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in applications that have readily available lower global warming potential options. We believe it is critical that we reduce high global warming potential emissions in a manner that ensures that we are still able to deliver the critical societal services that HFCs provide today.”

    – Diego Boeri, Global Business Director, Chemours Fluorochemicals

    “Ingersoll Rand applauds the U.S. efforts to prioritize a transition away from high global warming potential refrigerants and it further reinforces the significance of our climate commitment to significantly increase energy efficiency and reduce the climate impact of our products and operations.”

    – Paul Camuti, Chief Technology Officer, Ingersoll Rand

    “We appreciate EPA’s partnership with manufacturers during this rulemaking process and EPA’s willingness to work with the Department of Energy to acknowledge the impacts of each other’s regulations and reduce burdens on U.S. companies.”

    – David Szczupak, Executive Vice President, Global Product Organization, Whirlpool Corporation

    Brian Deese is a senior advisor to the President. Dan Utech is the Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change.

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