There’s a shiny new addition to Pakistan’s dusty agricultural heartland: rows upon rows of solar panels.
Imports of solar equipment from China in the first nine months are well ahead of those for the whole of 2023, according to data compiled by BloombergNEF. The $1.7 billion of purchases would equate to 17 gigawatts of generation, more than a third of Pakistan’s total power capacity, if it’s all deployed on rooftops and farms across the country, according to industry estimates.
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LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — As scientists sought to separate PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, from the environment, they studied oceans and rivers.
“They realized that the bottom of dams, where it’s foaming up, had a lot more PFAS there than down, deeper in,” said Jeff Travis, vice president of engineering for The Water & Carbon Group. “Then, if you go to an ocean, if you stand where the waves come crashing in, the highest level PFAS is all that foam that comes up — it’s loaded with PFAs now.”
With that finding came a workable solution to separate forever chemicals from water — add air.
Officials at the Bethlehem Landfill on November 18 cut the ribbon on its $2 million per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, treatment plant–the first of its kind in the U.S.
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But risk is not all. Resilience, the capacity to rebound from adversity, can matter just as much. Climate modeling firm AlphaGeo analyzes 28 factors, from life expectancy to infrastructure spending, to assess a location’s true vulnerability.
Overlaying risk and resilience is a road map to a community’s future. It paints a picture of why a place is positioned to thrive or struggle because climate change won’t be a singular disaster. It’s a succession of stresses, some small, others devastating.
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Thursday, November 21, 2 024–Clouds on the Horizon?
CFPB, FTC, and State AGs Signal Increased Focus on Solar Lending Practices
In August, the CFPB and FTC issued a joint bulletin in which they signaled their increased focus on solar lending practices in the residential rooftop solar marketplace. The CFPB identified several areas of interest, including the imposition of dealer or platform fees, the manner in which those fees are disclosed to consumers, and the manner in which potential tax credits are described to consumers at the time of contracting.
The CFPB appears poised to bring enforcement proceedings against covered lenders and related persons under the Truth in Lending Act and under its authority to seek redress for actions that the CFPB perceives to be unfair, deceptive, or abusive. Several state attorneys general and private plaintiffs have also filed litigation against solar lenders and other actors in the residential rooftop solar space.
Join us from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, November21, as K&L Gates lawyers provide an overview of the relevant legal issues and a summary of the status of pending actions. Given the growing focus on these issues and sector, this webinar is not to be missed.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform how we approach environmental remediation. The use of AI is still in its infancy, but as it develops it is expected to offer powerful tools that improve efficiencies and deliver more cost-effective site cleanup strategies.
AI in Environmental Remediation: Current Uses
AI technologies have already shown promising results in a variety of environmental remediation related areas:
Aerial Imagery and Feature Identification: AI-driven tools are being used to analyze aerial images to automatically identify features like construction sites or environmental hazards. These tools significantly reduce the time required for manual image analysis, helping to more quickly detect potentially contaminated areas and evolving site conditions.
Predictive Modeling and Optimization: AI’s ability to process large datasets makes it ideal for predictive modeling. AI can analyze historical data to predict the spread of contamination, help optimize remediation techniques, and anticipate potential challenges before they arise.
Process-Level Improvements: Traditional remediation methods often rely on databases and spreadsheet models, but AI can build on these models to deliver higher-level insights. AI can automate data collection and analysis, optimize workflows, and flag anomalies in the remediation process. These improvements not only save time but also can reduce the risk of human error.
AI in ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION: What’s Coming Next?
Ongoing research and development of AI tools are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in environmental remediation. Trends include:
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The November election results signal changes to energy policy at the state and federal levels. While it is not yet clear how these changes will develop in the months to come, one winner that appears to have emerged at the ballot box is natural gas. As the debate over the use of natural gas in residential and commercial settings continues to play out, this year’s election results demonstrate that voters around the country favor keeping natural gas around, at least for now. The battle over its future is not over though, and policy proposals and ballot initiatives will undoubtably continue to play a role in how the resource is used in the energy transition.
Election Day Wins: Gas Bans and Ballot Measures
On election day, voters in several states were asked to consider initiatives that had the potential to reshape the role of natural gas in those states.1 These initiatives are the latest development in an ongoing battle over natural gas and emissions reduction efforts. Leading up to election day, there were questions about how the election results would impact the composition of state legislatures and whether they would result in more proposals to ban gas, prohibitions on gas bans, or electrification mandates.2 Now that we know the results, it appears there is wind behind the natural gas sails, as voters in several states made it clear they want natural gas here to stay.
In the state of Washington, for example, voters rejected an initiative aimed at killing the state’s nascent carbon market, but at the same time saved natural gas from the chopping block.3 Initiative 2066 protects natural gas access in the state and bars local governments from banning its use.4 The initiative repeals and amends portions of the Washington Decarbonization Act passed in early 2024, which would have required the state’s largest utilities to plan for and encourage building energy electrification, including by prohibiting incentives for natural gas appliances and creating incentives for electric heat pumps.5 The initiative also prohibits Washington building code provisions that “in any way prohibit, penalize, or discourage the use of gas” in residential and nonresidential buildings.6 Opponents of the initiative argue it is unconstitutional because it violates the state’s “single subject rule,” which limits initiatives to one subject, and they are gearing up to challenge it in court.7
Natural gas’ election wins are also apparent in Berkeley, California, where over two-thirds of voters rejected a proposed new tax on natural gas use in buildings.8 The voter-led initiative “Measure GG” sought to implement a fossil fuel tax on large buildings. It would have taxed buildings larger than 15,000 square feet at an escalating rate each year, with the tax doubling in 10 years, tripling in 15 years, and eventually maxing out at 10 times the initial rate.9 Revenue from this tax would have funded a Fossil Fuel Free Buildings Just Transition Fund to pay for “building decarbonization retrofit work, prioritizing low-rise residential buildings and restaurants.”10
Following this election, there will also be several states to watch for future legislation designed to prohibit natural gas bans. For instance, the New Mexico Legislature had bipartisan support for a gas-ban preemption bill (i.e., a state law banning local natural gas bans) in the last legislative session and is expected to reintroduce the bill next year.11
State Policy and Ballot Measures: Gas Bans and Electrification Mandates
In February 2024, we provided an update on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s decision in California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley, striking down a Berkeley ordinance that prohibited natural gas piping in new buildings as preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). Since then, states have remained active in legislating and litigating on the gas ban issue. On 18 April 2024, Nebraska joined 25 other states in passing a gas-ban preemption law that would prohibit local governments from enacting ordinances prohibiting or restricting access to a fuel source or a type of energy that is authorized to be supplied to customers, including propane.12
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