Good news is a powerful motivator for action, & there‘s lots of good news about climate mitigation, adaptation/resilience, and justice.
Biden’s green energy law is turning out to be huge
133 self-storage rooftops in 3 US states are about to power community solar
Year after Biden’s climate bill sees spike in renewable energy investment, industry says
Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe acquires 855 acres of ancestral lands
Clean energy can fuel the future — and make the world healthier
Solar, wind provided majority of new US generating capacity in first half of 2023
Offshore floating solar on calm seas could provide unlimited energy
Heatwave energy shortages would have been ‘much worse’ without solar power, experts say
Supercapacitor cement could supercharge renewable energy storage
The potential for geologic hydrogen for next-generation energy
Rivian backs massive solar plant atop old coal mine in Kentucky
How a Former Oil Guy Is Using Fracking Tech to Boost Geothermal Energy
Geothermal technology breakthrough in Nevada could boost the nation’s use of renewable energy
Hello Climate Solutions Advocates!
Remember HB 2021, Oregon’s 100% Clean Energy bill, which with your help was passed by the Oregon legislature in 2021? Among other things, HB 2021 created a $50 million fund, the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, to support projects in Oregon communities that would bolster renewable energy and strengthen resilience in the event of an emergency.
Recently, the Oregon Department of Energy selected 39 recipients to receive a total of $12 million in round two from the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program funds. A variety of renewable energy and resilience projects in counties across state were represented – solar, geothermal, biogas, and micro-hydro projects, as well as paired battery storage.
One example of a funded project was to the Phoenix Talent School District, which will receive $1 million to install a ground-mounted solar installation with battery storage at Talent Middle School. The installation will act as an operable microgrid in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency, ensuring the building – which will act as a local emergency shelter – retains critical backup power.
At least half of the $50 million grant funds will be awarded for projects that serve environmental justice communities, including communities of color, lower-income communities, and rural communities.
Together our advocacy actions do make a difference — making life better for us all!
Deborah Clark, member UUFC Climate Action
There is no more important climate work than the influencing of legislation and policy, whether at the national, state, or local level. Climate Action Opportunities, refreshed weekly on Saturdays, provides three or four curated, quick opportunities to do just that.
To help assess the engagement of UUFC members and friends in faith-based climate action and to encourage such action, please anonymously <Share> the number of the actions below you take this week. Optionally, you may anonymously also share other recent climate action.
The organizations whose calls to action we amplify, and the number from each organization, are listed <here>
Sat 12 Aug
Restore the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration just moved closer to undoing the Trump administration’s unprecedented damage to the regulations that interpret the Endangered Species Act. For 50 years, the Act’s served as the last line of defense for countless species and habitats. Today, it is our strongest tool for tackling the worsening biodiversity crisis, which is why the Biden administration must fix the rules that implement it.
Protect the Grand Canyon. The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Act has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate to protect the Grand Canyon region’s sacred and natural resources, manage hunting and grazing, and establish a 12-member tribal commission to ensure tribal co-stewardship. Despite a 20-year uranium mining moratorium, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims by Tribes and environmental groups attempting to stop Energy Fuels Nuclear Inc. from mining the Pinyon Plain Mine on this land. It’s critical we fight for the permanent protections granted by designating more than 1.1 million acres within the Grand Canyon as a new national monument. Send a message to your U.S. Senators & Representative
Stop Yazoo Pumps Project. Yet again, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced an unprecedented move to resurrect the destructive Yazoo Backwater Pumps in Mississippi’s South Delta by fast tracking efforts to approve the project. If allowed, the Yazoo Pumps project would drain and destroy up to 200,000 acres of wetlands, some of our nation’s richest habitat that supports over 450 species of birds, fish and wildlife. Even worse, the project would not protect communities and only benefit a small number of wealthy agricultural corporations. Communities plagued by flooding in the Mississippi Delta deserve smart safeguards that keep people and property out of harm’s way, such as elevating homes and roads, and compensating farmers to restore cropland to wetlands! Submit your comment
American Prospect
Article: The Unholy Alliance Between ‘Certified’ Clean Natural Gas Producers and the Certifying Companies
Citizens Climate Lobby
Native News Online
Article: The Fight for Oak Flat: Indigenous voices in the green energy transition
Washington PostArticle: Is it cheaper to refuel your EV battery or gas tank? We did the math in all 50 states. Spoiler: In all 50 states, it’s cheaper for the everyday American to fill up with electrons — and much cheaper in some regions such as the Pacific Northwest, with low electricity rates and high gas prices.
Sun 13 Aug, 5:30 – 6:30 PM, Common Fields, 545 SW 3rd St
Finding Fish in the Willamette River: Do you wonder what is swimming below the surface as you fish or float the Willamette River? Learn about the native, invasive, rare, and cryptic species in the fish community, and what they tell us about the ecological health of a Corvallis water source. Presented by Dr. Brooke Penaluna, a Research Fisheries Biologist with the Forest Service. All day (11 am – 8 pm), enjoy tasty food and drink, and Common Fields will donate 10% of dine-in & takeout sales to support Willamette Riverkeeper.
Contact/Info: linktr.ee/500WomenScientists_Corvallis
Sponsor: 500 Women Scientists Corvallis
Thu 25 Aug 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Share and Discuss: Postponed
Thu 7 Sep, 4:00 – 5:30 PM, online
Inflation Reduction Act Resources to Help You Electrify Your Home Interfaith Power and Light Webinar. Jamal Lewis, Director of Policy Partnerships and Equitable Electrification for Rewiring America, joins us for a conversation on electrification, what it looks like, and what federal resources are available to help you do it. Learn more about the incentives that will be available to help make your home healthier and more efficient. Register
