The Great Plains Institute hosted the third CO2NNECT Virtual webinar on September 14, Achieving Net-Zero by 2050: Critical Bipartisan Carbon Management Priorities in Congress. Continue reading »
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The True Land Footprint of Solar Energy
September 14, 2021 in Communities, Renewable Energy Authors: Jessi Wyatt, Maggie Kristian
Solar is a ubiquitous, economically-competitive energy resource across much of the United States. In communities with active solar development, there is often debate about how utility-scale solar might affect existing land uses or natural resources. GPI recently analyzed the potential land use impact of solar on agricultural communities in the continental US. Continue reading »
GPI Statements on Nomination of Brad Crabtree to U.S. Department of Energy
September 2, 2021 in Carbon Management, News & Press Author: Rebecca Lentz
Statement from Rolf Nordstrom, President & CEO, Great Plains Institute
Today we learned that President Biden’s Administration has nominated Great Plains Institute’s Brad Crabtree as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management within the Department of Energy. Brad has spent nearly two decades at GPI, working to build broad consensus around energy policies that meet our climate obligations and maintain a strong economy—and then see those policies enacted. He has played an outsized role in making carbon capture in all its forms part of the nation’s arsenal of emissions reductions strategies that also bring economic opportunity.
Photo courtesy of Jean Christoffels
Community-driven decision-making on land use is critical to the continued buildout of large-scale renewable energy. GPI recently piloted a process and design tool for communities to identify local solar development sites with multiple benefits. The pilot project involved residents of Murray County in southwest Minnesota who used community-informed geospatial analysis to help plan for solar development in the area. The project united community values like clean drinking water and agricultural preservation with future solar development. Continue reading »
Drive the Future: Best Practices for Equitable Transportation Electrification in the Midcontinent
August 13, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Hannah Haas
In April, EVHybridNoire and the Great Plains Institute hosted “Drive the Future: Best Practices for Equitable Transportation Electrification in the Midcontinent,” a panel discussion with experts in the fields of e-mobility, equity, and workforce development training. Continue reading »
Why Fulfilling Our “Justice For All” Pledge Is Savvy Business and Key to a Net-Zero Carbon Economy
August 4, 2021 in News & Press Author: Rolf Nordstrom
This blog was originally published by Forbes Business Council.
Most of us remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each school day, ending with “and liberty and justice for all.” But what does justice mean in practice? What does it have to do with climate change? And why should business and the growing throng of people, institutions and governments pushing for a net-zero carbon economy care? Continue reading »
Great Plains Institute Joins More than 160 Labor Unions, Conservation and Environmental NGOs, and Industry Organizations to Urge Congress to Scale Carbon Management Priorities
August 3, 2021 in Carbon Management, News & Press Author: Rebecca Lentz
(Washington, DC) – Today, Great Plains Institute joined more than 160 companies, labor unions, conservation and environmental groups, and other organizations from around the nation in a letter to Congressional leaders urging the inclusion of a comprehensive suite of bipartisan carbon management policies in any larger legislative vehicle this Congress. Continue reading »
Climate and Sustainability Data and Metric Tracking Tools for Communities
July 29, 2021 in Communities Authors: Abby Finis, Jessi Wyatt
Climate change is here, it is wreaking havoc, and no community is immune from its impact. Summer 2021 alone saw heavy flooding across the globe, including in the United States. Fire clouds started wildfires across Alberta, and the US and Canada saw record-breaking, debilitating heat and equally extreme drought. As communities struggle to cope, there is growing recognition that local and place-based action is essential to addressing climate change. For this reason, the Great Plains Institute is excited to share new planning tools we’ve developed to help communities in the US succeed on climate action.
All Clean Fuel Producers Could Be Winners with Minnesota’s Future Fuels Act
July 28, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Brendan Jordan
The Future Fuels Act introduced in the Minnesota State Legislature during the 2021 legislative session set a goal of reducing transportation fuel carbon intensity by 20 percent by 2035 and promised to boost the state’s economy and prove a host of co-benefits. As we talked to Minnesota legislators about the proposed clean fuels policy for the state, the question always arose—what impact will this have in my community? Continue reading »
Renewable Natural Gas and Anaerobic Digestion 101
July 23, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Mariem Zaghdoudi
The production of renewable natural gas from anaerobic digestion presents a win-win scenario: diverting organic waste from landfills while producing a lower-carbon alternative to conventional natural gas that can be injected into existing pipelines and used as vehicle fuel. This post provides an overview of renewable natural gas from anaerobic digestion and its benefits.
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