Center for Progressive Reform

Join us! May 21 at 1 pm ET for a webinar on Community Benefits. Former Dept. of Energy officials will discuss how CBPs advanced climate, energy, labor, & equity goals.

We explore what worked, what didn't, & how to strengthen implementation moving forward.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FFhwJi0JSb6EgMfl7HTmqg #/registration

We can orbit the Moon. But protecting Earth still feels harder than it should.

This Earth Day, we’ve been thinking about what it really takes to turn big climate goals into real progress.

Take a look and tell us what you think is missing. 👇

Earth Day Book Release!

In Lessons for a Warming Planet, Member Scholar Alejandro E. Camacho and his co-author, Brigham Daniels, look at how people in the past faced challenges that felt just as overwhelming as challenges we face today.

They weren't always confident or sure they’d win. But they still organized, used science, and pushed the law to evolve. They kept showing up.

That tension we feel right now, between wanting big, sweeping change and settling for small wins? That isn't new. It's how progress has always happened.

Read more in a book chat with Evan George of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and author Alejandro Camacho.

https://progressivereform.org/cpr-blog/lessons-for-a-warming-planet-vital-history-of-us-environmental-law/

Starting Earth Month in community just feels right. 💚

CPR Interim Co-Executive Director and Senior Policy Analyst for Climate Justice, Catalina Gonzalez, joined the opening reception at LA Climate Week, surrounded by folks pushing for a better future.

There’s a full week of free, public events where you can find your people and get plugged in.

Find the schedule at laclimateweek.com/

Maryland was on track to end an unfair practice that let utility corporations charge customers for the cost of expanding the methane gas system. Now, lawmakers are trying to stop the process, which could cost ratepayers $1 billion over the next decade:

Maryland Democrats can’t agree on how to save you $150 a year on energy bills Ratepayer advocates argue that recent changes undercut Democrats’ promises to cut energy bills in Maryland.

North Carolina has 90 data centers (and counting). To accommodate their electricity demand, the state has had to roll back its 2030 climate goals. Our NC analyst Loeb Loeb explains why communities are fighting back, calling for moratoria and even outright bans.

North Carolina Must Change Course on Carbon Plan, Data Centers, other Climate and Energy Justice Issues - Center for Progressive Reform In 2025, North Carolina saw an effective repeal of its carbon plan, and the state is now on track to approve over 100 data center projects. This will further imperil the state’s 2050 decarbonization goal while creating a new slew of environmental and public health concerns and electricity affordab...

Artificial intelligence currently drives a large chunk of U.S. economic growth, but we should not overlook the serious impact it is having on average consumers. Member Scholar Hannah Wiseman and colleague Matthew McHale suggest ways to meaningfully address these impacts.

Read their new report here:

New Report Looks to Protect Ratepayers from Big Tech’s Energy Costs - Center for Progressive Reform In the past five years, the United States began experiencing a rapid increase in electricity demand, fueled primarily by data centers for artificial intelligence. A single data center can use the amount of electricity consumed by a city of approximately 80,000 people. Most data center companies seek...

This Women’s History Month, we honor Grace Lee Boggs. ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏻

A writer and lifelong activist who spent 70+ years advancing justice, from the Black Power movement to environmental change, she reminds us: lasting change starts when we work together.

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Our research shows that households that use heating oil, propane, & electric resistance can save up to $2,000/yr by upgrading to a heat pump & heat pump water heater. Maryland can deliver those savings by investing in EmPOWER.

Read more: https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/19/maryland-heating-tech-savings/

More on MD Electrification: https://progressivereform.org/publications/building-electrification-md-rpt/

Marylanders deserve new home heating technology to deliver savings | GUEST COMMENTARY Opinion: New home heating technology is the answer to Marylanders’ surging energy bills.