energy and environmental policy

Publication

Grappling with the grid: Expanding electricity transmission brings benefits, encounters barriers

Mar 13, 2024

Improving the U.S. electricity grid is necessary to lower costs, boost reliability and help tackle climate change, but it will take some serious soul searching by the leaders of entities that control the grid, according to a University of Michigan...

Publication

What's stopping U.S. climate policies from working effectively?

Jan 30, 2024

The United States recently passed major climate change laws, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), and the CHIPS and Science Act, which allocate funding with a goal of expanding...

Publication

Communicating about climate change more effective when stories about those displaced hit 'close to home'

Jan 9, 2024

Concern for climate change grows—along with support for policies to reduce emissions—when people read about Americans being forced to move within the U.S. because of it. That's in sharp contrast to learning about climate-induced moves to the...

News

Electric, autonomous vehicles offer promise, but broad-based benefits elusive without public role - Gerber

Dec 7, 2023

Autonomous and electric vehicles can be a positive force for people and the planet, but widespread gains require government incentives and investment to ensure access for users across the economic spectrum. That's a key finding of research by...

News

Haverkamp comments on COP28 issues

Dec 6, 2023

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries have gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the two-week COP28 conference in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst ravages of climate change. University of Michigan experts are...

News

Ford School students attending COP28 in Dubai

Dec 6, 2023

Several Ford School students are among the sixteen University of Michigan students who will attend the two-week COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The students will observe the negotiations, attend side events and interact with...

News

Rabe discusses the impact of environmental legislation on the political landscape

Nov 20, 2023

Barry Rabe, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy at the Ford School, has been widely quoted on the significance of recent environmental legislation for domestic politics and politicians. Here are highlights from his...

News

Rabe examines developments in carbon border adjustments globally

Nov 5, 2023

The interplay between domestic and international climate politics "is a multilevel game," stated Barry Rabe, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy at the Ford School. At a panel discussion for the Niskanen Center, Rabe...

News

Corwin (MPP/SEAS '25) increases residential participation in energy efficiency programs

Nov 1, 2023

Bridget Corwin (MPP/SEAS ‘25) was chosen to be one of nine 2023 Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellows, an annual program that provides Michigan communities statewide the resources needed to be able to tackle environmentally focused projects they...

News

Air pollution a long-term risk for low-income countries' prosperity - Hausman

Oct 22, 2023

Catherine Hausman, associate professor at the Ford School, asserts that air pollution in low-income countries is one major symptom of environmental inequality. In a BBC article, she is quoted and highlights that air pollution will be a long-term...

News

Rabe’s commentary on environment policy focus on EVs and climate action

Oct 9, 2023

The Ford School's professor Barry Rabe has been commenting on the many forces at work as the U.S. moves to tackle climate change, as well as introduce more eclectic vehicle (EV) manufacture and infrastructure. Here is a review of his recent...

News

Ford School teams receive Boost support from U-M Bold Challenges Initiative

Sep 6, 2023

Three research teams with Ford School affiliations have been selected among eight programs across the U-M campus to participate in the first cycle of the Bold Challenges Initiative's newly-launched Boost program. The Boost program supports new...

News

Will courts limit the use of climate-combatting technologies?

Aug 30, 2023

Ford School professor Barry Rabe is concerned about how a set of recent court decisions mean for new climate technologies. In a commentary piece for Brookings, Rabe notes that while the U.S. has been a world leader in accelerating the transition...

News

Michigan environmental leaders analyze CLOSUP recycling report

Apr 9, 2023

The Center for Local, State and Urban Policy released a new report that polled local officials on issues related to recycling as part of the Michigan Local Recycling Policy Project. The Capital News Service gathered reactions from across the...

In the Media

Rabe diminishes impact of Willow Project on Biden's re-election

Mar 22, 2023 Anchorage Daily News

Barry Rabe, Anchorage Daily News: "I’m also not sure that this decision really has that much impact on Biden’s reelection prospects assuming that he’s renominated. I doubt this is gonna move the...

News

Michigan local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 15, 2023

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green”, according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the state. The survey, a special wave of the...

In the Media

Rabe on changing attitudes about nuclear energy

Mar 3, 2023

Barry Rabe, Newsweek: "I'm just looking at the numbers: you would need to triple existing nuclear capacity to replace gas and maintain existing nuclear [production]. That would be a massive, massive build-out. The timelines for that are significant....

News

COP27 climate conference in Egypt: Ford School's Haverkamp comments

Nov 17, 2022

Global climate talks in Egypt are heading into the home stretch with many issues still unresolved. Negotiators from nearly 200 countries have gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh for the COP27 conference in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and...

News

Rabe addresses impact of 2022 election on climate policy

Nov 17, 2022

Following the 2022 election, expert Barry Rabe analyzed what the results mean for the future of climate policy. With a Republican-controlled House, climate policy at the federal level could prove difficult to move forward. "I think you’ll see...

News

Rabe says New Mexico well-positioned to benefit from Inflation Reduction Act

Oct 20, 2022

Among its many provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentivizes people, companies, and government agencies to be more climate-conscious. Barry Rabe, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, told Capital and Main that New...

News

Rabe analyzes historic climate bill

Sep 4, 2022

With a historic climate bill being passed by Congress in August, Ford School professor Barry Rabe provided multiple media outlets with his expertise to analyze the bill and its impacts. Here is a compilation of his recent appearances: How Ford,...

In the Media

Biden has limited options on climate action - Rabe

Jul 24, 2022 El Mercurio

President Joe Biden announced modest steps to combat climate change and promised more robust action to come, saying, “This is an emergency and I will look at it that way.” In El Mercurio (Chile), Ford School professor Barry Rabe outlined the...

News

PhD grad Michael Lerner wins APSA dissertation award

Jul 11, 2022

Ford School PhD graduate Michael Lerner (Political Science, 2021) has been chosen to receive the Virginia Walsh Dissertation Award for his dissertation, "Green Catalysts? The Impact of Transnational Advocacy on Environmental Policy Leadership.“ This...

In the Media

Rabe: Court ruling creates uncertainty at the EPA

Jul 2, 2022 The Brookings Institution

The Brookings Institution's The Current podcast looked at the 6-3 ruling on the case of West Virginia vs the Environmental Protection Agency, in which the Supreme Court greatly curtailed the power of the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from...

In the Media

Catherine Hausman on the cost of soaring gas prices

Jun 10, 2022 Bloomberg

"There's very little the administration or Congress can do on gasoline prices. This is part of a world market. This is just basic supply and demand." Catherine Hausman discusses how high gas prices affect Europe's energy market and U.S. climate...

News

Trish Fisher (MPP/MPH ‘23) awarded Peter Eckstein Prize for her examination of food systems and climate policy

May 18, 2022

Trish Fisher’s (MPP/MPH ‘23) paper, “The ‘Dark Horse’ of Climate Change: Agricultural Methane Governance in the United States and Canada,” earned her the 2022 Peter Eckstein Prize for Interdisciplinary Research. The Eckstein Prize is the Ford...

Alumni spotlight

Sierra Stephens (BA ‘20) helps businesses invest in a sustainable future

Apr 29, 2022

When the global pandemic locked down international travel and postponed her fellowship in 2020, Sierra Stephens (BA ‘20) took time to reflect on her long-term goals. She turned her car into a camper and set out to explore national parks in the...

Publication

North American Colloquium publishes eight reports on climate policy analysis after a year of collaborative work

Apr 29, 2022

The North American Colloquium (NAC) is a forum that strengthens a wider North American conversation and more fruitful trilateral cooperation between Canada, Mexico and the U.S., led by the International Policy Center at the University of Michigan’s...

Close up photo of the flags for Canada, Mexico, and the United States

News

Rabe on states' rights and politics

Apr 26, 2022

During the Trump administration, blue states found comfort in federalism and states' rights, using the system to fight against federal environmental policies. Barry Rabe, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, further discussed...

In the Media

Rabe discusses climate policy and 2022 midterms

Apr 21, 2022 The Skimm

With midterms approaching, the future of climate policy is up in the air. Barry Rabe, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, provided some insight on what might happen before then. “What happens between now and November in...