The Sabin Center seeks to advance the decarbonization of the energy sector and to encourage a more rational accounting of climate change–related impacts of energy use in the U.S. and elsewhere. Our current efforts focus on federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to clean energy development and integration; public utility regulation; and the extraction, transportation and consumption of fossil fuels.
Energy Sector Resilience
Electricity operators must wake up to climate change – or brace for summer outages, The Hill, May 19, 2022, op-ed by Romany Webb
Extreme weather is a climate change inevitability; our responses shouldn't worsen the problem, The Hill, November 4, 2021, op-ed by Romany Webb and Michael Panfil
Without planning, climate change will bring more Texas-style blackouts, The Hill, February 23, 2021, op-ed by Romany Webb and Michael Panfil
Climate Risk in the Electricity Sector: Legal Obligations to Advance Climate Resilience Planning by Electric Utilities, Romany Webb, Michael Panfil, and Sarah Ladin (December 2020)
Legal Tools For Climate Adaptation Advocacy: The Electric Grid and Its Regulators – FERC and State Public Utility Commissions, Payal Nanavati & Justin Gundlach (September 2016)
Written Testimonies
Comments on Guidance Documents and Regulations
- Comments on the Proceeding on Motion of the New York State Commission Concerning Electric Utility Climate Vulnerability Studies and Plans (submitted on August 30, 2024)
- Comments on the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California's request for response on Order Instituting Rulemaking to Update Rules for the Safety, Reliability, and Resiliency of Electrical Distribution Systems (July 8, 2024)
- Comments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Applications for Permits to Site Interstate Electric Transmission Facilities (submitted April 4, 2023)
- Comments on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on One-Time Informational Reports on Extreme Weather Vulnerability Assessments Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Electric System Reliability (submitted August 30, 2022)
- Comments in response to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Supplemental Notice on the Technical Conference Discussing Climate Change, Extreme Weather, & Electric System Reliability (submitted September 27, 2021)
- Comments on the Michigan Public Service Commission's request for comments on improving utilities' preparedness for climate change impacts (submitted September 24, 2021)
- Comments on Petition to New York Public Service Commission to Comprehensively Study the Impacts of Climate Change on Utility Infrastructure (submitted June 28, 2021)
- Comments on issues raised in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Supplemental Notice of Technical Conference on Climate Change, Extreme Weather and Electric System Reliability (submitted Apr. 15, 2021)
- Petition to the New York Public Service Commission to Comprehensively Study the Impacts of Climate Change on Utility Infrastructure (submitted March 19, 2021)
- Comments on the New York Public Service Commission's proposal to require climate-related risk disclosures by utilities (submitted Dec. 9, 2020)
- Petition to the New York Public Service Commission on Natural Hazard Planning (submitted December 12, 2012)