Climate Resilience and Hazard Mitigation

The goal of ELI's Resilience Program is to support communities and the ecosystems they rely on to survive and thrive in the face of climate change impacts. ELI believes in the ability of well-crafted legal, policy, institutional, and planning tools and meaningful community engagement to engender sustainable change that addresses historic inequities. Our work identifies and builds valuable partnerships and community capacity, prioritizes solutions based on best available science and traditional knowledge, and provides actionable recommendations to overcome challenges.

Environmental Justice and Renewable Energy and Storage
Author
Jim McElfish, Elissa Torres-Soto, Elly Beckerman
Date Released
December 2022
environmental justice, renewable energy, siting
Environmental Justice and Renewable Energy and Battery Storage

This white paper aims to be a practical resource for utility companies to identify environmental justice implications in the development of renewable energy and battery storage facilities, and to consider both challenges and opportunities in addressing these concerns. While it is not an exhaustive compilation of all the ways in which environmental, health, economic, or social burdens might affect communities, it suggests approaches that can be implemented to identify relevant communities and engage with actual community concerns.

Food Waste Co-Digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Business Case Analysis
Author
Carol Adaire Jones, Craig Coker, Ken Kirk, and Lovinia Reynolds
Date Released
December 2019
Food Waste Co-Digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Business Case Ana

Co-digestion of food wastes with wastewater solids at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) can provide financial benefits to WRRFs as well as a broad range of environmental and community benefits. Co-digestion is a core element of the wastewater sector’s “Utility of the Future” initiative, which envisions a new business approach for pioneering WRRFs to create valuable energy and nutrient products via the recovery and reuse of residuals from the wastewater treatment process.

Building Climate Resilience

ELI's work on Climate Resiliency spans scales and methodologies. We have worked in communities, and ecosystems and with governments to help ensure resiliency in facing the impending challenges of climate change. Click on the images below to learn more about our work in floodplains, sea level rise adaptation, community involvment and wetland restoration.

 

ELI Model Law for Implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions Submitted Under the Paris Agreement Through Domestic Legislation

The Paris Climate Agreement contemplates a global climate outcome based on the aggregated contributions of individual countries. As such, the Agreement's success will depend entirely on what happens around the world at the national level. Achieving an important national policy most often begins with lawmaking. This is no less true here. Indeed, without legislation that enshrines a country's Paris contributions as national policy and law and propels those contributions forward through a law-based implementation mechanism, meaningful forward movement will prove elusive.

Navigating Shale Gas Development: A Guidebook for Local Government Officials in Pennsylvania
Author
James McElfish (Environmental Law Institute), Diana Stares (Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy & Management)
Date Released
July 2014

Shale gas development has raised concerns that local governments might be entering a “boom and bust” cycle.  ELI and the W&J Center have produced this practical guidebook for communities in southwestern Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region to inform local officials and community organizations of some of their options to assure their communities receive long-term benefits from the development.

Getting the Boom Without the Bust: Guiding Southwestern Pennsylvania Through Shale Gas Development
Author
James McElfish (Environmental Law Institute), Diana Stares (Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy & Management)
Date Released
July 2014
Getting the Boom without the Bust: Guiding Southwestern Pennsylvania through Sha

Shale gas development has raised concerns that local governments might be entering a “boom and bust” cycle. This study examines the gas boom in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, and explores best practices to forestall or mitigate a subsequent economic downturn or “bust.” A key focus of the study is the distribution and expenditure of state impact fees assessed on the gas industry.

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