Policy Impacts

Institutions and Governance

Shelley Welton engaged with policymakers and advocates on how states could protect their clean energy goals amid potential federal shifts in regional energy market design, especially involving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In recent conversations with the Climate Jobs National Resource Center, she explored strategies to safeguard state authority and advance equitable, worker-centered energy transitions.

Policy Design

Sanya Carley is actively shaping utility disconnection policy through direct engagement with state and federal policymakers. She recently testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy in support of proposed legislation to strengthen utility shutoff protections during extreme heat. This testimony followed a series of briefings she and colleague David Konisky delivered to Massachusetts regulators, including the state’s Public Utilities Commission and representatives from the Attorney General’s office. Their work is also informing similar proceedings in Hawaii. At the federal level, Carley spoke with congressional staff about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), contributing research insights to ongoing efforts to improve energy affordability and resilience.

Greenhouse Gas Removal

Jennifer Wilcox was selected as one of only ten U.S. representatives to join an international IPCC panel focused on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and methodologies for national climate commitments (NDCs). Endorsed by the U.S. State Department, the panel convened in Denmark to help shape the scientific foundation for global climate policy. “I feel fortunate to be part of this important work,” she said.

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Danny Cullenward’s publication, California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, played a timely and influential role in state energy debates, circulating widely in Sacramento as lawmakers neared the end of a special session on gas prices and began discussions on extending the state’s cap-and-trade program. The report provided a clear analysis of how a complex regulatory policy—developed largely within a state agency—now intersects with major legislative priorities. Its findings have shaped public discourse: California Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones cited the study’s projected gas price impacts in both a social media thread and the title of a bill seeking to repeal recent LCFS regulations. The analysis continues to inform high-stakes policy decisions at the state level.

Underwater Mayhem

Benjamin Schmitt’s Underwater Mayhem report has sparked high-level policy discussions across the transatlantic community on protecting critical subsea energy infrastructure. The report has been widely briefed to policymakers, including the U.S. Pentagon, State Department, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it prompted bipartisan engagement and follow-up requests. Internationally, Dr. Schmitt presented findings to officials in the U.K. Foreign Office, the International Energy Agency in Paris, and at security forums in Poland. His recommendations have informed legislative conversations in the U.S. Congress, including potential inclusion in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, and have supported broader NATO-aligned strategies for deterring infrastructure sabotage and enhancing energy security.

Local Impact

John Quigley advanced state-level policy discussions in Pennsylvania through direct engagement with legislative leaders. He met with State Representative Greg Vitali, Chair of the House Environmental Resources & Protection Committee, to share insights on key energy issues and relevant research from the Kleinman Center. Quigley was also invited to testify before the committee on abandoned oil and gas wells, following the publication of his widely read Kleinman blog post on the topic—demonstrating the center’s role in shaping informed, evidence-based policy at the state level.