News - Energy Pathways USA

A proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector could potentially cut 50 percent of emissions remaining after the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives for renewable power generation conclude, according to a new report from Energy Pathways USA. Co-authors Martin Ross and Jackson Ewing are available to speak with the media about the report's findings.

China recently unearthed a rare ore that could further boost its electric vehicle sector, reports NewsweekJackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, told the magazine that China dominates the supply and refinement of raw materials necessary for EV batteries.

In the coming years, the shift to a clean energy economy in the United States will require major public and private investments in new infrastructure. The batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and electrical grid upgrades that will power the energy transition all require access to massive amounts of raw materials.

China currently dominates global supply chains for metals and minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and more clean energy technology. By pursuing next-generation technologies, the United States could "alter what materials are the most important" for the clean energy transition, helping to narrow the gap with China, Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, told Newsweek.

One year on, the success of the Inflation Reduction Act—particularly for energy and climate goals—hinges on governance and prioritization, writes Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, in an op-ed for The Hill.

Although the Inflation Reduction Act didn’t garner a single Republican vote when it was signed into law a year ago, new clean energy infrastructure is being built in both red and blue states. That’s good news for the long-term prospects of a zero-carbon economy, Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute, told Sierra magazine.

The United States’ clean energy transition calls for formidable infrastructure shifts—but the processes for permitting low-carbon energy generation and transmission are complex and time-consuming. US Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) discussed how to advance this transition via permitting reforms at Duke in DC in a conversation with Brian Murray, interim director of the Nicholas Institute.

The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and Duke in DC recently hosted an event introducing Energy Pathways USA, a Duke-led initiative that convenes partners across multiple industries to accelerate progress toward net-zero carbon emissions.

During COP27 in Egypt, the Duke University-based Energy Pathways USA project brought together corporate leaders to discuss how the private sector is doing its part to move the US economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Duke community members, including many from the Nicholas Institute, are playing leading roles in forming global partnerships and guiding decisions on climate issues at the annual climate change conference in Egypt.