Caroline Spears

Last time I was there, there was a huge conversation around fuel supplies (nat gas) and on-island refineries. Curious to hear what the updates are around energy sovereignty.

Talked to a candidate today: "As soon as I bring up energy and electric bills, the campaign sells itself"

Now, we're hearing from @michealpodgers.bsky.social on the game-changing Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, signed by @govpritzker.illinois.gov - a model for the country.

Lawmakers are going bill-by-bill: talking through legislation they've introduced on each topic and ideas on how to introduce this throughout the rest of the US.

2026 Policy Preview: I'm on a zoom with 40 state lawmakers across the country and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. Big topics this year: 🔋 energy affordability 🏘️ housing 📃 insurance and 🚌 transportation

Deputy Policy Director Chicago, Illinois, United States

Big, big news! This is probably the coolest of the many jobs I have shared here!

🚨COME BE MY DEPUTY🚨

🚨JOIN THE BEST TEAM WORKING IN CLIMATE POLICY AND POLITICS!🚨

This. Will. Go. Fast.

What a cool job

What is "ska"

The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers Political scientist Samuel Bagg explains why social identity is at the root of the misinformation crisis -- which calls for something deeper than factchecking.

ICYMI: I sat down with political scientist @samuel-bagg.bsky.social to discuss the crisis in our information environment and its roots in social identity.

Finally, New England’s clean-energy transmission line is ready to go A controversial project that will bring 1.2 GW of Canadian hydropower into the region is slated to come online this week after nearly a decade of work.

After a decade of public opposition, legal challenges, and even a ballot referendum, the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line is ready to go.

Looking Ahead to a Deepening Affordability Crisis, an Election and the Threat of an AI Investment Bubble - Inside Climate News Seven experts weigh in on what they expect in 2026.

With an unstable economy and rising energy prices, voters are frustrated and looking for leaders who will lower costs, protect consumers, and deliver real solutions.

We're working to elect those state and local leaders in 2026.

State Elections Look-Up - Climate Cabinet Education Use the State Elections Look-Up tool to find elections dates for most state-level offices, as well as incumbency data.

Or this one, that tells you WHEN EVERY ELECTION IS, which is WEIRDLY COMPLICATED TO FIGURE OUT climatecabineteducation.org/state-electi...

Coming back online like 👀

Inside the climate group working everywhere but DC: ‘You can still have huge wins’ Climate Cabinet supports candidates in state and city races as the federal government ignores the climate crisis

@climatecabinet.org, founded by Caroline Spears, MS ’17 Civil & Environmental Engineering, focuses on supporting pro-climate candidates in state and local elections rather than federal races. Emma Fisher, ’17 BS Earth System Science, is COO.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
#energypolicy #climate

Fun Fact - the Georgia seat that flipped last night is the majority maker seat in the state house. If everything more Dem than this seat were to flip, the chamber would flip.

👀

Climate policy 🤝 thinking about the Roman Empire

LOOK AT THIS TOOL

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I NEEDED THIS TOOL WHEN I WAS POLICY DIRECTOR AT A STATE ENERGY AGENCY

LOOK AT IT

YOU CAN HAVE DIFFERENT, NEW PROBLEMS THAN I DID! NO MORE OLD PROBLEMS! ONLY INFORMATION!

Inside the climate group working everywhere but DC: ‘You can still have huge wins’ Climate Cabinet supports candidates in state and city races as the federal government ignores the climate crisis

Want to feel hopeful about climate action? Look to local politics.

75% of the commitments that the US made at the Paris climate agreement can be reached entirely without federal support.

I dug into this for @us.theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

A graph of year on year ridership growth in the 10 largest US transit agencies

Another month of US transit data is just in, & DC's WMATA remains the fastest-growing major US transit agency, with ridership up 10% compared to last year!

King County Metro (Seattle, +7%) & SEPTA (Philly, +5.3%) have performed well, while LA Metro & NJTransit have lost riders🧵

Inside the climate group working everywhere but DC: ‘You can still have huge wins’ Climate Cabinet supports candidates in state and city races as the federal government ignores the climate crisis

“Just a handful of races determine chamber control,” @spears.bsky.social said, “And when chambers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Virginia flipped, those chambers actually then passed 100% clean energy policies.”

Could not be more proud to be a part of this team at @climatecabinet.org.

Tennessee special election: Dems continue a special election overperformance of around +10 this year. In 2017, this was around +7. Turnout was very high: Rs turned out their base to win and avoid a Georgia PSC-level rout.

Interesting comparison

I don't know Dave, feels like we should do something about that

Climate solutions 🤝 household bills

Energy industry pads key lawmaker’s campaign coffers as major bill advances  - CommonWealth Beacon Cusack's legislation would lower the amount of renewable energy the utilities would be required to purchase and cut the state’s energy efficiency initiative, which is funded through the utilities’ rat...

The House Energy Committee chairman in MA, who is attempting to roll back the state's climate mandates, received $4,100 in campaign contributions in a single day from energy industry lobbyists: (1/)
commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/energ...

Allegheny County Council approves increases to air-quality permit fees Allegheny County Council on Tuesday moved forward with an air quality permit fee schedule that, officials say, will promote public health and relieve financial pressure on the county health department...

Great news from Allegheny County Council -- who have moved to match Air Quality Permitting fees to the impact of air pollution on residents. Additional funding goes directly to the County Health Department.
triblive.com/local/valley...

@eleanorklib.bsky.social out with the story of the week.