Blog – PSE | Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy

2023 Year in Review

Adrienne Underwood — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:47:53 +0000

As we begin the new year, we find ourselves stepping into an exciting new chapter at PSE Healthy Energy. In 2023, we welcomed eleven (yes 11!) new staff members to our team. Their exceptional drive and expertise, paired with investments in state-of-the-art air quality research technology, open new possibilities in scientific inquiry and enhance our capacity for impact. It is also my great pleasure…

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Keeping the Lights on During Extreme Weather

Warren Stokes II — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 00:39:45 +0000

Weather-driven power outages have doubled in the United States over the past 20 years. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, power outages compound the public health and safety risks faced by communities, and particularly by vulnerable populations like low-income families, children, and the elderly. Many communities are seeking to meet these challenges by increasing their energy…

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Scientist Dispatch: Signs of a Changing Climate in Antarctica

Warren Stokes II — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 23:41:33 +0000

Antarctica is a magnificent, massive frozen landmass that plays an integral role in balancing Earth’s climate and ocean systems. The Antarctic ice sheet, covering an area larger than the United States and Mexico combined, absorbs as much as 75 percent of the earth’s excess heat and 40 percent of human-generated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions taken up by the global oceans. No native peoples have…

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Planning for Affordability

Warren Stokes II — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 23:26:25 +0000

Electricity bills in the U.S. jumped five percent on average last year—the largest annual increase on record. Such increases can be particularly hard on low-income households who may face impossible choices between paying utility bills and paying for other essentials such as rent, food, or medicine. To ease the burden on consumers, state and federal policymakers have pumped billions into bill…

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Natural Gas and Human Health: Reheating an Old Debate

Warren Stokes II — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 23:08:39 +0000

Few household appliances are as incendiary as the gas stove. After consuming national headlines for weeks in early 2023, many Americans are aware that research links gas-burning stoves to hazardous air pollutants and adverse health impacts, such as asthma. Yet nearly 40 million households across the United States still rely on natural gas to cook. And while some state and city governments have…

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Bringing Science to Communities

Warren Stokes II — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 22:00:34 +0000

From the coal mining towns of the Appalachia to the boomtowns of the Permian Basin, energy industries have far-reaching impacts on communities across the United States. Indeed, how regions source and generate electricity effects everything from utility bills to the health of local environments and populations. Despite their importance, many communities lack access to scientifically rigorous and…

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A Step Towards Climate Resilience With Utility Disconnection Protections

Warren Stokes II — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:20:14 +0000

The hottest summer ever recorded has come to an end. Yet for the millions of U.S. households that experience utility disconnections each year, cooler temperatures may bring renewed risks. Climate change is leading to more extreme cold in many regions. And while most U.S. states offer some form of weather or health-related relief to protect residents from utility disconnection, some states do not.

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Mapping Public Safety Power Shutoffs

Adrienne Underwood — Thu, 04 May 2023 02:10:03 +0000

More extreme weather is increasing power outages, both in California and across the U.S. But local governments and community-based organizations need to understand their community’s risk of outages to pursue smart resilience solutions. This can be tricky, though. Different types of outages are reported in different ways, making it complex and time consuming for communities to quantify their…

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PSE-Led EPA Study Seeks to Improve Soil-Gas Sampling Methodology

statecreative — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:44:44 +0000

Active soil-gas sampling refers to vacuum-based extraction of a gas sample from unsaturated unconsolidated (e.g. soil) or consolidated (e.g., fractured rock) subsurface media for subsequent field or fixed-laboratory analysis. This type of sampling has been used to support a variety of commercial and environmental activities. Environmental applications include evaluation of leakage of natural gas…

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Four Ways to Bring Health and Equity to Utility Planning

statecreative — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 15:32:58 +0000

Across the United States, many utilities and energy regulators are grappling with an essential question: how should the health, environmental, and equity impacts of energy infrastructure be taken into account during utility planning? The answer to this question is now being actively tested in Michigan. This spring, the utility Consumers Energy agreed to incorporate scientific health and equity…

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