In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we talk to Commissioner Colin Yost of the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission. ​​Together with our legal staff member, Lauren McCrea, ​Commissioner Yost​​​ ​​talks about ​​his agency’s work​​ to protect people and make energy more affordable for ​​Hawaiians​​ in the aftermath of the 2023 wildfires​​​.​​​​

Show Notes:

• Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission: Read more about what the Public Utilities Commission regulates and how.

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we talk to Washington Attorney General Nick Brown on his career path, his priorities as a recently-elected state AG, and how his office approaches environmental law with a focus on public health, safeguarding clean water, and preserving fish and wildlife in Washington State. We also talk to his office’s Chief of the Environmental Protection Division, Bill Sherman, about the history of the Division, the latest trends in environmental law, and more.

This episode is part of our What Is a State AG? series,  where we break down the role of state AGs and talk about their significance standing up for the communities they represent.

This episode contains valuable insights for law students, environmental advocates, and everyone in between who wants to learn more about what AGs are doing to protect people and the environment.

Show Notes:

• About Nick Brown: Read more about Washington state’s 19th attorney general.
• Environmental Protection Division: Learn more about the work of the Division in protecting Washingtonians and the environment

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we talk to Dana Johnson, policy advocate, fundraiser, government affairs consultant, and founder of Strategic Movement Collective LLC, and Joshua Low, Partnerships Director at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. We discuss polling data and what people think about climate change, along with the importance of connecting to people through storytelling (yes, even in legal practice!). We also do a case study on clean energy: what the data says, how to translate that data into a message, and how to address opposing messages.

You’ll hear the word “appropriations” in this episode. An appropriation is a law of Congress that delegates budget authority to federal agencies.

• Climate Change in the American Mind: Read the various reports by YPCCC that investigate, track, and explain public climate change knowledge, risk perceptions, policy support and behavior.
• Global Warming’s Six Americas: Learn more about the six unique audiences within the American public that each respond to climate change in their own distinct way (and take their quiz to find out which of the Six Americas you are in!)
• Voters Say Lawmakers Should Listen to Communities Over Fossil Fuel Interests: Read Dana’s blog post breaking down a Data for Progress and WE ACT survey on energy permitting and the Environmental Justice for All Act.
• Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming, Fall 2024: Read more about the YPCCC study conducted in late 2024 that, among other things, looked at public perceptions of federal agencies in terms of climate change.
• Americans’ support for climate justice: Learn about what Americans think of climate justice in this YPCCC article, which Dana helped with.
• Fifteen AGs Sued Federal Administration Over “National Energy Emergency”: Check out how AGs are pushing back against the federal administration’s bypassing of environmental review projects for energy projects.