Former NYC DEP Commissioner Rit Aggarwala and Energy Vision Founder Joanna D. Underwood at the Newtown Creek RNG project unveiling in May 2023.
EPA has proposed to rescind the long-standing “endangerment finding”—the legal foundation that has enabled federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions since it was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2009. If finalized, EPA’s change would shift much of the responsibility for regulating these emissions back to the states.
The response has already been swift and far-reaching. Coalitions of cities, states, attorneys general, and public health advocates have mobilized across the country—many in opposing this move but some in support—underscoring just how central climate policy has become to economic, environmental, and public health priorities nationwide.
At the same time, the broader climate challenge continues to intensify. In the US and globally, greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere continue to rise, driven largely by reliance on fossil fuels. Most important is the rise in methane gases which have a planet warming potential more than 80 times that of CO2 and which climate scientists have said must be reduced 30% by 2030 if the catastrophic impacts of “runaway climate change” are to be avoided. And global events—especially the ongoing conflict in Iran and its associated targeting and destruction of major fossil fuel assets in the Middle East—are compounding these impacts in ways that are already recognized as deeply consequential.
Yet, in the face of these challenges, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: renewable solutions that are practical, scalable, and economically viable exist today. And they should no longer be considered optional—they are essential; now more than ever.
At Energy Vision, we remain focused on one of the most immediate and underutilized opportunities available today: transforming this country’s huge organic waste stream into renewable energy. Across the U.S., vast amounts of food waste, agricultural residues, and wastewater solids are emitting methane into the atmosphere as they rot. By capturing these emissions in “anaerobic digesters” and upgrading them into renewable natural gas (RNG), we can both reduce climate impacts and produce a low-carbon fuel that can directly replace diesel with its toxic emissions in heavy-duty transportation.
This is not a distant or theoretical solution—it is happening now.
In this issue, we highlight a powerful and exciting example: the wastewater RNG project at Capital Region Water in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which is entering operations this month. It is a model for what can be achieved—one that can be replicated at more than a thousand wastewater facilities across the country.
Energy Vision has been proud to help bring this project and others like it to life, working alongside municipalities, developers, and industry partners to turn complex ideas into real-world outcomes. According to Jess Rosentel, COO for Wastewater at Capital Region Water in Harrisburg: “Energy Vision was instrumental in helping us turn an early and unfocused concept into a successful, now operational wastewater RNG project. From the outset, their deep understanding of how to maximize the value of biogas and minimize risk—across technology, incentives, markets, and policy—shaped our decisions and helped us select the right partners. Their leadership brought clarity, confidence, and momentum to a complex effort, and the project would not have moved forward as effectively without their involvement.”
At a moment when the path forward on climate policy may feel uncertain, the importance of grounded, actionable solutions like these has never been greater. There is much more to be done—but there is also real progress underway.
We are grateful for our supporters who have made our work possible, and we invite you to join us in exploring if and how this strategy might be advanced in your city or community as every new initiative will mean progress toward a cleaner, healthier energy future.
