Kevin Rennert
Fellow; Director, Comprehensive Climate Strategies Program; Director, Federal Climate Policy Initiative
Kevin Rennert joined RFF as a visiting fellow in 2017. Prior to his arrival at RFF, Rennert served as deputy associate administrator for the Office of Policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Leading up to his appointment in the Office of Policy, he worked as senior advisor on Energy for the Senate Finance Committee. In that role, Rennert advised the committee’s Chairman, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), on a wide range of topics related to clean energy, efficiency, and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From 2008 to 2014, he worked on energy and climate legislation as senior professional staff for the Senate Energy Committee. In that capacity, Rennert led the development of the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 (S. 2146), a presidential priority that would use market mechanisms to double the amount of electricity generated in the US from low or zero carbon sources by 2035. In 2010 and 2011, Rennert also taught graduate courses in energy policy as adjunct faculty in the Department of Strategic Management and Public Policy at George Washington University.
Education
- PhD in atmospheric science, University of Washington, 2007
- BS in physics, Grinnell College, 1997
Featured Content
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Common Resources — Jan 23, 2024
Bill That Would Help Track Emissions Associated with Traded Goods Receives Bipartisan Support
A new bill passed recently by a US Senate committee would require the federal government to study the greenhouse gas emissions associated with products from selected industries and US trade partners.
RFF Live — Jan 24, 2024
Big Decisions 2024
RFF's annual event exploring big decisions in climate, energy, and the environment in the year ahead.
Report — Dec 6, 2023
Comparing the European Union Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Clean Competition Act, and the Foreign Pollution Fee Act
This report compares goals and designs of three border adjustment mechanisms: the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Clean Competition Act, and the Foreign Pollution Fee Act.
Press Release — Dec 6, 2023
New Report Compares Recent International Climate and Trade Policies
With the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) putting a spotlight on international climate policy, a new RFF report compares three climate and trade policies and analyzes each one’s unique goals, structures, and international repercussions.
Report — Dec 6, 2023
Comparing the European Union Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Clean Competition Act, and the Foreign Pollution Fee Act
This report compares goals and designs of three border adjustment mechanisms: the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Clean Competition Act, and the Foreign Pollution Fee Act.
Journal Article — Nov 30, 2023
Power Sector Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
This paper investigates potential impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act on the power sector, which is the focus of many of the law's core provisions.
Issue Brief — Nov 6, 2023
Foreign Pollution Fee Act: Design Elements, Options, and Policy Decisions
This issue brief breaks down the policy elements of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, a border adjustment mechanism proposed in the US Senate in November 2023.
Issue Brief — Oct 16, 2023
The Economic Benefits of Achieving the Paris Agreement Goals
In this issue brief, RFF researchers estimate the global economic benefits of limiting temperature rise to the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5°C and “well below” 2°C above preindustrial levels.
RFF Live — Jan 24, 2024
Big Decisions 2024
RFF's annual event exploring big decisions in climate, energy, and the environment in the year ahead.
RFF Live — Jul 31, 2023
The 45V Hydrogen Tax Credit: Considerations for US Treasury Guidance
The 45V Hydrogen Tax Credit: Considerations for US Treasury Guidance
RFF Live — Feb 15, 2023
Exploring the New Baseline for Electricity in the Presence of the Inflation Reduction Act
An RFF Live event exploring how the electricity sector is expected to transform in the coming decades as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
RFF Live — Jan 18, 2023
Big Decisions 2023
RFF's annual event exploring big decisions in climate, energy, and the environment in the year ahead
Common Resources — Jan 23, 2024
Bill That Would Help Track Emissions Associated with Traded Goods Receives Bipartisan Support
A new bill passed recently by a US Senate committee would require the federal government to study the greenhouse gas emissions associated with products from selected industries and US trade partners.
Common Resources — Oct 16, 2023
Achieving the Paris Agreement Temperature Targets Would Yield Major Global Economic Benefits
New modeling from Resources for the Future shows that accelerating cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in the near future will produce major economic benefits and other long-term positive outcomes.
Resources Magazine — Oct 4, 2023
Sailing Uncharted Waters: International Trade Becomes an Element of Climate Policy
The European Union has launched its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as a way of extending its domestic climate policy to the international trade system. But aligning climate policy with international trade comes with complications.
In Focus — Jun 13, 2023
In Focus: The Evolving US Energy Mix
Insights about a proposed regulation from the US Environmental Protection Agency that would limit carbon emissions from US power plants, in a video with RFF Fellow Kevin Rennert.
Press Release — Dec 6, 2023
New Report Compares Recent International Climate and Trade Policies
With the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) putting a spotlight on international climate policy, a new RFF report compares three climate and trade policies and analyzes each one’s unique goals, structures, and international repercussions.
Press Release — Nov 6, 2023
RFF Scholars Analyze New Bill That Introduces a Fee on High-Carbon Imports
A new RFF analysis provides a detailed, early look at the new policy proposal that could inform US industrial policy in the decades to come.
Media Highlight — Oct 17, 2023
Axios: “Number of the Day: $6.8 Trillion per Year”
A segment in Axios’ Generate newsletter highlights a new issue brief about the economic benefits of meeting the Paris Agreement’s emissions-reduction goals.
Media Highlight — Oct 16, 2023
Carbon Pulse: “Meeting Paris Agreement Goals Can Yield over $600 Trillion in Economic Benefits, Report Says”
This article details the findings of a new RFF issue brief that details the avoided climate damages associated with meeting Paris Agreement goals.