Wesley Look
Senior Research Associate
Wesley Look joined RFF as a senior research associate in 2017. Previously, Look served as Advisor on Energy and Environment to the US Senate Finance Committee and ranking member Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). Look advised Senator Wyden on a range of clean energy and climate policies, including the senator’s energy policy portfolio on the Senate Energy Committee. From 2007 to 2010, Look advised US cities on climate and energy policy as Program Officer with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).
Education
- Master in Public Policy, Harvard University, 2014
- Master of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013
- Bachelor of Arts, Wesleyan University, 2002
Featured Content
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Media Highlight — Mar 19, 2024
POLITICO: “Should NY Adopt Facility-Specific Emissions Caps? Groups’ Report Says Yes.”
A piece in POLITICO Pro and E&E News profiles a new report by researchers from RFF and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance about potential designs for New York State‘s new cap-trade-and-invest program.
Press Release — Mar 18, 2024
Adding Protections to a Cap-Trade-and-Invest Program in New York Could Make Disadvantaged Communities Better Off
In a new report, a research team finds that a cap-trade-and-invest policy that includes emissions caps for the residential, transportation, and electric power sectors, as well as specific caps for each power plant, can reduce emissions near disadvantaged
Report — Mar 18, 2024
Prioritizing Justice in New York State Cap-Trade-and-Invest
This report, produced in partnership with RFF and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, analyzes the emissions effects of different cap-trade-and-invest policy designs in New York State.
Report — Feb 8, 2024
The European Union Policy Toolbox to Support Just Transition
This report distills lessons from the European Union's energy transition to help US policymakers identify key elements of a just transition.
Report — Mar 18, 2024
Prioritizing Justice in New York State Cap-Trade-and-Invest
This report, produced in partnership with RFF and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, analyzes the emissions effects of different cap-trade-and-invest policy designs in New York State.
Report — Feb 8, 2024
The European Union Policy Toolbox to Support Just Transition
This report distills lessons from the European Union's energy transition to help US policymakers identify key elements of a just transition.
Report — Oct 30, 2023
Energy Transition Case Study: The Huntley Coal Plant in Tonawanda, New York
This RFF and EDF report examines how the community of Tonawanda, New York, has dealt with the 2016 closure of a local coal-fired electricity plant.
Report — Sep 13, 2023
Prioritizing Justice in New York State Climate Policy: Cleaner Air for Disadvantaged Communities?
This report, produced in partnership with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, examines air quality improvements in two options for implementing New York State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Common Resources — Oct 30, 2023
Economic Adaptation in the Energy Transition: Lessons from Tonawanda, New York
The energy transition in the town of Tonawanda, New York, can offer insights and lessons learned for communities that are undergoing similar changes.
Common Resources — Mar 22, 2023
Policies in Play for the Decarbonization of the Intermountain West Region of the United States
The Intermountain West Energy Sustainability and Transitions initiative will develop a road map for states in the region to achieve carbon neutrality. Here’s its survey of the policy landscape.
Common Resources — Jun 1, 2022
Learning from the Energy Transition in Poland: A Q&A with Wesley Look and Aleksander Śniegocki
Two authors of a recent report discuss policies that have facilitated an energy transition in Poland, along with historical context of the region’s transition away from coal. The insights can help design policy solutions elsewhere for a just transition.
Common Resources — Jan 11, 2022
The Build Back Better Act Could Speed Deployment of Cleaner Commercial Vehicles
A new issue brief from Resources for the Future finds that a first-of-its-kind tax credit for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, which might feature in reconciliation legislation, could accelerate emissions reductions in the transportation sector.
Media Highlight — Mar 19, 2024
POLITICO: “Should NY Adopt Facility-Specific Emissions Caps? Groups’ Report Says Yes.”
A piece in POLITICO Pro and E&E News profiles a new report by researchers from RFF and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance about potential designs for New York State‘s new cap-trade-and-invest program.
Press Release — Mar 18, 2024
Adding Protections to a Cap-Trade-and-Invest Program in New York Could Make Disadvantaged Communities Better Off
In a new report, a research team finds that a cap-trade-and-invest policy that includes emissions caps for the residential, transportation, and electric power sectors, as well as specific caps for each power plant, can reduce emissions near disadvantaged
Press Release — Sep 13, 2023
When Communities Shape Climate Policy, Disadvantaged New Yorkers See Better Air Quality Outcomes
A new report finds that New York’s most vulnerable communities benefit from greater air quality improvements under environmental justice stakeholders’ suite of recommendations.
Press Release — Jun 1, 2022
Poland's Energy Transition Offers Strategies for Shifting Away from Fossil Fuels, Even in a Changing Energy Landscape
A new report by scholars at Resources for the Future and the Polish think tank WiseEuropa examines Poland’s energy transition away from coal to analyze solutions that could help decarbonization efforts worldwide.