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Steve Koller

@stevekoller.bsky.social

520 followers 420 following 190 posts

Postdoctoral Fellow in Climate and Housing at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Researching natural hazard risk mitigation, insurance, decarbonization, related policy. https://jchs.harvard.edu

jchs.harvard.edu

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · Apr 14

After a recent storm, perhaps you've seen a photo of a car underwater and wondered what happens to the car and the owner? In a new paper titled "Vehicle flood damage and household disaster assistance in the US," I take a look into this issue. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵(1/6)

Vehicle flood damage and household disaster assistance in the United States

Vehicles are the most commonly-owned nonfinancial asset in the United States (US) and represent a relatively high share of net worth for low-wealth households. Despite rising flood exposure from urba...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Steve Koller

NBER @nber.org · 11h

Characterizing the potential and limits of using satellite imagery and machine learning technology to measure ground conditions, from Proctor, Carleton, Chong, Fransen, Greenhill, Katz, Murayama, Sherman, Tseng, Druckenmiller, and Hsiang https://www.nber.org/papers/w34315

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Reposted by Steve Koller

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

A coalition of solar energy companies, labor unions, nonprofit groups and homeowners sued the EPA on Monday over its termination of $7 billion in grants intended to help low- and moderate-income families install solar panels on their homes.

Groups Sue E.P.A. Over $7 Billion in ‘Solar for All’ Grants

The lawsuit accused the Environmental Protection Agency of illegally revoking the money without congressional approval.

nyti.ms

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Reposted by Steve Koller

Robert Ferry @robertferry.bsky.social · 5d

Jigar Shah on utility monopolies: “The notion that they can just raise rates indiscriminately by 10% a year, that utility CEOs should get paid $26 million a year while putting one in six people in their territory into energy poverty…

The buzz saw that's coming for them right now is sharp…”

Is this moment for distributed energy different?

Podcast Episode · Open Circuit · 10/03/2025 · 1h 15m

podcasts.apple.com

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 6d

“In a government shutdown, NFIP cannot write new flood insurance policies, potentially stymying new home purchases. The National Association of Realtors estimates that 1,300 closings could be affected nationally every single day, or about 40,000 in a month.”

www.miamiherald.com/news/busines...

Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 6d

Love to see (and barely hear) an electric garbage truck on a crisp autumn morning in Cambridge, MA.

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Reposted by Steve Koller

Canary Media Inc. @canarymedia.com · 9d

Legacy air-conditioning giant Carrier has a simple solution to ACs stressing the grid: Pair them with a battery that charges up when power demand is low.

Here’s how it’s testing the concept.

Carrier wants to pair batteries with air conditioners to help the grid

Utilities are struggling to meet demand as AI data centers surge. Equipping air conditioners with batteries could be an easy and hugely scalable way to…

www.canarymedia.com

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Reposted by Steve Koller

Bob Henson @bhensonweather.bsky.social · 11d

Tropical Depression 9, now in The Bahamas, may dump 10-20" of rain somewhere close to the Southeast U.S. coast as a tropical storm or hurricane early next week. Onshore or offshore? That's one of many big questions in the air right now. Full update:

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/humb...

Humberto hits Category 4, while The Bahamas and Southeast U.S. prep for the next storm » Yale Climate Connections

A tropical depression strengthening on Saturday could affect parts of the Southeast coast for several days.

yaleclimateconnections.org

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 11d

Great reporting. FEMA disaster assistance payouts are often slow in coming and less than what survivors need to recover.

The Individual Assistance (IA) Program and Policy Guide notes IA grants are meant to meet "basic needs," but aren't a substitute for insurance.

www.fema.gov/sites/defaul...

Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 13d

CA Insurance Commissioner Lara, Climate Resilience for All, and Inclusive Action for the City announce a new heat insurance initiative (parametric product) for street vendors in Los Angeles. Demand for these types of solutions may grow as global temperatures rise.
inclusiveaction.org/press-releas...

Groundbreaking South-North Initiative to Bring Heat Insurance, Direct Cash Support, and Resilience to Heat-Exposed Outdoor Workers of Los Angeles - Inclusive Action for the City

Announcing a groundbreaking initiative to bring heat insurance, direct cash support, and resilience to heat-exposed street vendors in Los Angeles.

inclusiveaction.org

Reposted by Steve Koller

Jeremy Michalek @jmichalek.bsky.social · 16d

Today we submitted our public comment on critical flaws in EPA's rationale for rescinding its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

This proposed move is a big deal with profound implications for our future. Today's the last day to comment. www.cmu.edu/cit/veg/publ...

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 17d

motivation. The need to identify effective and equitable solutions for decarbonization and adaptation persists.

Also, very cool to have capped off the week with a visit to the 4,000+ acre Harvard Forest. A century-old research hub described as one of the “most instrumented forests in the world!”

Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 17d

away from the convening is that near-term political and policy uncertainties do not change the fundamental underlying physics of climate change. So scientific certainties about climate change’s root causes, physical impacts, and threats to economic and physical well-being remain a foundational…(2/3)

Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 17d

Inspired by the thought-provoking and deeply informative set of sessions at this year’s Harvard Climate Action Week. Grateful for the university’s and @harvardsalata.bsky.social’s leadership advancing climate and climate policy research despite headwinds. An overarching theme I take…(1/3)

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 18d

“…houses like this, that produce more energy than they use, are still just a fraction of a percent of the 140 million housing units in the country.”

Jeff Brady @jeffbradynews.bsky.social · 18d

I visited a house that produces more electricity than it uses. The owner says the remodel cost less than if he'd followed standard practices. I came away with five lessons and put them in an @npr.org story: www.npr.org/2025/09/20/n...

5 lessons from a house that generates more energy than it uses

With higher utility bills, a house that produces more energy than it uses may be appealing. In southern California, one such house has existed for more than a decade. NPR's Jeff Brady visited the "Gre...

www.npr.org

Reposted by Steve Koller

ClimateFran @climatefran.bsky.social · 20d

Important new paper from
@marshallburke.bsky.social
on the devastating toll of wildfire smoke in
@nature.com

"climate-driven smoke deaths result in economic damages that exceed existing estimates of climate-driven damages from all other causes combined in the US"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Reposted by Steve Koller

Zahra Hirji @zhirji.bsky.social · 20d

Oh, did I mention: We published all of the hundreds of FOIA docs with this story. Now you can look through them yourself:
assets.bwbx.io/documents/us...

bsky.app/profile/did:...

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 21d

Huge kudos to the National Academies and author team for publishing this report so promptly in response to EPA's notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the 2009 Endangerment Finding. The study's "Overarching Conclusion" screenshotted below is unambiguous:
nap.nationalacademies.org/read/29239/c...

Reposted by Steve Koller

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies @harvard-jchs.bsky.social · 21d

In 2023, the US experienced a record-breaking 28 disasters for which damages reached or exceeded $1 billion, but recent federal policy changes leave the future of home mitigation and post-disaster assistance uncertain, writes @sophiawedeen.bsky.social.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/disaste...

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Reposted by Steve Koller

Peter Brannen @peterbrannen.bsky.social · 23d

Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, and beyond, come hear me talk about the past 4 billion years or so with my friend Phoebe, geologist extraordinaire, at the @harvardbookstore.bsky.social Thursday 7pm

Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 23d

Boston and Camberville! See you Thursday! I am 99% done with this epic book and so excited to blather with @peterbrannen.bsky.social about it at @harvardbookstore.bsky.social

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Reposted by Steve Koller

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 26d

California's SB 79 has now passed the State Senate, after passing the State Assembly yesterday. It's now on to the governor's desk.

It's a big change in zoning policy for California's cities that will encourage substantial additional housing in neighborhoods around the state's transit stations.

Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 26d

SB 79 has the votes!

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 25d

Love to come across equipment that’s collecting measurements in the wild (i.e., on the Minuteman Bikeway)! Though mildly disappointed to see data haven’t been collected at this site since September 2024.

waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...

Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 26d

This is a win for polluters and a loss for data-informed climate policy. The adage “if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it” applies here.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 26d

Breaking News: The EPA moved to stop requiring polluters to report their emissions of greenhouse gases. The proposal would end a key tool the government uses to track carbon dioxide, methane and other gases that are driving climate change.

E.P.A. to Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Polluters

The data, from thousands of coal-burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills and other industrial facilities, is the country’s most comprehensive way to track greenhouse gases.

nyti.ms

Reposted by Steve Koller

Kyle Walker @kylewalker.bsky.social · 27d

Released today: the 2024 1-year American Community Survey estimates.

This release brings fresh updates to thousands of demographic variables for areas with 65k+ population, as well as new tables on detailed race and HOA/Condo fees.

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 28d

New paper in JEEM on Risk Rating 2.0 authored by Ortega and Petkov:

“While the reform may have improved the solvency of the NFIP, it has exacerbated the decade-long decline in enrollment.”

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

To improve is to change: The effects of risk rating 2.0 on flood insurance demand

We present a model of the demand for flood insurance, construct individual insurance histories for the universe of policyholders, and empirically anal…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Steve Koller @stevekoller.bsky.social · 29d

Voters in New York City will have the chance to weigh in on three housing-related ballot measures this upcoming November. One measure, if it passes, would revise the city charter to "fast track affordable housing."