Trainings & Events

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AVoided Emissions and geneRation Tool (AVERT) (https://www.epa.gov/avert) and the CO-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) tool (https://www.epa.gov/COBRA) can be used by state, local, and tribal entities to evaluate and communicate the air quality, health, and economic benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy policies and programs.

AVERT estimates county-level changes in power plant emissions, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ammonia (NH3), resulting from the implementation of clean energy policies and programs.

COBRA quantifies the air quality and health impacts of clean energy policies at the county, state, regional, or national levels and calculates the economic value of health-related benefits, such as reductions in cardiovascular and respiratory illness, fewer lost days of work, and decreased mortality rates.

In this Clean Energy Group webinar, Colby Tucker from EPA’s State and Local Energy and Environment Office will provide an introduction to AVERT and COBRA, overview of their functionality, and walk through a demonstration of how the tools can be used in practice.