Climate & Resilience: Page 2
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These 8 nonprofits got $20B from the Biden administration for local clean energy financing. Now what?
The “green bank” funds must be obligated by September 2024 amid efforts by Republican lawmakers to repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
By Ysabelle Kempe • April 5, 2024 -
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High-priority local actions in Biden’s new plan to slash building GHG emissions
The Department of Energy blueprint lays out specific goals to lower U.S. building emissions 90% by 2050 compared with 2005 levels.
By Ysabelle Kempe • April 3, 2024 -
Explore the Trendline➔
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TrendlineTop 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive
From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them in 2024.
By Smart Cities Dive staff -
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OpinionUtilities must come clean about the full value of community solar
Utilities often oppose customer-driven, third-party-owned energy projects like community solar because they threaten to supplant utility investments and utility shareholder profits.
By Jeff Cramer and John Farrell • April 3, 2024 -
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IRS direct pay framework opens doors for tax-exempt entities to access clean energy credits
The U.S. Treasury Department’s final rule for the program paves the way for organizations to receive more than 30% of a project’s cost in direct cash payments for clean energy investments.
By Brian Martucci • April 2, 2024 -
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New Mexico regulators approve El Paso Electric $11M EV plan, including low-income rebates
The rebate program has a total budget of $200,000 and will be available to 50 customers. El Paso Electric will also offer smart charging programs and incentives for charging equipment.
By Robert Walton • April 1, 2024 -
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Phoenix passes worker heat safety ordinance amid rising deaths
The measure is the result of labor demands and record high temperatures in the city in 2023.
By Ginger Christ • March 28, 2024 -
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What’s stifling city climate action? Municipal finance practices, one report says
The Boston University researchers highlight how city funding approaches make emissions reduction projects easier to move forward than climate adaptation projects.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 27, 2024 -
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OpinionLocal government climate coalitions are delivering state policy results
Environmental justice legislation in Colorado and energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in Wisconsin are two recent coalition accomplishments.
By Lindsay Ex and Erick Shambarger • March 26, 2024 -
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To chart its path away from gas, Massachusetts launches energy transformation office
Headed by a former utility executive, the office will convene a task force with representatives from utilities, municipalities, business, labor and the supply chain industry.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 25, 2024 -
The image by Carl Young is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
How 3 large states want to address waste with federal climate funding
Forty-five states and dozens of metropolitan areas submitted priority climate action plans to the U.S. EPA, the first step in accessing Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funding.
By Jacob Wallace • March 22, 2024 -
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DC’s downtown revival plan, from office conversions to ‘neighborhood safety centers’
Facing public safety concerns, the possible loss of two professional sports teams and costly office-to-residential conversions, Washington, D.C., officials released highlights of a proposed revitalization.
By Danielle McLean • March 22, 2024 -
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Opinion5 tips for building highly utilized curbside EV chargers
Think about EV charger placement and features that provide value to community residents, visitors and business owners, says the president and CEO of EV charging company Volta.
By Brandt Hastings • March 22, 2024 -
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Communities hoping to build disaster resilience request record $8B in FEMA grants
The requested amount is more than quadruple the amount the agency is offering, continuing what FEMA said is an ongoing trend of applications exceeding available funds.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 21, 2024 -
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What mayors really think about the Inflation Reduction Act
Boston University’s 2023 Menino Survey of Mayors reveals “a fundamental tension” in localities that want clean energy but are reluctant to cede local control to streamline permitting, a report co-author said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 20, 2024 -
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Energy Department’s weakened EV mileage rule allows more gas-engine car sales through 2030
A more aggressive timeline originally proposed by the Biden administration drew pushback from the auto industry.
By Michael Brady • March 20, 2024 -
Courtesy of Skanska
Electrifying construction: Zero-emission compactor piloted on major Los Angeles transit project
After testing an electric excavator on the $9.5 billion Purple Line project in February, contractor Skanska deployed this month one of the first all-electric compactors used on an ongoing U.S. project.
By Zachary Phillips • March 19, 2024 -
Courtesy of Schneider National
Plan for zero-emission truck charging, fueling infrastructure unveiled by White House
The strategy maps interstates, intermodal hubs, ports and truck parking to show where charging and hydrogen fueling stations will be most in demand.
By Colin Campbell • March 19, 2024 -
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25 cities to get climate-focused innovation teams through $200M Bloomberg initiative
Oakland, California, hopes to leverage the support to ensure Black residents benefit from urban greening efforts. Nashville, Tennessee, is planning a clean energy workforce training program for Black communities.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 18, 2024 -
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Q&A
15 minutes with the first state-level chief heat officer
As Arizona shifts its approach to managing extreme heat risk, Eugene Livar wants to bring communities the resources they need without reinventing the wheel.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 15, 2024 -
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Recycling brings environmental justice communities opportunities — and potential costs
As local groups strive for federal grants, efforts to recycle solar panels and EV batteries could exacerbate problems in already overburdened communities, National Recycling Congress participants said.
By Megan Quinn • March 15, 2024 -
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US DOT awards $3.3B to reconnect communities, offers funding for other transportation projects
Meanwhile, President Biden's 2025 budget for transportation calls for $4 billion for large transit projects and $1.2 billion for the use of low-embodied-carbon materials.
By Dan Zukowski • March 13, 2024 -
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Planting a tree just got $100 cheaper for property owners in a California water district
A new rebate rewards residents and businesses for planting trees where they previously grew grass. However, “not all trees are created equal,” the water district’s resource specialist said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 13, 2024 -
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New York City bill would mandate solar panels on public buildings
The legislation would prohibit the use of power purchase agreements to meet solar targets, leaving the city to figure out who should handle routine operations and maintenance of the systems.
By Nish Amarnath • March 12, 2024 -
Permission granted by City of Sea Isle City
This New Jersey beach city went from ‘worst to first’ in reducing flood risk
Sea Isle City’s success required leaders who were willing to spend political and financial capital on building resilience, the city’s floodplain manager said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 11, 2024 -
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Q&AThink holistically about infrastructure, new president of civil engineering group urges
The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Marsia Geldert-Murphey talks about why public transit is the most underfunded infrastructure sector and how to build climate change-ready structures.
By Julie Strupp • March 7, 2024
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