Groups push for landfill methane action from local governments as ‘low-hanging fruit’

New EPA data shows the waste sector continues to dominate U.S. methane emissions. But groups believe new federal funding is aligning with a growing awareness of opportunities to make a dent in those numbers.

By Jacob Wallace • Oct. 24, 2023

Heat pumps are hot, but commercial retrofits face cold realities

Government decarbonization strategies call for widespread deployment of heat pumps for building heating and cooling, but experts warn of retrofit costs, disruption and other concerns.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 23, 2023

What isn’t in the White House’s climate resilience plan

Unveiled last month, the plan offers more to like than not, said the executive director of University of Miami’s Climate Resilience Academy. But he pointed to key shortcomings.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 23, 2023

High hopes for US high-speed rail

Only 50 miles of high-speed track currently exist in the U.S., but an expansion could create thousands of jobs and slash greenhouse gas emissions, says a Mineta Transportation Institute study.

By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 23, 2023

8 cities to install public art projects with Bloomberg Philanthropies grants

The winners include Houston, which aims to “disrupt perceptions of homelessness,” and Phoenix, which will commission artists to create shading and cooling installations.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 20, 2023

DOE announces ‘largest-ever investment in America’s grid,’ giving $3.5B across 44 states

The awards include smart grid grants of around $1 million to individual cities.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 20, 2023

Chicago aims to make composting accessible with food waste drop-off program

Residents will be able to drop off all kinds of food waste at 15 locations managed by the Department of Streets and Sanitation to help meet the city’s climate goals.

By Megan Quinn • Oct. 19, 2023

NYC plans greenway expansion amid concern about cycling deaths

Supporters of the expansion called it “historic," but other street safety decisions have left advocates feeling betrayed by the mayor, reports news organization Gothamist.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 18, 2023

How many chargers will the Northeast’s electric trucks need? National Grid aims to find out.

The U.S. Department of Energy-funded analysis will span some of the nation’s largest cities, targeting highways with heavy trucking traffic and commercial areas such as ports.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2023

DOE selects 7 hydrogen hubs for $7B funding opportunity

The selection of several hubs focused on hydrogen production from fossil fuels and carbon capture drew the ire of environmental groups.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 16, 2023

NYC project looks to support climate law with building inspection tech

The AI-powered technology under development uses robots and drone scans to detect structural flaws that reduce energy efficiency.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 16, 2023

Why Los Angeles’ climate plan has ‘outlived its usefulness’: city controller

The new report says the plan has the same shortcoming as those in many other cities: a lack of meaningful metrics. What should the California city do now? 

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 16, 2023

Why efficient waste management matters: Lessons from Memphis, Tennessee

Picking up trash at 170,000 locations in the City of Memphis every single week is no small feat.

By Rubicon • Oct. 16, 2023

FEMA makes ‘key changes’ to $1.8B climate resilience grant programs

Amid concerns that some communities struggle to access federal climate resilience funding, the agency moved to lower the administrative and financial burden for certain applicants.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 13, 2023

Reworking the grid for offshore wind is a matter of ‘extreme urgency’: Clean energy company exec

The need to solve transmission and interconnection issues has become more acute as the Inflation Reduction Act pumps billions of dollars into renewable energy production.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 13, 2023

Seattle publishes guide to reducing transportation emissions

The city’s transportation department wants to speed up a mode shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles as Seattle faces the reality that it isn’t on track to meet its climate goals.

By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 13, 2023

NYC launches ‘smart city testbed’: Here are the first 3 pilot technologies

Initial projects aim to pull pollution out of the air and scan buildings for flaws that reduce energy efficiency.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 12, 2023

Clean energy transition in buildings could create 2M+ jobs in US, Europe

The study by Schneider Electric and Boston University estimates which U.S. regions will see the most new jobs as more buildings get solar PV, heat pumps and battery storage.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 12, 2023

Vermont utility wants to give all customers battery storage to prevent outages

Green Mountain Power aims to shift the state’s grid to a distributed system — a future the utility’s CEO envisions for the entire U.S.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 11, 2023

New alliance aims to turn this Rust Belt city into a ‘Green Belt’ hub

The Chicagoland Climate Investment Alliance wants $1 billion in federal funding for a “Rust Belt to Green Belt Initiative,” indicating the region is ready to move past its nickname from the 1970s.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 10, 2023

Notable 2024 conferences for smart city leaders

Newly added events focus on traffic safety, technology and green infrastructure.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Aug. 2, 2024

‘Empty’ federal buildings under scrutiny

Unused office space poses financial and environmental issues federal agencies must address, lawmakers from both parties said at a Senate committee hearing.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 9, 2023

California governor signs bill to speed utility interconnections

The Powering Up Californians Act aims to accelerate the state's electrification efforts and is one of several clean energy bills signed recently by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 9, 2023

US Green Building Council’s LEED v5 doubles down on decarbonization

The proposal for existing buildings would set new requirements to boost climate resilience, assess social impact and cut emissions from embodied carbon, refrigerants and transportation.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 6, 2023

What are the ‘greenest’ US cities?

Personal finance company WalletHub evaluated cities based on 28 key “green” indicators using data from 21 sources. “A well-run city is likely to also be a reasonably green city,” an environmental scientist said.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 6, 2023