Climate & Resilience: Page 5
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Local opposition to renewable energy projects ‘widespread and growing’: Columbia University report
The report tracks 395 local restrictions on renewable energy development, with 55 of those emerging in the last year.
By Diana DiGangi • June 14, 2024 -
Congressional Democrats call for ‘cost-effective’ flood resilience strategies
Flooding costs the U.S. up to $496 billion a year, says a new analysis by Democrats on the U.S. Joint Economic Committee.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 14, 2024 -
Trendline
Top 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.
By Smart Cities Dive staff -
9 climate resilience job training programs to launch with $60M from NOAA
They will train workers for jobs in conservation, renewable energy, urban agriculture, green infrastructure, emergency preparedness and more, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 12, 2024 -
Transit agency faces $15B funding gap after NYC congestion pricing reversal
“We’re going to fight like hell to make sure we don’t have to reduce service,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.
By Dan Zukowski • June 12, 2024 -
9 senators call for EPA funding to address landfill methane
They want more than $6.7 million to go to states for advanced methane detection technology and $5 million for local governments to develop methane reductions plans at municipally owned landfills.
By Jacob Wallace • June 11, 2024 -
Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California
A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 10, 2024 -
5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits
The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.
By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024 -
Deep Dive
The heat is on. Contractors say they’re ready.
Commercial construction firms aren’t waiting on OSHA’s much-anticipated heat standard to protect their workers.
By Zachary Phillips • June 7, 2024 -
Vermont sends climate change tab to fossil fuel companies
Although the governor allowed the bill to become law, he expressed misgivings about the state's ability to hold oil and gas companies financially accountable for climate change damages.
By Lamar Johnson • June 6, 2024 -
Geothermal system is a US first
A networked, utility-owned system in a Massachusetts community's pilot could replace fossil fuel for heating and cooling across entire neighborhoods.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 5, 2024 -
How climate change is hitting highways
The Federal Highway Administration does not have enough money to continue replacing roads that are not resilient against extreme weather, a federal highway research engineer said.
By Julie Strupp • June 5, 2024 -
$1.3B available for EV charging network expansion in US
Government entities nationwide can apply for federal funding to build charging infrastructure in their communities.
By Haley Cawthon • June 4, 2024 -
How US summer cooling costs are rising in 2 charts
The average U.S. electric bill this summer is projected to set a 10-year record, finds a June 3 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 4, 2024 -
Code compliance not enough to protect builders from lawsuits amid climate change
Contractors and engineers must keep up with more frequent, severe extreme weather despite outdated building codes, said legal experts at a recent building innovation conference.
By Julie Strupp • June 3, 2024 -
NYC’s heat safety plans for 2024: Free ‘cool kits,’ pet-friendly cooling centers
“We learned a lot from last year,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a May 30 press conference.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 3, 2024 -
EVs will power buildings in Colorado city’s ‘transformative’ pilot
The pilot will inform how vehicle-to-everything charging technology can be used in areas at high risk of prolonged outages due to natural disaster or emergency events, a utility partner said.
By Robert Walton • May 31, 2024 -
FTA publishes climate resilience guidebook for transit agencies
Updated climate data sources and community vulnerability screening tools are among the recommendations in the latest resource from the Federal Transit Administration.
By Dan Zukowski • May 31, 2024 -
Deep Dive
Heat safety laws for workers in Texas, Florida, Phoenix to be put to the test
As summer begins, some states prevent cities from mandating water breaks. Still, there are commonsense practices to protect workers from soaring temperatures, safety officials say.
By Zachary Phillips • May 28, 2024 -
Brownfield clean-up job training programs can get $14M from EPA
The federal agency also awarded over $300 million in grants to clean up polluted sites so communities can repurpose them into assets such as affordable housing and green space.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 28, 2024 -
Top cities for certified energy-efficient buildings announced by EPA
Los Angeles has dominated the rankings for Energy Star-certified buildings year after year. The U.S. EPA has some ideas on why.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 24, 2024 -
Litter audit data could drive more litigation and policy, experts say
New York is suing PepsiCo for allegedly “harming the public and the environment with its single-use plastic packaging,” in part based on such data.
By Maria Rachal • May 23, 2024 -
San Francisco and 2 states expand bans on forever chemicals
The measures outlaw PFAS in items such as turf, menstruation products and firefighter gear.
By Sara Samora • May 21, 2024 -
Heat resilience research centers unveiled by Biden administration
Most governments have historically lacked “a comprehensive or coordinated set of strategies to deal with heat and its impacts,” a center lead said. Applications for communities to get involved will open later this year.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 21, 2024 -
Legal battle over NYC’s building emissions law resurfaces in appellate court
A panel of New York State Supreme Court judges said the defendants, including New York City, have failed to show that the state’s existing climate legislation does not preempt Local Law 97.
By Nish Amarnath • May 20, 2024 -
How cool pavement, heat risk data are helping a Texas city prep for summer
With heat-related illness on the rise in San Antonio, “it’s critical that we direct resources to those most in need of relief,” said the city’s chief sustainability officer.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 20, 2024