Climate & Resilience: Page 6

  • A worker in a hard hat and yellow vest lays a large pipe in the ground. On the side of the pipe, the word "geothermal" is written three times.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Ania Camargo
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • June 5, 2024
  • A man in a dark suit stands in front of an audience.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Julie Strupp/Smart Cities Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    jamesteohart via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • Charging port on the Volvo C40 recharge SUV.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Volvo Cars
    Image attribution tooltip

    $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
  • A person wearing a ponytail and purple tank top raches up to touch cardboard around a window AC unit on the outside of a building. A plastic water bottle sits on the windowsill.
    Image attribution tooltip
    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • June 4, 2024
  • Three people in dark suits sit at a table with a black curtain in the background and people in chairs in front of them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Julie Strupp/Smart Cities Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A woman wipes her brow in a crowd of people.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • June 3, 2024
  • Fermata Energy has partnered with the City of Boulder on a vehicle-to-grid charging project
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Fermata Energy
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Man in military uniform and two others wearing high visibility apparel outside a railroad terminal.
    Image attribution tooltip
    (2012). "Sailors set up lights in Hoboken." [Photograph]. Retrieved from Official U.S. Navy Page/Flickr.
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • May 31, 2024
  • A construction worker atop a steel beam drinks from a bottle of water.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Brian Snyder/Reuters

    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • A close up of Michael Regan
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • May 28, 2024
  • Looking up at skyscrapers against a blue sky
    Image attribution tooltip
    aiisha5 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • May 24, 2024
  • Bottles and cans littered on a sand beach
    Image attribution tooltip
    Milos Bicanski via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A close up of sideline on a soccer field, with sunlight in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    matimix for iStock via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A person holds a piece of cardboard over their head while looking across a crowded beach.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • May 21, 2024
  • Overhead view of brick, multistory buildings along a one-way street.
    Image attribution tooltip
    deberarr via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Two workers in yellow vests and hard hats ride on the back of a truck spraying gray liquid onto a city street
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from City of San Antonio on YouTube on May 20, 2024
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 • May 20, 2024
  • The hallway of a home with white walls, with a thermostat that reads "70" on the wall. Above it is a panel that reads "Year-Round Comfort & Savings."
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dylan Slagle, BGE

    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA launches new Energy Star residential standard

    Requirements for certification include heat pumps, resident electric vehicle charging stations, electric cooking appliances and highly energy-efficient construction.

    By Mary Salmonsen • May 17, 2024
  • Three rats on the sidewalk next to a trash can at night
    Image attribution tooltip
    Katie Dobies via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    To win the war on rats, NYC convenes National Urban Rat Summit

    “The best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy,” Mayor Eric Adams said. Municipal experts from cities across the U.S. will be in attendance.

    By • May 17, 2024
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks during a news conference in October 2022.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan/Getty via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California Gov. Newsom says climate bills are ‘funded’ in his revised state budget

    The governor’s original budget proposal for 2024-2025 left out funding needed to implement a pair of climate disclosure bills — an omission met with much criticism.

    By Zoya Mirza • May 16, 2024
  • A city skyline behind a waterway lined by trees. A boat is in the waterway.
    Image attribution tooltip
    pawel.gaul via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Clean energy fund surplus sparks tension in Pacific Northwest city

    The Portland, Oregon, program has brought in millions of dollars more than originally anticipated, putting some city leaders and climate advocates at odds over how to proceed.

    By • May 16, 2024
  • A person in a hoodie, work gloves and yellow apron picks up a block from a stack of blocks in a room with industrial equipment.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Block-Lite on LinkedIn on May 15, 2024
    Image attribution tooltip

    Carbon removal: What’s the local government’s role?

    As some cities and counties start to look at carbon removal strategies, experts say the public sector entering the ring could help bring down the cost for everyone. 

    By • May 15, 2024
  • Workers on a roof on a sunny day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    OSHA heat standard clears regulatory hurdle

    A committee has unanimously recommended that the agency advance a rule to protect construction workers from high temperatures.

    By Zachary Phillips • May 14, 2024
  • A person in tall rain boots walks in shin-deep water on a street lined by houses and power lines.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    FEMA alters how it calculates costs, benefits of disaster resilience projects

    The changes will address longstanding barriers that underserved communities have faced in accessing grants, the agency says.

    By • May 14, 2024
  • The outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during the day
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
    Image attribution tooltip

    23 states, rural co-ops sue EPA over ‘unlawful, unreasonable’ power plant rules

    “This rule intentionally sets impossible standards to destroy the coal industry,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Thursday.

    By Robert Walton • May 10, 2024
  • Two people in rain coats hunch as they walk a leashed dog along a waterfront path with a city skyline in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA offers $41M to fortify stormwater, sewer infrastructure

    Cities face a shifting stormwater picture driven by climate change and increasing urbanization, one engineer said.

    By • May 10, 2024