As climate change conference opens, Long Beach, CA is taking action with clean trucks and OSW
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November 30, 2023
As world leaders gather in Dubai for the international conference on climate change, the City of Long Beach is acting on multiple fronts to help the U.S. lower carbon emissions.
The city’s Climate Action Plan looks to reduce pollution from shipping, trucking, and public transportation. Mayor Rex Richardson said the idea is to improve air quality and spur the green economy.
“We’re on track to have 100% zero-emission cargo handling equipment by 2035,” said Richardson. “We’re investing in infrastructure for charging for clean trucks, and we’re investing in subsidies to help small truckers transition to zero-emission vehicles.”
Advocates are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt strict rules for heavy-duty vehicle emissions by early next year.
Meanwhile, Long Beach’s Clean Trucks program is phasing out polluting diesel trucks and the city is now home to the state’s first heavy-duty electric vehicle charging port. Another project aims to let ships plug in right when they dock to avoid idling. The federal government just announced plans to build a hydrogen hub in the city. And plans are in motion to start manufacturing offshore wind turbines at a special pier at the port.
Will big oil companies cover climate change costs in NY?
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Some state and local lawmakers are on a long list calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to require big oil companies to help offset the costs of damages caused by climate change.
More than 60 New York elected officials have signed a letter emphasizing the need to keep up with climate extremes through local projects to protect coastlines, restore wetlands, elevate or buy out threatened homes, improve water and sewer systems, retrofit public buildings and more.
Dominic Frongillo, co-founder and executive director of Elected Officials to Protect America and a former council member and deputy supervisor in Caroline, said the major question is who will pay for the projects?
“In Caroline, New York, we were hit by two 100-year storms in five years, causing millions of dollars in public infrastructure damage,” Frongillo recounted. “Our taxpayers can’t support that. We need the Climate Change Superfund Act to protect our communities and protect our taxpayers from the damages caused by ‘Big Oil.’”
EV companies call on Biden administration to build substantial heavy-duty vehicle infrastructure
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November 27, 2023
Clean-energy advocates in Ohio and around the country say now is the time for the government to ensure the nation has the medium- and heavy-duty truck infrastructure needed to keep electric-powered trucks charged and driving across the country.
Trucks transported more than 11 billion tons of freight last year, spewing air pollutants and greenhouse gases along the way.
John Boesel – CEO of CALSTART, a clean-transportation nonprofit group – explained that the Environmental Protection Agency is considering rules to require commercial vehicle manufacturers to drastically curb emissions in the coming years.
But he said the agency should also figure out how to roll out national infrastructure to keep pace with the adoption of EV trucks.
“The Biden administration has a tremendous opportunity to really make progress,” said Boesel, “in terms of supporting communities that have disproportionately been impacted by by diesel trucks and pollution.”
A focus on Inflation Reduction Act climate investments for NV from elected officials who are veterans
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November 21, 2023
The group Elected Officials to Protect America says clean energy investments through the Inflation Reduction Act should pay off well for Nevada families – not only in terms of rebates on energy-efficient appliances and items like heat pumps and solar panels – but for health, and even national security.
State Senator Pat Spearman, D-Clark County and a former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, said the need is urgent to address the impacts of what she calls “reckless use of fossil fuels.”
“Well, imagine 20, 30, 40 years from now, when your children are talking to their children or grandchildren, and they have to explain what it was like to go to the park and sit by a tree, what it was like to actually be able to go outside and play,” Spearman said.
She also pointed to the health consequences of rising temperatures. The EPA said Nevada has warmed about two degrees in the last century – and even that slight increase makes people more susceptible to heart and lung disease.
Alex Cornell du Houx, a Marine Corps veteran and co-founder of EOPA, warned impacts on the environment are not the only concern. He also said relying on fossil fuels is economically risky, with unpredictable fuel prices, but also to national security.
“The Inflation Reduction Act, it is part of the solution to decouple ourselves from this dependency on the source of energy, which autocratic nations primarily control,” du Houx said. “It’s an amazing solution that’s really tangible and a historic investment.”
IRA investments crucial for clean energy, national security say veterans who are lawmakers
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November 21, 2023
Military veterans and lawmakers say investing in the clean-energy economy with Inflation Reduction Act funds is the way forward to combat climate change and bolster national security.
Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, attended the Elected Officials to Protect America’s annual Climate Emergency and Energy Security Summit in Washington D.C. last week and said Illinois has a strong agricultural economy that is jeopardized by a number of environmental threats. Kifowit says she is honored to have participated in the summit where she was able to collaborate on strategies to address climate change and promote energy independence.
“What we are looking at here is reducing energy costs, good-paying jobs and small-business support. And in Illinois we are focusing on electric vehicles to make sure that we have the charging stations, the battery storage that we need and the partnership between the state and the functional federal government,” she said.
Inflation Reduction Act will improve national security, vets who are elected officials say
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November 20, 2023
A group of veterans is touting the national security benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The organization Elected Officials to Protect America said the law, passed by Congress in 2022, will decrease the country’s dependence on foreign sources of energy with a $370 billion investment in clean energy.
Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty, an Army veteran, said in the wake of the region’s devastating wildfires and the heat dome, she helped push for protections for renters in Oregon.
“While I’m very proud of that legislation, I’m very proud that the governor signed it and I was very proud to build the coalition to do it, imagine what a tenacious mayor could have done if I wasn’t focusing on climate-related emergencies,” Beaty pointed out. “We could have been building more pipes in schools and infrastructure and bridges.”
Elected officials: Inflation Reduction Act investments will aid national security
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November 17, 2023
In order to fight climate change, officials are pushing for investments through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The group Elected Officials to Protect America recently met in Washington, D.C., for its annual Climate Emergency and Energy Security Summit. The group said clean energy investments under the Inflation Reduction Act can improve clean energy infrastructure.
Alex Cornell du Houx, president and co-founder of Elected Officials to Protect America, said relying on fossil fuels is risky. He emphasized they not only make the economy susceptible to unpredictable fuel prices, but also jeopardize national security.
“With the Inflation Reduction Act, it is part of the solution to decouple ourselves from this dependency on the source of energy in which autocratic nations primarily control,” du Houx explained. “That’s the exciting thing about it. It’s an amazing solution that’s really tangible and historic investment.”
New York elected official veterans praise IRA clean energy investments
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November 17, 2023
New York elected officials who are veterans are rallying around the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy investments.
The massive federal spending package is providing New York with $34 billion for energy storage and large-scale renewables through 2030. And currently, more than $1 billion is being put into a slew of offshore wind and clean energy projects, equal to nearly 80% of the state’s 2030 energy goals.
Asm. Angelo Santabarbara, D-Amsterdam, who served in the Army Reserve, said the Inflation Reduction Act supports national security.
“By embracing renewable energy, our goal, of course, is energy independence, reduced reliance on fossil fuels,” Santabarbara explained. “Ultimately, that benefits consumers nationwide.”
NJ offshore wind project canceled yet elected officials still positive for OSW future
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November 6, 2023
Just as New York is making a huge investment in offshore wind, New Jersey’s largest offshore wind farm project has been canceled.
Project owner Orsted cited economic reasons for the cancellation. The contracts to develop Ocean Wind 1 and 2 were negotiated in 2018 but the company said recent inflation on construction products has made pursuing the projects challenging.
While some see it as the end of offshore wind power on the Jersey Shore, some officials are much more optimistic.
Caren Fitzpatrick, an Atlantic County commissioner, said it is merely a setback.
“The next farm that’s in the works right now is the Atlantic Shores farm, and that’s ’26 also,” Fitzpatrick pointed out. “If we can get this re-contracted in a reasonable amount of time, maybe we’re a year behind, maybe we’re two years behind.”
Elected officials who are veterans press EPA to enact clean-car standards
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October 2, 2023
Local officials concerned about climate change are speaking out, urging the Environmental Protection Agency to finalize its proposed clean-car standards.
The agency aims to ensure 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 25% of new heavy-duty trucks sold in the U.S. are electric by 2032.
New York Rep. Angelo Santabarbara, D-Schenectady, said the clean-car standards are crucial to achieving our climate goals.
“The standards represent a pivotal step towards accelerating the transition to electric vehicles,” Santabarbara emphasized. “They are essential to stabilizing our climate and safeguarding public health.”
Report: Illinois leads Midwest in building ‘clean power’ capacity
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September 29, 2023
A new report ranks Illinois first among 11 Midwestern states for the amount of clean power capacity under construction, and second for new clean power capacity.
The American Clean Energy Association said wind, solar, and energy storage plants currently provide almost 14% of the electricity produced in Illinois, potentially powering more than 3 million homes with clean energy.
Jeff Danielson vice president of advocacy for the Illinois Clean Grid Association, said some of the benefits of clean energy end up in consumers’ pockets.
“There’s both a climate benefit, but there’s also an economic benefit,” Danielson explained. “When you’re adding low-cost energy to the grid, that eventually accrues to folks that are paying the utility bills.”
UAW strike continues: Officials say EPA standards must catch up
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September 28, 2023
Amid the United Auto Workers strike, some advocates argued it is time to implement clean car standards.
Gary Schlack, a city council member in Allen Park, army veteran, supports the UAW workers in their quest for contracts aligning with their skills, dedication, and loyalty. He said the state’s automakers are committed to increasing the production of zero-emission vehicles in the next decade, and intend to leverage the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to do so.
“It’s time for Ford, GM, and Chrysler’s parent company Stellantis to come to the table,” Schlack asserted. “EV vehicles and with these EPA standards put in place these workers are concerned that these jobs if they go nonunion competitive wages will fall.”
Elected officials advocate for EPA’s clean-car standards, transition to EVs during UAW strike
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September 28, 2023
With the United Auto Workers still on strike, elected officials argue that it’s important for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed clean-car standards to be enacted.
The EPA’s proposed federal standards aim to ensure 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 25% of new heavy-duty trucks sold in the U.S. are electric by 2032.
Navy veteran Joel Hicks is a city council member at Pennsylvania’s Borough of Carlisle, and a member of the national leadership council of Elected Officials to Protect America.
He said stronger EPA clean-air standards would deliver significant savings to drivers and will also help to save lives.
“About a quarter of Pennsylvania’s greenhouse gases come from the transportation sector, and more than a third of the nitrogen oxide emissions that contribute to harmful human health are directly due to ozone smog that come from highway vehicles,” said Hicks. “Too many people need relief right now from the toxic air they continually have to breathe.”
Deadline nears in CA, U.S., for climate proposals under ‘green bank’ initiative
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September 28, 2023
Cities and nonprofits are racing to finish their applications for the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – the deadline is October 12.
The “green bank” initiative is part of the Biden administration’s record investment in clean energy with the Inflation Reduction Act.
Jenny Wong is the auditor for the city of Berkeley and a member of the nonprofit Elected Officials to Protect America – a group that fights global warming.
“If we believe in addressing the climate crisis, we really should be investing in green banks and clean energy,” said Wong. “If we are to avoid future climate catastrophes, we are running against the clock.”
Elected officials seek to fight climate change in underserved NY communities with IRA green banks
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September 27, 2023
Elected officials in New York and across the country are urging state and local governments to use new funding available through the Environmental Protection Agency for local environmental projects to benefit their communities, particularly those left out of earlier development programs.
The group Elected Officials to Protect America is pointing toward a $27 billion fund created under the Inflation Reduction Act to award grants for greenhouse gas reduction programs.
Robin Reynolds Wilt, council member for the town of Brighton and an officer in the group’s New York Leadership Council, said the projects will be built under a presidential order, in which 40% of the overall investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
“This particular feature would allocate $27 billion to the EPA to make grants to fund entities that would effectively function as a national green bank,” Wilt explained. “$20 billion of the fund is eligible only for nonprofits.”
Climate action groups press for passage of offshore wind bills
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August 31, 2023
In the waning days of the legislative session in Sacramento, climate change groups are promoting two bills which would smooth the way for offshore wind energy.
Assembly Bill 3 would require the state to study improvements to port infrastructure to move power into the grid. And Assembly Bill 80 would research effects on the ocean ecosystem.
Fran Pavley, a former state senator and now environmental policy director for the Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California, said offshore wind will help California become energy independent.
“We can create the jobs here, the supply chain, and actually produce the energy here, especially when it’s renewable energy that does not pollute the environment, and helps us reduce our greenhouse-gas emissions,” Pavley outlined. “I think that’s a win-win for everyone.”
Environmental groups file lawsuit to keep VA in RGGI
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August 30, 2023
Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to keep Virginia in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
In June, Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board voted to remove the state from the initiative, for which Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Republicans in the General Assembly have striven.
The lawsuit alleges the board did not have the authority to remove Virginia since lawmakers voted to put the state in the initiative in 2020. Activists rallied across the state on Monday to keep Virginia in.
Nate Benforado, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said legislation like the Virginia Clean Economy Act could fill some of the gaps withdrawal from the initiative would leave.
“The way I view the Virginia Clean Economy Act is it’s more about incentivizing utility investments to decarbonize power production,” Benforado asserted. “Incentivizing energy efficiency programs that allow customers to use less electricity, and do the exact same things they were doing before.”
More climate investments sought with Climate Emergency Declaration to go with IRA
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August 21, 2023
Backers of the Inflation Reduction Act say its historic funding is helping build a clean-energy future, but a National Climate Emergency Plan is still needed to prepare for the extreme weather to come.More than 1,000 elected officials have signed on to the plan, which would invoke the Defense Production Act to speed up efforts toward a 100% clean-energy economy.
Alex Cornell du Houx, president and co-founder of the group Elected Officials to Protect America and a former state representative in Maine, said nearly 100 gigawatts of new clean-energy have been announced in the last eight months alone.
“That’s enough to power 20 million homes, or one in seven homes in the U.S.,” Cornell du Houx explained.
He noted the Defense Department has referred to climate change as a national security threat and nations are looking to the U.S. for leadership on how to transition to clean energy for their own security and health.Backers of the Inflation Reduction Act say it also has the ability to create millions of jobs in the clean-energy sector, including in Maine, where state lawmakers recently approved the creation of a new offshore wind-energy industry.
Cornell du Houx pointed out the law is also spurring private investment leveraging at rates higher than expected.“The opportunities are endless of how we can increase the ability of the IRA to help our communities around the United States,” Cornell du Houx emphasized.
GA’s elected officials mark anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act in anticipation of more of its promised funding
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August 18, 2023
It has been one year since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden.The sweeping climate legislation has had vast impacts on Georgia and the nation. Along with boosting funds for climate-smart projects, the Inflation Reduction Act has expanded green-economy jobs.
A recent Climate Power report ranked Georgia second in the nation for new clean energy projects since the measure was passed.Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Jonesboro, said transitioning to clean energy will help reduce costs for Georgians.
“Renewable energy resources offer the most affordable power options available in the present-day market,” Scott pointed out. “Embracing clean, renewable energy helps reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel prices, ensuring stability and security in our energy supply.”
BLM Rule challenged by oil allies in Congress
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August 17, 2023
Two bills making their way through Congress could throw out more than 216,000 public comments on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s new Public Lands Rule, which has come under fire from the fossil fuel industry for putting conservation and outdoor recreation on par with extraction on lands owned by all Americans.
Madeleine West, director of the Center for Public Lands at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said she supports the agency’s plan to restore millions of acres of degraded public lands.
“Lands that, if improved, could be better for agriculture and grazing production, could provide higher quality habitat for species, could provide better access for recreation including hunting and fishing,” West outlined.
Assessing Climate Investments On 1st Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act
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August 16, 2023
The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act turns one year old today, directing $370 billion to clean energy efforts through tax incentives, grants, and loan guarantees.
The public money has in turn spurred private investment to decarbonize the economy.Stephan Nicoleau, an investor in the Full Cycle Fund, which finances climate critical technologies, talked about the ripple effect of the funding.
“This is a chance for us to level up our American economy. That multiplier effect is massive,” Nicoleau explained. “We’re talking about millions of jobs that are now part of the clean energy future of our country, and allows us to think about a world where we are no longer on an economic basis or on an energy basis, reliant on fossil fuels.”
NY’s Elected Officials celebrate anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act progress
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August 16, 2023
It’s been one year since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden.The sweeping climate legislation has had vast impacts on New York and the nation.
Along with boosting funds for climate-smart projects, the measure has expanded green-economy jobs.A Climate Power report found the law has created 950 clean energy jobs across New York from more than $560 million in funding.
John Polimeni, a member of the Schenectady City Council, described how the law helps New York families reduce utility costs.“Other families have struggled with high utility costs, trying to figure out how to heat and cool their homes,” Polimeni observed, adding the law “provides New Yorkers with the opportunities to purchase energy-efficient appliances that will save them money. These are real savings, with real effects.”
Biden announces historic National Monument near Grand Canyon
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August 9, 2023
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced the designation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon.The latest move will conserve and protect nearly one million acres of greater Grand Canyon landscape which holds sacred value to at least 12 native tribes and nations.
The Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, made up of tribal members and environmental groups, was responsible for the monument proposal and had called on the President to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to protect the area’s wildlife, geology, water and cultural sites from mining activity.Biden also took the opportunity to tout his administration’s conservation and climate resilience policies.
“Help write the wrongs of the past and conserve this land of ancestral footprints for all future generations,” the President said. “Over the years, hundreds of millions of people have traveled the Grand Canyon awed by its majesty, but fewer are aware of its full history.”
Colorado has adopted a new rule requiring direct measurement of methane emissions at oil and gas sites
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August 7, 2023
The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission has adopted a new rule requiring direct measurement of methane emissions at oil and gas sites, a move welcomed by environmental and local government groups, and industry.Joe Antus – the executive director of the Signal Tech Coalition – said the new rule will help lower the amount of methane, the primary component of natural gas, lost at oil and gas sites.It can also kickstart a key tactic for turning the tide on climate change.
“Methane is 80% more effective at trapping heat than CO2,” said Antus. “It accounts for 25% of today’s global warming. And there are quick, cost-effective ways to slow the rate of global warming just by tackling methane now.”
Georgia receiving nearly $8 Million to create Green Spaces
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August 3, 2023
Organizations in Georgia are getting an opportunity to develop and enhance green spaces to help mitigate some effects of climate change.
Through the Bezos Earth Fund’s Greening America’s Cities initiative, nine groups in Atlanta have received nearly $8 million to create more parks, community gardens, nature trails and tree canopies.Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund, emphasized with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and rising temperatures, the role of green spaces in climate resilience becomes even more crucial.
“Cities are much hotter in those areas because there is more concrete, there’s less grass and trees to absorb the heat,” Steer explained. “In the city areas it can be nine degrees hotter than the suburbs.”
ME labor groups applaud progress with offshore wind energy and its new industry standards
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August 1, 20223
Labor advocates are hailing Maine Governor Janet Mill’s signing of a landmark bill creating a new offshore wind energy industry in the state, with strong protections for workers.
The bill was negotiated by lawmakers, advocates for Maine’s fishing industry and organized labor, who say it will create thousands of union jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for years to come.International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 12-53 apprentice electrician Kimberly Tobias said the new industry will not only mean steady paychecks, but strong safety standards.
“You know, at the end of the day, we’re all just here to go home to our families, and having the strong labor standards there can ensure that we all go home the same way that we came in,” she explained.
Local CA leaders press for passage of offshore wind bills
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July 18, 2023
Local elected officials are speaking out in support of two bills to usher in offshore wind in California. Assembly Bill 3 would require the state to complete phase two of the offshore wind strategic plan and study the feasibility of manufacturing and building 70 to 85 percent of the projects in state.
Devin Murphy is mayor of the town of Pinole and an executive chair with MCE Community Choice Energy, a nonprofit that provides clean energy. He explained that strategic plan is key to reaching the state’s goal to deploy 25 GW of offshore wind energy by 2045.
“California still needs to move with speed and scale on steps to bring offshore wind. This includes the transmission and port upgrades it’s procuring at scale. It’s the permitting roadmap, supply chain, logistics, workforce training programs, and all of these have to have objectives and goals,” Murphy explained.
The bills aim to move California away from fossil fuels such as oil and gas while promoting clean-energy jobs. Opponents cite concerns about potential disruptions to marine life and military exercises. AB 80 would require the state’s Ocean Protection Council to establish a nonprofit West Coast Offshore Wind Science Entity – to study the effect of wind farms on the marine ecosystem.
Public comment for EPA’s EV standards has finished
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July 6, 2023
The Environmental Protection Agency’s comment period on new electric vehicle standards has ended.New regulations from the agency would phase-in standards for medium- and light-duty electric cars starting in model year 2027.
The hope is the standards will curtail gas-burning car emissions and speed up the transition to zero-emission vehicles.
EV advocates have been working to educate people and break myths about the cars through the Route Zero Relay, a cross-country trip using only EVs.Sheryl E. Ponds, founder and CEO of Dai Technologies Corporation, said the trip broke the common misconception about the range of electric vehicles.
“You plan your trip, you can identify stops where you can go and recharge the vehicle,” Ponds explained. “You can make it across the country in swatches of 250 and 350 miles at a time.”