Metro will phase in an electric-powered bus fleet over more than two decades under a plan the transit agency’s board of directors approved Thursday. The move is a shift for a transit agency that has one electric bus in its fleet but comes as the Biden administration has prioritized improving and modernizing transit nationwide.
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More DMV News
Montgomery Co. Plan Would Achieve Net-Zero Emissions 10 Years Earlier Than State Goals
WTOP News
In 2017, the Montgomery County Council declared a climate emergency and committed “to use all available powers and resources” to reach the ambitious goal of zero carbon emissions by 2035.
Meet the New State Official Supporting the Rollout of Green Banks in Virginia
Energy News Network
One of Bettina Bergöö’s newest duties as energy efficiency and financing programs manager at Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy is helping localities navigate the setup of green banks.
Power of the Pulpit: Md. Religious Groups Addressing Climate Change
Maryland Matters
There are myriad ways that religious leaders are working to address climate change. Some are incorporating a discussion of the ravages of global warming into their sermons. Others are teaming with activist groups in their neighborhoods and regions on specific environmental projects or policy fights.
Dominion Energy’s Wind Turbines Have Been More Efficient Than Expected
The Virginia-Pilot
Dominion is planning to spend roughly $8 billion to install roughly 180 wind turbines. The aim is to meet a General Assembly directive that it not emit any greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. What Dominion has found so far is that wind turbines are producing more power than expected.
National and International News
Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Omits Big Climate Measures
The New York Times
A deal reached Thursday between President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators for $579 billion in new spending to repair the nation’s roads, rails and bridges do relatively little to fight climate change, an issue that the president has called an “existential threat.”
How Climate-Proofing Mass Transit Can Make Cities More Equitable
Bloomberg Green
With commuters slowly coming back and Congress considering a major infusion of cash for public transportation, mass-transit operators suddenly have a rare moment to invest for the future.
Majority of Wind and Solar Power Installed in 2020 Cheaper Than New Coal-Fired Production
Recharge
The majority of new renewables generation installed around the world last year is delivering power at a lower cost per MWh than new coal-fired production, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
Cities Have a Green Infrastructure Blind Spot
Anthropocene
Green infrastructure has a lot of benefits: nature can improve people’s mental and physical health; vegetation helps reduce building energy use by providing insulation and cooling, and plants and soils store carbon.
As the US Pursues Clean Energy and the Climate Goals of the Paris Agreement, Communities Dependent on the Fossil-Fuel Economy Look for a Just Transition
Inside Climate News
Meeting the Paris agreement’s target of keeping global temperature rise “well below 2 degrees C” by the end of the century means Americans must burn 90 percent less coal over the next two decades and half as much oil and natural gas. The focus on what’s often called a “just transition” is increasingly part of the climate action agenda for advocates and government.