A new Maryland law requires the state to slash greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2031 from 2006 levels and to hit an economywide net-zero target in 2045 after the state’s Republican governor declined to veto the bill.
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More DMV News
Prince George’s Co. Considers Electric-Vehicle Outlets for New Houses
WTOP
The automobile industry is betting big on electric vehicles, and leaders in Prince George’s County, Maryland, say it’s time for the housing industry to make that investment, too.
Youngkin Administration Sets Stricter Runoff Rules for Solar Farms
Virginia Mercury
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality late this March abruptly rolled out several major changes to how Virginia will manage stormwater runoff from solar farms, saying prior policies may have underestimated water quality impacts.
Concerns Continue Over Dominion’s Possum Point Plans
Inside NOVA
Prince William residents raised concerns over contamination, earthquake safety, truck traffic and more at a public information session on Dominion Energy’s plan to construct a new coal ash landfill at its Possum Point Power Station.
Youngkin Administration Says It Aims to Speed Up Environmental Permitting
Virginia Mercury
Chief environmental officials in Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration said one of their primary priorities during the next four years will be to review and speed up Virginia’s permitting processes.
National and International News
Climate Pledges Are Improving — But Still Leave World on a Disastrous Path
Washington Post
The good news: Long-term pledges that nations have made to cut greenhouse gas pollution have the collective potential to avoid some of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. The bad news? According to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, humanity can hit a key target of the 2015 Paris climate agreement only if countries fully live up to those promises. And most are nowhere near on track to turn their ambitions into reality.
Can the EPA Actually Make School Buses Greener?
Grist
The Environmental Protection Agency has a new strategy in mind to reduce kids’ toxic exposure: electrify more school buses. Last month, EPA Administrator Michael Regan took a trip to Northern Virginia to publicize the agency’s Clean School Bus Program, which will reimburse districts $5 billion over five years if they replace their diesel-burning buses with electric, zero-emissions vehicles.
Green Infrastructure Helps Cities with Climate Change. So Why Isn’t There More of It?
NPR
Federal agencies are beginning to hand out billions of dollars in infrastructure spending, the largest investment ever made in the country’s water system. Much of it will go to improving pipes, drains and stormwater systems. But some scientists and urban planners are pushing to fund projects that are better adapted to the changing climate.
Gas Ban 2.0: Building Wars
E&E News
Across the U.S., government officials, utilities and the natural gas industry are unveiling road maps that could change how buildings derive their heat over the coming decades, a shift with major consequences for emissions. The blueprints wrestle with the same question: Will natural gas and its alternatives be the fuel of choice or will electricity?
Biden Rolls Out Equity Plans for More Than 90 Agencies
E&E News
The Biden administration today announced plans to expand federal investment and support in historically underserved communities. More than 90 federal agencies — including the EPA and the Department of Energy — released “equity action plans” aimed at combating “the systemic barriers in our nation’s policies and programs that hold too many underserved communities back from prosperity, dignity and equality,” the White House said.