The District Department of Transportation will receive $9.6 million for 17 vehicles to replace Circulator buses and expand its fleet. Montgomery County won a $15 million award for 13 hydrogen fuel cell buses. The county is also pursuing electric buses charged on a microgrid. Prince George’s County was awarded $25 million to purchase up to 20 battery-electric buses and upgrade charging infrastructure, which will also include a microgrid.
See the full story in Washington Post.
More DMV News
Pepco gets approval for $92M efficiency, demand response program in District of Columbia
Utility Dive
Utility regulators in the District of Columbia have approved a three-year slate of energy efficiency and demand response programs for Potomac Electric Power Co., or Pepco, designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and in particular assist low- and moderate-income residents.
Prince William Could Steal Loudoun’s Title of Data Center Alley but Land Use Battles are Raging
Virginia Mercury
Prince William County may be on its way to taking the “Data Center Alley” title from neighboring Loudoun County after initiating a plan to allow the development of data centers across 800 acres previously intended for agricultural use.
With Historic Infrastructure Funding Poised to Flow, Counties ‘Must Be Ready to Compete’
Maryland Matters
Maryland is guaranteed to receive at least $7.8 billion in federal infrastructure funding over the next five years. The money will be used to rehab roads and bridges, upgrade water and sewer systems, and bolster mass transit in what the White House and congressional Democrats have hailed as a historic investment. Counties across the nation also will be eligible to compete for approximately $100 billion in additional funds.
STATE FACT SHEETS: How the Inflation Reduction Act Lowers Energy Costs, Creates Jobs, and Tackles Climate Change Across America
The White House
The White House released state fact sheets highlighting how the Inflation Reduction Act tackles the climate crisis in states across the country and how families and communities can benefit from a clean energy future. The fact sheet outlines how families can save on their utility bills, get tax credits for electric vehicles and energy-saving appliances, and access the economic opportunities of the clean energy future. There are fact sheets DC, MD, and VA.
National and International News
An “Extreme Heat Belt” Will Soon Emerge in the U.S., Study Warns
Axois
A new study reveals the emergence of an “extreme heat belt” from Texas to Illinois, where the heat index could reach 125°F at least one day a year by 2053. Mapped counties expected to experience heat indices above 125°F by 2053 include Charles County, MD.
GM Releases More 2024 Chevy Blazer EV PPV Details
GM Authority
The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV made its official debut last month, dropping in as an all-new mass-market electric crossover. Notably, the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV is available to not only civilian buyers but law enforcement as well, with the latter offering the new 2024 Chevy Blazer EV Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV). Now, GM has released additional details on the new Blazer EV PPV.
The New US Climate Law Will Reduce Carbon Emissions and Make Electricity Less Expensive, Economists Say
Inside Climate News
U.S. consumers are expected to save money on their electricity bills under the nation’s first comprehensive climate law—perhaps more than $200 billion over the next decade, economists project. Even utilities are talking about eased prices at the same time they are detailing new clean energy investments.
Buckle up: Climate law to turbocharge sales of electric trucks
Canary Media
The Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits, grants and loans could accelerate commercial EV adoption and boost manufacturing. Components of the new law could have an important impact on the country’s push to electrify transportation — including the heavy-duty vehicles that are responsible for an outsized portion of the sector’s carbon emissions.
The World’s Roads Aren’t Ready for a Hotter Climate
Bloomberg
The historic heat wave that’s smothered western Europe this summer has caused transportation chaos. Railroad tracks warped, airport runways failed and key roads buckled. On July 18, the busy A14 highway in Cambridge, England, was shut down after developing a bizarre ridge that, while enticing to skateboarders, would be calamitous to fast-moving cars and their passengers.