An environmental policy professor explains how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is helping Virginia lower its emissions amid a data center building spree that’s expected to drive a 38% increase in electricity use by 2035.
See the full story from Energy News Network.
More DMV News
Maryland Environmental Groups Look to Expand Offshore Wind
DCist
Environmentalists are backing numerous bills that would boost offshore wind, expand access to solar power, and otherwise help the state reach its ambitious climate goals.
Electric Utility Rate Reform Back on General Assembly Agenda
Virginia Mercury
As the 2023 legislative session looms, legislators have filed two competing electric rate reform bills, with one focused on giving state regulators greater power to lower rates and the other offering a broader overhaul of the state system backed by utilities.
Proposed Bill Would Give D.C. Residents $400 or More in Rebates for Electric Bikes
DCist
A new bill being submitted this month would create 3,000 rebates for residents to buy an electric bike, lowering the barrier for those that can’t afford the pricier bikes.
Fairfax County Gets Solar Power Plans Back on Track After Contract Hiccups
Reston Now
More than three years into a groundbreaking agreement, this spring should bring solar power to one of Fairfax County’s facilities for the first time ever.
National and International News
Biden Administration Plan Seeks Elimination of Transportation Emissions
The Washington Post
The Biden administration released a road map Tuesday for eliminating carbon emissions from the transportation sector by the middle of the century, calling for more walkable communities, investments in buses and trains, and the rapid adoption of electric vehicles.
How Local Governments Can Use Direct Pay on Clean Energy Project
National League of Cities
For the first time, local governments are positioned to take advantage of these tax credits directly. The IRA includes a provision that provides non-taxable entities investing in and producing clean energy with a direct payment option in lieu of tax credits.
EPA Moves Away from Permian Air Pollution Crackdown
Inside Climate News
Oil sector advocates pushed hard against the proposal to issue an ozone nonattainment designation, which would have required oilfield emissions reductions.
Exxon Accurately Predicted Global Warming, Years Before Casting Doubt on Climate Science
Inside Climate News
New research shows the company’s scientists were as “skillful” as independent experts in predicting how the burning of fossil fuels would warm the planet and bring about climate change.
U.S. Interior Department Takes Steps to Strengthen Offshore Clean Energy Development
CleanTechnica
The Department of the Interior has announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish a proposed rule to update regulations for clean energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).