The Montgomery County Council passed a bill Tuesday that will ban the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers within the county. A ban on sales will take effect July 1, 2024, followed by a ban on use effective July 1, 2025. The legislation is considered a noise ordinance and an environmental protection measure.
See the full story at MoCo 360.
More DMV News
Fairfax County to Unveil Fire Station Solar Panels, its First Major Installations
FFX Now
The Reston and Woodlawn fire stations are now home to rooftop solar photovoltaic arrays that will generate 17% of the electricity needed for the buildings to operate.
Local Governments Share Lessons on New Curbside Organics Collection Programs
Waste Dive
Local governments in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. have rolled out curbside organics programs in recent years, and program coordinators say the success of these programs is due partly to resident enthusiasm — and partly to careful coordination and communication from county staff.
Dominion Proposes Pilot to Test Longer-Lasting Battery Storage
Virginia Mercury
Dominion Energy is seeking regulatory approval for a battery storage pilot that would be capable of discharging stored power over longer periods of time than its current technology allows, a development seen as a key component of the transition to renewable energy.
Why Maryland Is Struggling to Meet Its Own Aggressive Climate Goals
Inside Climate News
Even as federal money pours in for emissions reductions programs, the state still supports contentious waste-to-energy trash incineration and has trouble promptly connecting wind and solar projects to the grid.
National and International News
Report: The World’s Most Critical Climate Target is Still Within Reach
Grist
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still within reach if countries rapidly scale up renewables within the next decade, the International Energy Agency announced on Tuesday.
White House Defines ‘Zero-Emission’ Buildings, Hoping More Get Built
The Washington Post
The definition, while not legally binding, could help real estate developers navigate a patchwork of state and local rules aimed at curbing how buildings from skyscrapers to schools warm the planet. These policies take different approaches to quantifying how burning fossil fuels to heat, cool and light buildings across the country drives climate change.
Can The U.S. Make Solar Panels? This Company Thinks So.
New York Times
For more than two decades, workers at a factory in Perrysburg, Ohio, near Toledo, have been making something that other businesses stopped producing in the United States long ago: solar panels. How the company that owns the factory, First Solar, managed to hang on when most solar panel manufacturing left the United States for China is critical to understanding the viability of President Biden’s efforts to establish a large domestic green energy industry.
Black, Hispanic And Poor Children Are More Exposed To Pollution That Ends Up Harming Their Brains: Study
Environmental Health News
Black, Hispanic and low-income children are more exposed to toxics like air pollution and lead — and this disparate exposure is linked to autism, lower IQ scores and worse memory, according to a new scientific review of more than 200 studies.
For Many Big Food Companies, Emissions Head In The Wrong Direction
New York Times
An examination of various climate-related reports and filings for 20 of the world’s largest food and restaurant companies reveals that more than half have not made any progress on their emissions reduction goals or have reported rising emissions levels.