As lawmakers in Chesapeake Bay watershed states convene in the new year, a variety of environmental issues are expected to come up for debate — some new, others revived from previous sessions. Here’s a legislative preview for 2022.
See the full story in The Bay Journal.
More DMV News
Dominion Asks Permission to Withdraw Proposed Increase in Carbon Market Costs
Virginia Mercury
Dominion Energy is asking regulators for permission to withdraw an application to raise the costs to Virginia ratepayers for the state’s participation in a regional carbon market, citing “uncertainty” due to Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s pledge to pull Virginia out of the program.
Herring Says Youngkin Can’t Pull Virginia Out of Carbon Market by Executive Action
Virginia Mercury
An official advisory opinion from outgoing Democratic Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin cannot withdraw the state from a regional carbon market solely through executive action.
D.C. To Upgrade 75,000 Streetlights With Energy-Efficient LEDs
DCist
D.C. transportation officials announced, after a years-long process, that they’ve selected a contractor to conduct the city-wide lighting upgrade, at a cost of $309 million. The work is scheduled to begin this spring and be completed within two years.
Contemplating MARC Expansion, Md. Lawmakers Look Enviously at Virginia
Maryland Matters
Maryland policymakers and transit advocates are contemplating a bigger and better future for the state’s MARC commuter rail service. And with billions of dollars eventually heading the state’s way in new federal infrastructure funding, they hope some of their ambitions can be realized in the not-too-distant future.
National and International News
US Emissions Surged in 2021: Here’s Why in Six Charts
Inside Climate News
The U.S. carbon dioxide emissions boomeranged toward pre-pandemic levels in 2021, a turnaround from more than a decade of downward trends, and freight transportation and coal are major culprits.
Amid Delayed Action and White House Staff Resignations, Activists Wonder What’s Next for Biden’s Environmental Agenda
Inside Climate News
The resignations of two key architects of President Joe Biden’s climate and environmental justice agenda in the last two weeks are raising concerns among activists, who have urged the administration to fulfill its promises to rapidly reduce carbon emissions and protect vulnerable communities.
Biden is Ending Trump’s War on Green Appliances — But Not Very Quickly
Grist
President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy continued reversing the Trump administration’s assault on energy efficiency standards this week by undoing rules that would have allowed certain models of dishwashers, clothes washers, and dryers to use unlimited water and energy.
In 2021, Drivers Nearly Erased 2020 Climate Wins
Streets Blog USA
US transportation emissions climbed back to two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels during 2021 — and that modest reduction was almost entirely attributable to decreases in air travel rather than decreases in gasoline consumption, a new study finds.
Major Energy Storage Deployment Can Balance Load 24/7, Cut Emissions: NREL Study
Utility Dive
The report is the sixth in NREL’s Storage Futures Study (SFS) and has found that energy storage provides its greatest value when meeting peak demand, especially when solar generation increases and peak demand shifts later into the evening.