The District of Columbia is aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2032, and Pepco’s plan is designed around that goal. The District of Columbia Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) will be paying particular scrutiny to how the plan approaches equity and reliability issues in the District.
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More DMV News
Montgomery County Council Introduces Plans to Increase Building Energy Standards
The Washinton Post
The Montgomery County Council is considering a measure that would require existing buildings over 25,000 square feet to cut their greenhouse gas emissions as part of its larger effort to tackle climate issues in the county.
US Communities ‘LEARN’ the Carbon Value of Their Trees
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Forests and trees in the U.S. offset 13 percent of emissions from other sectors annually. Changes to land management practices could bring that number up to 21 percent–a big step towards reaching both local and national emissions reduction goals.
More Food Waste in Md. Will Be Diverted as a Large Anaerobic Digestion Facility Is Underway
Maryland Matters
Large grocery stores, restaurants, and fresh produce distributors in Maryland send their food waste to landfills, mostly because there is no other option in the state for such large amounts of waste. But that is expected to change as a result of a recent state law that will require large food generators to donate servable food, send it to farms where it can be used as animal feed or to transport it to organic recycling facilities.
[Montgomery] County Adds Tool for One-Day Processing of Solar Panel Permits
Maryland Matters
The process soon should be faster for Montgomery County homeowners who want to install rooftop solar because of a free new tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy that will create a standardized permit process for residential rooftop solar and cut permit times.
National and International News
Will the Democrats’ Climate Legislation Hinge on Carbon Capture?
Inside Climate News
The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on a bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes billions in government support for carbon capture, which pulls carbon dioxide out of smokestack emissions or straight from the air and pumps it underground. But on Monday, a coalition of hundreds of progressive environmental groups sent an open letter to President Joe Biden and Democratic Congressional leaders calling on them to reject the technology.
Billions More Needed to Address Climate Infrastructure Needs of US Cities
Utility Dive
A report offered a snapshot of the types of climate infrastructure projects cities are interested in. It also comes as congressional leaders debate a multi-trillion-dollar federal infrastructure package. A bipartisan group of senators and the White House in June agreed on a framework for a $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, which is still being drafted.
White House Details Environmental Justice Plans
E & E News | Greenwire
In a draft guidance document, the White House details how federal agencies should begin the process of ensuring that at least 40% of the benefits from federal energy and environmental spending reach disadvantaged communities.
As EVs Rise, Automakers See Money in Charging
E & E News | Energywire
From a city’s parking lot full of bland white sedans to a factory’s depot of delivery trucks, the people who manage those fleets are under pressure to go sustainable by going electric, and soon.
A Triple Whammy Has Left Many Inner-City Neighborhoods Highly Vulnerable to Soaring Temperatures
Inside Climate News
Climate change, heat islands and disinvestment have led New York to subsidize air conditioners and Phoenix to cool street corridors and public housing.