Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner on Tuesday announced a series of climate initiatives and two new departments to boost the county’s push to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and eradicate them by 2050.
See the full story at The Frederick News-Post.
More DMV News
Bowser Administration Launches Program to Help Multi-Family Affordable Housing Meet New Energy Performance Standards
EIN Presswire
The Bowser Administration, through the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), announced the launch of a new initiative, the Affordable Housing Retrofit Accelerator, that will provide direct technical and financial assistance to multifamily affordable housing buildings so they can meet the compliance requirements of the nation’s first Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS).
Virginia Reaps $228 Million in First Year of Carbon Market Participation
Virginia Mercury
Virginia took in $227.6 million for flood protection and low-income energy efficiency programs during its first year of participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon cap-and-invest market involving 10 other Mid-Atlantic and New England states.
Youngkin Pledges to Pull Virginia from Carbon Market by Executive Order
Virginia Mercury
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin is pledging to use executive action to pull Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Youngkin’s pledge comes less than a week after Virginia completed its first full cycle of quarterly carbon auctions, from which it netted $228 million earmarked by law for flood protection and low-income energy efficiency programs.
‘We Can Adapt’: Virginia Releases Coastal Master Plan
Virginia Mercury
Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration released Virginia’s inaugural Coastal Resilience Master Plan Tuesday. The master plan provides a technical assessment of coastal Virginia’s flood hazards through 2080, critical infrastructure and vulnerable communities.
National and International News
Biden Wants to Make Federal Government Carbon Neutral by 2050
Washington Post
The Biden administration announced Wednesday it aims to buy its way to a cleaner, cooler planet, spending billions to create a federal fleet of electric vehicles, upgrade federal buildings and change how the government buys electricity.
State Climate Action Raced Forward in 2021
E&E News
2021 turned into a big year for state climate action. Massachusetts passed a net-zero emissions bill. Washington state enacted a cap-and-trade law and a low carbon fuel standard. The raft of climate laws is notable for coming in the first year of the Biden administration. State climate efforts have historically gained momentum when Republicans are in the Oval Office but lost steam when Democrats take over.
Major U.S. Utilities Plan Coast-to-Coast, EV-Charging Network
E&E News
More than 50 U.S. power companies have joined forces to build a coast-to-coast fast-charging network for electric vehicles along major U.S. travel corridors by the end of 2023. Although the coalition did not set a numerical goal for charging station installations in this decade, it said its first actions would be to fill in gaps in the steadily growing EV charging infrastructure along the Interstate Highway System.
Building Electrification Momentum Grew in US Cities in 2021
Utility Dive
Much of the national focus around electrification has centered on the transportation sector and the push toward electric vehicles. But at the local level, a growing number of cities have also increased attention to their building stocks, using electrification strategies that have evolved in scope.
Inside Clean Energy: Batteries Got Cheaper in 2021. So How Close Are We to EVs That Cost Less than Gasoline Vehicles?
Inside Climate News
The price of the batteries that power electric vehicles have fallen by about 90 percent since 2010, a continuing trend that will soon make EVs less expensive than gasoline vehicles.