A Senate panel on Monday swiftly rejected a Republican proposal to repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a 2020 law that commits the state’s electric grid to decarbonizing by 2050.
See the full story at Virginia Mercury.
More DMV News
Report: More Than a Third of Maryland’s Clean Energy in 2020 Came from “Dirty” Sources
Maryland Matters
Around 35% of Maryland’s “clean energy” in 2020 came from controversial renewable energy sources such as trash incinerators, landfills, and woody debris burned in power plants and paper mills, according to a recent report.
Virginia Energy Standards Bill Rejected Due to Affordable Housing Concerns
Greater Greater Washington
A Democrat-controlled committee rejected a bill that would have allowed local governments to adopt stricter energy efficiency codes than the state, with senators fretting it could prevent badly needed affordable housing from being built.
In Marathon Hearing, Senators Consider Sweeping Climate Change Legislation That Aims to Slash Emissions from Buildings
Maryland Matters
Last week, advocates and lawmakers pushed for a comprehensive climate bill that would take significant steps to reduce emissions from buildings and set the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal at 60% of 2006 levels by 2030.
Virginia Community Solar Program a First for State’s Municipal Utility Customers
Energy News Network
Come summer, residents of Harrisonburg, Virginia, should be able to shop locally for solar power as the city’s municipal utility becomes the first in the state to offer a community solar option to customers.
National and International News
The U.S. Is Falling Short of Biden’s Clean-Power Goal, an Advocacy Group Says
Bloomberg
The U.S. is well off the pace of President Joe Biden’s lofty goal of an emissions-free power sector by 2035, according to a Washington-based advocacy group.
EPA to Expand Calif. Clean Car Authority — and the Nation’s
E&E News
The Biden administration is preparing to reinstate California’s authority to set auto emissions rules that are more stringent than federal standards, taking a major step toward cutting transportation-related climate pollution and continuing to chip away at former President Trump’s environmental rollbacks.
New Faces on a Vital National Commission Could Help Speed a Clean Energy Transition
Inside Climate News
A few years ago, the federal agency that regulates the transmission of electricity, gas, and other energy matters was looking into ways to prop up coal. Now it is poised to hasten a clean energy transition.
White House CCS Guidance Exposes Environmental Justice Rifts
E&E News
The White House released guidance yesterday on how to advance carbon capture and storage in a “responsible” way, even as the technology faces significant opposition from environmental justice advocates and some green groups.
DOE Establishes Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $9.5 Billion Clean Hydrogen Initiatives
Energy.gov
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced two Requests for Information (RFI) to collect feedback from stakeholders to inform the implementation and design of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Regional Hydrogen Hub and the Electrolysis and Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling Programs. This request will help accelerate progress, reduce technology cost, and ramp up the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier.