As the state scrambles for the billions of dollars it will need to meet its ambitious climate mandates, state officials and environmental groups cast the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants as good news — and a momentum-builder as the state seeks to develop a clean energy economy.
See the full story at Maryland Matters.
More DMV News
Historic Investments and Accountability Push Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Efforts In Right Direction, Says EPA Mid-Atlantic Administrator
Inside Climate News
Administrator Adam Ortiz countered concerns that the agency is unable to nudge partner states to do a better job in controlling nutrient pollution from entering the watershed.
Fairfax County Adds Five HOAs to EV Charging Station Grant Program
FFXNow
Five more homeowners’ associations have been selected to receive grants for electric vehicle charging stations through Fairfax County’s Charge Up Fairfax program.
25 States, Including Va., File Emergency Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court to Halt EPA’s Carbon Rule
Virginia Mercury
Attorneys general in 25 states, including Virginia’s Jason Miyares, have sent an emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court asking it to immediately halt a Biden administration rule that they say threatens to shutter the country’s remaining fleet of coal-fired power plants.
Youngkin Approves Changes to Animal Waste Rules Aimed At Reducing Groundwater Pollution
Virginia Mercury
Virginia is on track to implement updated rules for animal waste created by certain farming operations, despite disagreement on how to regulate older earthen lagoons that pose a greater risk of releasing pollutants into groundwater.
National and International News
This Little-Known Agency Has Billions to Make Federal Buildings Green
Canary Media
An under-the-radar U.S. agency is pushing efforts to slash emissions from buildings, marshaling billions of dollars to test and deploy new carbon-cutting technologies and materials at properties owned by the federal government.
As Wildfire Season Approaches, Phytoplankton Take On Fires’ Trickiest Emissions
Inside Climate News
Just last year wildfires generated over 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions around the globe. That’s the equivalent of driving 500 million gas-powered cars around for a year, according to the EPA. With the wildfire season burning its way through this summer, several research groups are now working to demonstrate one small plant species’ ability to offset some of those pollutants.
Direct Pay Provision Available Through The Inflation Reduction Act Brings Solar To Non-Profits
CleanTechnica
The IRA contained unprecedented support for climate action, including expanding valuable tax credits for renewable energy investments. It also created an entirely new pathway — called “elective pay” or “direct pay” — through which local governments and other tax-exempt entities can access these credits for the first time.
EPA to Update Landfill Air Emissions Rules in 2025
Smart Cities Dive
Industries and communities interested in securing a chunk of the $8 billion in federal funding up for grabs for hydrogen development projects got their first glimpse of what it will take to write a winning application with Monday’s release of a notice describing the DOE’s intended selection criteria.
Biden Administration Unveils Plan to Wean US Government Off Single-Use Plastics
Environmental Health News
The announcement also set a goal for the federal government to stop buying plastic for food service, events, and packaging by 2027. While the strategy isn’t enforceable by law and could change under future administrations, it is the first government-wide strategy aimed at reducing plastic pollution and recognizes that the plastic pollution “crisis” encompasses the entire lifecycle: from the fossil fuels used as building blocks in plastic manufacturing to the microplastic bits lining our shorelines.