Montgomery County, Maryland, home to more than a million residents, passed landmark legislation this week requiring new residential and commercial buildings to be all-electric—barring some exceptions—starting 2027. Environmental advocates and officials are feeling bittersweet about the landmark legislation, which was amended to push back the transition by three years.
See the full story in Inside Climate News.
More DMV News
A D.C. Council Bill Intended to Increase Solar Energy Divides Environmental Advocates
DCist
Everyone seems to agree: more solar energy is a good thing. But a bill to require more solar in the District is dividing environmental advocates. Some say it’s needed to keep the local solar industry from crashing, while others say it would be unnecessarily expensive and be a burden on low-income residents.
Fairfax Solar/Roofing Contractor Aims to Add 400+ Jobs
Virginia Business
McLean-based solar energy and roofing contractor SmartRoof is relocating to Reston, with plans to add 410 jobs during the next five years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday.
Around Virginia, Transit Agencies Navigate the Transition to Electric Buses
Virginia Mercury
As more transit agencies in Virginia roll out electric buses to reduce environmental impacts, the need to recharge those buses throughout the day remains a chief concern. To address that challenge, officials from DASH in Alexandria and Blacksburg Transit, both early adopters of electric buses, said they are experimenting with solutions like overhead chargers and extra facilities.
Council Takes the Right Turn on Metro for DC bill
Greater Greater Washington
The new version of Metro for DC would make all Metrobus trips that begin in DC free. Though many routes that take place in DC start or end elsewhere, the bill uses the start location as the trigger for a fare-free trip.
National and International News
Citing Health and Climate Concerns, Activists Urge HUD To Remove Gas Stoves from Federally Assisted Housing
Inside Climate News
Gas stoves produce indoor pollution that “severely exceed indoor air quality standards” and increase health risks to children, older adults and people with underlying health concerns.
Mapping Zero Waste Cities: Where Local Governments Are Pursuing Waste Prevention and Diversion
Waste Dive
Driven by bold climate goals or simply the reality of rapidly declining landfill lifespans in certain regions, communities have embraced the zero waste movement.
FERC Approves PJM’s ‘First-Ready, First-Served’ Interconnection Reform Plan, Steps to Clear Backlog
Utility Dive
The PJM Interconnection will move to a “first-ready, first-served” interconnection review process that groups proposals and assigns upgrade costs in clusters under a plan approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Who Were the Worst Climate Polluters in the US In 2021?
Inside Climate News
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions climbed by 4.1 percent from major industrial sources in 2021, according to new data recently released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Biden’s Zero-Emission Government Fleet Starts with USPS
The Washington Post
The grandest experiment of the government’s sprint to electrify its vehicle fleet is happening here, a 1 million-square-foot warehouse leased by the U.S. Postal Service in the outer reaches of Atlanta.