Climate Clips: Officials recognize local actions to advance equity within climate and energy initiatives

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announced the winners of the 2021 Climate and Energy Leadership Awards on October 13. These projects were recognized for contributing to COG’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and advancing equity across the region by prioritizing historically underserved populations in the planning of their programs.

See the full story at the COG Newsroom.

More DMV News

COG Adopts New Transit and Equity Planning Principles for 2030, Announces Housing Affordability Planning Program with Amazon
COG Newsroom
At its October meeting, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors passed two resolutions committing to prioritize transit and elevate equity in future growth and investment decisions. Officials and planners at COG have been increasingly talking about housing, climate, transportation, and equity together, instead of approaching these issues separately.

This Is What Climate Change Will Look Like In D.C.
The DCist
The Lincoln Memorial, on an island surrounded by churning Potomac waters; Nationals Park, a bathtub surrounded by mid-rise office buildings flooded by the Anacostia River; the Pentagon, accessible by boat, with State Route 110 and the George Washington Memorial Parkway underwater.

Electric Buses Join Fairfax County Schools’ Transportation Fleet
WTOP
Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia is driving toward its goal of an entirely electric school bus fleet by 2035, with eight new buses and charging stations unveiled on Wednesday.

Virginia Electric Utilities and Co-Ops Weigh in on Possible Transmission Reforms
Virginia Mercury
With renewables poised to flood the electric grid and a rising push for electrification of everything from vehicles to appliances, federal regulators and electricity companies are zeroing in on what they say is a weak link in the system: transmission.

National and International News

President Biden’s Whole-of-Government Effort to Tackle the Climate Crisis
The White House
The National Climate Task Force website is live! It’s a great resource and demonstrates the impact of the whole-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis, and showcases the strong foundation of action in the US.

Longer, More Frequent Outages Afflict the U.S. Power Grid as States Fail to Prepare for Climate Change
The Washington Post
Across the nation, severe weather fueled by climate change is pushing aging electrical systems past their limits, often with deadly results. Last year, the average American home endured more than eight hours without power — more than double the outage time five years ago.

‘More Than One Way’: Dems Mull Options for Climate Program
E&E News
Lawmakers are in a new phase of negotiations on the climate provisions of the reconciliation bill, as they attempt to come up with ideas to replace the flailing Clean Electricity Performance Program.

Boosting Transmission Between East, West Grids Will Lower Costs: NREL
Utility Dive
Adding transmission capacity between the Eastern and Western interconnections would reduce costs by allowing wind, solar and natural gas-fired generation to flow more freely across broad regions.

Inside Clean Energy: Electric Vehicles Are Having a Banner Year. Here Are the Numbers
Inside Climate News
Electric vehicle sales have made a leap this year in the United States. From January to September, U.S. consumers bought 305,324 all-electric vehicles, an increase of 83 percent from the same period in 2020.