DOT awards $521M in EV charging grants amid slowing sales growth

Grant winners will deploy over 9,200 electric vehicle charging ports and build alternative-fueling infrastructure across 29 states, eight tribal areas and Washington, D.C., the Department of Transportation says.

Chicago intercity bus station could close next month

City leaders and bus operators are scrambling to find a short-term solution to handle the more than 500,000 yearly bus riders.

State, local building energy codes get makeovers with over $240M from US DOE

Nineteen states and localities, including Seattle and New York City, got grants announced Tuesday by the Department of Energy. The agency encouraged more communities to apply by Sept. 13 for a second round of funding.

What to know about BERDO, Boston’s building performance standards law

While many buildings already meet 2025 emissions limits, facility managers and owners should start planning now for how they’ll meet future requirements, city officials say.

Lyft app adds Bird scooters in over 25 US cities

"Working together with Bird allows us to expand access to scooters,” said a Lyft executive. Riders nationwide will be able to access thousands more scooters through the Lyft app.

Entire Cruise robotaxi fleet recalled for unexpected braking

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that a software fault contributed to 10 crashes, four of which involved a vulnerable road user and resulted in injury.

Cities assert tenants’ right to cooling in a warming world

Grappling with fatal heat waves, local governments are passing laws that make landlords provide working air conditioning. Financial and other challenges remain, however.

Will New York City make landlords provide air conditioning? Its climate chief is optimistic.

Coordinating any such mandate with the city's building decarbonization law requirements could reduce the burden it might create for building owners, Rohit Aggarwala explained.

New York’s congestion pricing plan may return with lower tolls after November elections

Faced with a $16.5 billion budget gap, New York transit agency Chair Janno Lieber said “it’s good news" the governor may reconsider the program.

DOJ sues software firm RealPage over algorithm that allegedly drives up rents

The attorneys general of several states joined the suit, which accuses the company of an “unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords.”

NYC rezoning allows transit-oriented development around four new train stations in the Bronx

The New York City Council plan includes 7,000 new housing units around the stations in the East Bronx, currently considered a transit desert.

Seattle libraries get $5.5M for air conditioning in FEMA grant offered post-pandemic

The city is betting on the upgraded facilities to serve as cooling and clean-air centers to protect residents from the rising danger of extreme heat and wildfire smoke.

Colorado sees a wave of landlord-tenant rules

Local governments recently gained a right of first refusal on affordable housing sales, as well as a first offer on market-rate housing. Other new laws focus on for-cause evictions and rent stabilization after natural disasters.

An air conditioning law, the first in its region, changed tenants’ rights in this Maryland county

Montgomery County began requiring landlords to provide AC in 2020 amid climate concerns and renter complaints. Despite a shaky start, officials say things are going smoothly now.

2 California commuter railroads implement zero-emission trains

Caltrain and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority join other commuter rail lines in replacing diesel-powered trains with battery, electric or hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

Focus on heat illness intensifies after death of Baltimore sanitation worker

In the wake of the death of Ronald Silver II, a city employee, labor groups are calling for more heat safety protections — and fast. Pending state and federal heat standards could help.

Municipal pools are popular, but they come at a price for cities

Cities tout the numerous benefits public pools provide. As costs to maintain, operate and staff them grow, however, funding strategies become increasingly important.

Urban forests are ‘critical but underfunded.’ A report looks at how to fix that.

Carbon credit programs, revolving funds and partnerships with conservancies could provide some of the money needed to prevent these green spaces from degrading, the Natural Areas Conservancy says.

Why building US highways is so expensive

A new paper blames higher costs on lower staffing and more use of consultants in state transportation departments as well as declining competition among construction firms.

Should tenants have a right to cooling? More cities say yes amid record heat.

As rental cooling standards pop up around the country, experts warn that they aren’t a perfect solution to the rising danger of scorching temperatures.

More efficient electric vehicles can reduce grid stress, cut charging costs by almost a third: ACEEE

Local governments can leverage registration fees and subsidies to encourage EV efficiency, says research published Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Composters add pickup services for hard-to-recycle items, addressing gap

The small, independent haulers are partnering with recyclers in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts and elsewhere to divert materials. 

With 10 new climate resilience centers, DOE aims to translate research into local action

Researchers will work on actionable science and tools to help local stakeholders combat extreme heat, flooding, drought and more, the U.S. Department of Energy announced last week.

The cities expecting the most newly constructed apartments this year

Although apartment construction is expected to break records in 2024, the U.S. is still behind on the number of new units some say are needed by 2035 to mitigate affordability issues.

New York encourages electrification with new affordability pilot, grid planning process

The pilot will ensure that about 1,000 low-income households spend no more than 6% of their annual income on electricity when they electrify their space and water heating.