Vermont utility wants to give all customers battery storage to prevent outages

Green Mountain Power aims to shift the state’s grid to a distributed system — a future the utility’s CEO envisions for the entire U.S.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 11, 2023

New alliance aims to turn this Rust Belt city into a ‘Green Belt’ hub

The Chicagoland Climate Investment Alliance wants $1 billion in federal funding for a “Rust Belt to Green Belt Initiative,” indicating the region is ready to move past its nickname from the 1970s.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 10, 2023

Notable 2024 conferences for smart city leaders

Newly added events focus on traffic safety, technology and green infrastructure.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Aug. 2, 2024

‘Empty’ federal buildings under scrutiny

Unused office space poses financial and environmental issues federal agencies must address, lawmakers from both parties said at a Senate committee hearing.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 9, 2023

California governor signs bill to speed utility interconnections

The Powering Up Californians Act aims to accelerate the state’s electrification efforts and is one of several clean energy bills signed recently by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 9, 2023

US Green Building Council’s LEED v5 doubles down on decarbonization

The proposal for existing buildings would set new requirements to boost climate resilience, assess social impact and cut emissions from embodied carbon, refrigerants and transportation.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 6, 2023

What are the ‘greenest’ US cities?

Personal finance company WalletHub evaluated cities based on 28 key “green” indicators using data from 21 sources. “A well-run city is likely to also be a reasonably green city,” an environmental scientist said.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 6, 2023

Amtrak switches to renewable diesel fuel for ‘Pacific Surfliner’ trains

Fuel from sources like used cooking oil will cut greenhouse gas emissions 63% for these trains, which run along the Southern California coast, said the agency that manages the service.

By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 5, 2023

MTA lags on NYC subway flooding prevention plan

A new audit shows severe weather amplified by climate change poses a huge risk to the city’s transit system, which was swamped by a tropical rainstorm last week.

By Julie Strupp • Oct. 5, 2023

NYC’s ‘mass timber studio’ aims to warm builders up to the material

The wood products represent a “huge untapped potential” to drive down the city’s carbon footprint, said the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 4, 2023

National Weather Service rolls out flood forecast maps

When paired with existing tools, the maps can show where a forecasted flood overlaps with built infrastructure, including that serving vulnerable communities, a federal water official said.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 3, 2023

Deep Dive

With a $4M EPA grant, Baltimore looks to chart a fresh course on composting

The city’s organics infrastructure is getting a jolt from the new funding. Composting advocates hope broader changes laid out in the city’s draft waste plan will follow.

By Jacob Wallace • Oct. 3, 2023

Biden administration will define zero emissions for buildings

Use of 100% clean energy and meeting strict energy-efficiency guidelines are part of the proposed definition, White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi said.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 2, 2023

National climate resilience plan unveiled by Biden administration

The framework “will help guide wise investment of federal dollars” and indicates that the government is moving beyond traditional disaster response, said a Union of Concerned Scientists analyst.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 29, 2023

Governments can cut buildings’ embodied carbon with new policies, reports say

Targeted incentives and building code changes can support the transition to more climate-friendly building materials, say research, advocacy and industry groups.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 28, 2023

FEMA climate resilience grants unevenly distributed among communities

Coastal states with more “high-capacity” local governments tend to win more of the competitive BRIC grants, a Headwaters Economics analysis finds.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 27, 2023

Opinion

Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?

Perhaps the biggest difference between yesterday’s community wind and today’s community solar markets is in their business models, which reflect their respective market and policy environments. 

By Mark Bolinger and Bentham Paulos • Sept. 27, 2023