Climate & Resilience: Page 2


  • A flame burns out of a metal stack against a dark sky
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    The image by Carl Young is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    How 3 large states want to address waste with federal climate funding

    Forty-five states and dozens of metropolitan areas submitted priority climate action plans to the U.S. EPA, the first step in accessing Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funding.

    By Jacob Wallace • March 22, 2024
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    Jaimie Tuchman via Getty Images
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    DC’s downtown revival plan, from office conversions to ‘neighborhood safety centers’

    Facing public safety concerns, the possible loss of two professional sports teams and costly office-to-residential conversions, Washington, D.C., officials released highlights of a proposed revitalization.

    By Danielle McLean • March 22, 2024
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them in 2024.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
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    Scharfsinn86 via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    5 tips for building highly utilized curbside EV chargers

    Think about EV charger placement and features that provide value to community residents, visitors and business owners, says the president and CEO of EV charging company Volta.

    By Brandt Hastings • March 22, 2024
  • A woman stands in the road surrounded by downed power lines and debris
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    Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Communities hoping to build disaster resilience request record $8B in FEMA grants

    The requested amount is more than quadruple the amount the agency is offering, continuing what FEMA said is an ongoing trend of applications exceeding available funds.

    By March 21, 2024
  • A photo of President Joe Biden signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law.
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    Drew Angerer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
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    What mayors really think about the Inflation Reduction Act

    Boston University’s 2023 Menino Survey of Mayors reveals “a fundamental tension” in localities that want clean energy but are reluctant to cede local control to streamline permitting, a report co-author said.

    By March 20, 2024
  • An electric car charges at a mall parking lot.
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News via Getty Images
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    Energy Department’s weakened EV mileage rule allows more gas-engine car sales through 2030

    A more aggressive timeline originally proposed by the Biden administration drew pushback from the auto industry.

    By Michael Brady • March 20, 2024
  • A heavy equipment operator drives a roller machine on a construction jobsite.
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    Courtesy of Skanska
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    Electrifying construction: Zero-emission compactor piloted on major Los Angeles transit project

    After testing an electric excavator on the $9.5 billion Purple Line project in February, contractor Skanska deployed this month one of the first all-electric compactors used on an ongoing U.S. project.

    By Zachary Phillips • March 19, 2024
  • A Schneider National driver plugs an electric Freightliner eCascadia into a charger.
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    Courtesy of Schneider National
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    Plan for zero-emission truck charging, fueling infrastructure unveiled by White House

    The strategy maps interstates, intermodal hubs, ports and truck parking to show where charging and hydrogen fueling stations will be most in demand.

    By Colin Campbell • March 19, 2024
  • Aerial shot of two people in hard hats walking on a rooftop between solar panels
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    Hiraman via Getty Images
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    25 cities to get climate-focused innovation teams through $200M Bloomberg initiative

    Oakland, California, hopes to leverage the support to ensure Black residents benefit from urban greening efforts. Nashville, Tennessee, is planning a clean energy workforce training program for Black communities.

    By March 18, 2024
  • Aerial shot of a highway alongside a billboard that reads 1:22 p.m., 110 degrees F.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    15 minutes with the first state-level chief heat officer

    As Arizona shifts its approach to managing extreme heat risk, Eugene Livar wants to bring communities the resources they need without reinventing the wheel.

    By March 15, 2024
  • Large bundles of plastic bags, cans and milk containers await processing at a recycling center.
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    shaunl via Getty Images
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    Recycling brings environmental justice communities opportunities — and potential costs

    As local groups strive for federal grants, efforts to recycle solar panels and EV batteries could exacerbate problems in already overburdened communities, National Recycling Congress participants said.

    By Megan Quinn • March 15, 2024
  • U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the Transportation Department building on May 09, 2023 in Washington, DC.
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    Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
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    US DOT awards $3.3B to reconnect communities, offers funding for other transportation projects

    Meanwhile, President Biden's 2025 budget for transportation calls for $4 billion for large transit projects and $1.2 billion for the use of low-embodied-carbon materials.

    By March 13, 2024
  • Close up of two people's hands touching fresh soil at the base of a small tree surrounded by grass
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    Aleksandr Golubev via Getty Images
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    Planting a tree just got $100 cheaper for property owners in a California water district

    A new rebate rewards residents and businesses for planting trees where they previously grew grass. However, “not all trees are created equal,” the water district’s resource specialist said.

    By March 13, 2024
  • A rooftop solar installation against the backdrop of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in midtown Manhattan.
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    FernandoAH via Getty Images
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    New York City bill would mandate solar panels on public buildings

    The legislation would prohibit the use of power purchase agreements to meet solar targets, leaving the city to figure out who should handle routine operations and maintenance of the systems.

    By Nish Amarnath • March 12, 2024
  • A sign reading "Sea Isle City A City for All Seasons Est. 1882"
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    Permission granted by City of Sea Isle City
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    This New Jersey beach city went from ‘worst to first’ in reducing flood risk

    Sea Isle City’s success required leaders who were willing to spend political and financial capital on building resilience, the city’s floodplain manager said.

    By March 11, 2024
  • A Chicago elevated train snakes through downtown buildings.
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    Mlenny via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Think holistically about infrastructure, new president of civil engineering group urges

    The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Marsia Geldert-Murphey talks about why public transit is the most underfunded infrastructure sector and how to build climate change-ready structures.

    By Julie Strupp • March 7, 2024
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Arizona names US’ first state chief heat officer, unveils summer 2024 plans

    Arizona said it has also hired a statewide cooling center coordinator and will deploy solar-powered cooling centers made from shipping containers.

    By March 7, 2024
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    ribeirorocha via Getty Images
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    Building energy code revamps can get another $90M from DOE

    More energy-efficient homes can remain habitable longer during extreme heat and cold events, which could save lives, a Department of Energy-commissioned study finds.

    By March 5, 2024
  • An aerial view of Los Angeles, California.
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    Adam Kaz via Getty Images
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    LA City Council plans to streamline solar, battery installation review process

    The move, which echoes a similar initiative in New York City, aims to help Los Angeles reach its goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035.

    By Joe Burns • March 5, 2024
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    Gregory Clifford via Getty Images
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    Can you fix a Phoenix water shortage? A new drought simulation game lets players try.

    As the desert city endures a drought that has stretched on since the turn of the century, water resource specialists want the community to understand the trade-offs necessary in water management. 

    By March 4, 2024
  • Hydrogen fuel cell buses at a bus stop.
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    Scharfsinn86 via Getty Images
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    Fuel cell electric buses up 75% in transit fleets last year

    Battery-electric bus fleets also grew last year, but at a slower rate than in 2022, according to Calstart’s annual report on zero-emission buses.

    By March 4, 2024
  • A council chamber where a man and woman in suit sit on dais while four people, one wearing a jacket labeled DSNY, sit at a table facing the dais.
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    Jacob Wallace/Smart Cities Dive
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    ‘We are behind’: On composting, NYC’s new sanitation chair pushes for funding, transparency

    Budget cuts to New York City’s community composting program are “unacceptable,” Council Member Shaun Abreu said at the first Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Committee hearing of the year.

    By Jacob Wallace • March 1, 2024
  • An engineer checking a maintenance pipe system for ventilation and air conditioning on the rooftop of a building.
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    Amorn Suriyan via Getty Images
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    NYC defines ‘green economy,’ projects job growth in new action plan

    The 124-page plan released yesterday is the city’s latest signal that it is hungry to be at the center of climate change-related business and workforce growth.

    By Feb. 29, 2024
  • Pylon with power lines against reddish sky at sunset, rural North Carolina, USA.
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    Karl Weatherly via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Congressional action on energy permitting remains stuck, but states, developers are finding solutions

    States are resolving local objections to projects through community engagement while transmission developers are making innovative use of existing rights-of-way to bypass permitting logjams.

    By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 29, 2024
  • In this aerial view solar panels stand at the Klettwitz Nord solar energy park on May 04, 2023 near Klettwitz, Germany.
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    Sean Gallup via Getty Images
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    Local, tribal clean energy projects can tap into $18M from DOE

    Microgrids and downtown revitalization efforts that create energy-efficient buildings are potential projects the Department of Energy suggested could be eligible.

    By Feb. 28, 2024