Utilities: Page 18

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    Greenhouse gas emissions tracking project addresses ‘flawed’ approach cities use now, researchers say

    City Climate Intelligence can provide free, near-real-time information on greenhouse gas emissions at the city, neighborhood, building and street level.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 26, 2023
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    Utility plan to build 460 EV fast-charging stations in Colorado angers retailers, other charging proponents

    Gas stations, convenience store owners and other businesses say Xcel Energy's plan to own chargers makes it less likely they will install them.

    By Robert Walton • May 26, 2023
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    Trendline

    Energy Codes and Building Performance Standards

    Cities are using these levers to meet climate goals and address everything from data centers to building decarbonization.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
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    How green last-mile infrastructure benefits your community

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Overseeing...

    By Celeste Frye • May 24, 2023
  • The Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery Wilmington Plant stands beyond a residential street on November 28, 2022 in Wilmington, California.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Collecting data to support energy-burdened communities poses unique challenges, experts say

    Census data isn’t collected often enough to reflect neighborhood demographic shifts, and asking communities to self-report can present additional burdens, panelists said at a clean energy summit.

    By Diana DiGangi • May 24, 2023
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    The ‘infrastructure decade’ is here, but challenges loom for local governments at the helm

    “Money is flowing, grant applications are live, private capital is ready to move. But there are real constraints to achieving public goals,” Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Adie Tomer said at an event last week.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 23, 2023
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    Research highlights safety tradeoffs of electric scooter speed limiters

    Research highlights safety tradeoffs of electric scooter speed limiters

    By Andy Castillo • May 22, 2023
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    In San Jose, city climate plans must have ‘the cool factor’

    After winning a national climate leadership award, the city’s chief sustainability officer discussed how libraries can win over electric stove skeptics and how house parties might boost community engagement.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 22, 2023
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    NYC adopts building emissions software developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Across the...

    By Andy Castillo • May 19, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Metal buildings: Their versatility and durability suit them for public sector infrastructure

    Metal buildings: Their versatility and durability suit them for public sector infrastructure

    By Michael Keating • May 19, 2023
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    "sunset2" by Barbara Eckstein is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Most of US faces elevated risk of blackouts in extreme heat this summer, NERC warns

    All areas are expected to have adequate resources for normal summer peak load, but extreme weather could create widespread challenges, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said Wednesday.

    By Robert Walton • May 19, 2023
  • A dark blue electric bus showing a sign on the right side that reads "Nova Bus: Bring life to your city" is on a road under green trees.
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    Courtesy of Nova Bus
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    How a federal program meant to help communities buy zero-emission buses instead favors fossil fuels: report

    A legal requirement added to the Federal Transit Administration program in 2015 led to the disparity, advocacy organization Transportation for America said.

    By • May 18, 2023
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    The future of parking in the 15-minute city

    The future of parking in the 15-minute city

    By Jeremy Zuker • May 18, 2023
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    Courtesy of New York City Department of Design and Construction
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    Q&A

    How NYC is preparing its infrastructure for extreme weather

    Thu-Loan Dinh, who helps lead infrastructure design for the city’s Department of Design and Construction, discusses the agency’s biggest resilience concerns and how to address them.

    By Julie Strupp • May 17, 2023
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    NREL energy audit tool may help cities meet climate, building decarbonization goals

    Local governments often lack the staff and resources to conduct energy audits on thousands of buildings, an engineer at the National Renewable Energy Lab said, but technology can help overcome those challenges.

    By Joe Burns • May 16, 2023
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    Dallas restores core emergency dispatch systems after ransomware attack

    “At this point, we do not have evidence or indication that there has been data removed during this attack,” Dallas CIO Bill Zielinski told city officials Monday.

    By Matt Kapko • May 9, 2023
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    How governments are updating ‘operational technologies,’ including AI, and the challenges that remain: survey

    Over half of the survey respondents reported their agency plans to upgrade systems by 2025, a Center for Digital Government and Samsara survey found. Operational efficiency and cost savings are a big reason why.

    By Michael Brady • May 4, 2023
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    New York state, NYC take steps to electrify buildings, move away from fossil fuels

    New York state, NYC take steps to electrify buildings, move away from fossil fuels

    By Andy Castillo • May 3, 2023
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    To spur geothermal heating and cooling, DOE funds 11 community-scale system design projects

    DOE will select several of the designs for development to advance community-scale geothermal systems, which are relatively uncommon in the U.S.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 3, 2023
  • Cranes help construct a high-speed rail section near Fresno, California.
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    California spent $1.3B in cap-and-trade funds on climate, equity projects in 2022

    The California Climate Investments funding addressed affordable housing, transportation, energy costs, extreme heat, fire, access to clean drinking water and more, a California Air Resources Board official said.

    By Kalena Thomhave • May 2, 2023
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    Affordable, all-electric and energy-efficient housing gets $15M boost from NYC initiative

    The initiative “will demonstrate to the affordable housing market a highly replicable new construction solution,” said Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 2, 2023
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    Women, people of color, renters underrepresented on land-use boards: report

    Homeownership and other requirements could create barriers to participation that “function as inexplicit racial filters,” an Urban Institute report found.

    By Gaby Galvin • April 28, 2023
  • A panoramic shot in New York City shows construction cranes dotting the skyline.
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    First state law banning gas in new buildings passes in New York

    The law does not include a “poison pill” provision backed by the oil and gas industry, which environmental and social justice advocates had worried would make its way into the measure.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Dec. 21, 2023
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    "Burning gas stovetop in darkened room - closeup" by Chiara Coetzee is licensed under CC BY 1.0
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    Worried about gas ban litigation? After court tosses Berkeley rule, legal experts look at cities’ options

    Other “totally lawful opportunities” exist for local governments to phase out gas in new buildings, such as through building codes, said a senior fellow at Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • April 27, 2023
  • Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 10, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
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    ARPA funds used to fill city budget gaps, Brookings analysis finds

    Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds on “revenue replacement” allowed localities to free up money for long-term priorities, such as economic development, a Brookings Metro researcher said.

    By Kalena Thomhave • April 21, 2023
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    Cybersecurity best practices for smart cities issued by CISA

    Smart city technologies are at risk “of exploitation for espionage and for financial or political gain by malicious threat actors,” according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

    By Michael Brady • April 21, 2023