California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new law that requires the state to use 33% renewable energy by the end of 2020. Calling for a substantial shift away from coal and natural gas, the Governor supports creating jobs through the use of new technology and renewable energy sources. Prior to this bill, the state [...]
NRG Energy is bringing electric cars to Texas with a new program that will create a network of 70 electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. An additional 50 stations are also slated for the Houston area as well as another network along the Interstate 45 corridor, by the end of next [...]
Progress Energy is teaming up with IBM to further their smart grid utilities program in Florida and the Carolinas. The $500 million program will upgrade two of its electric utilities and add to existing capabilities for renewable energy and electric cars. Currently the utility systems in both states provide service to 3.1 million customers and [...]
Despite please from the Governor’s office, New Hampshire’s House of Representatives voted to end the state’s involvement in a regional cap-and-trade program 246 – 104. Proponents of the bill said original involvement in the carbon trading program was based on unproven scientific assumptions about global warming. Meanwhile those voting against repeal cited the economic benefits [...]
A new report issued earlier this month predicts nearly 400,000 new plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will be cruising American streets per year by 2017. Clean technology market research firm, Pike Research, says that three California cities, Chicago and New York City will lead the way in adoption of these electric vehicles over the next five [...]
According to Steve Moddemeyer, a former senior advisor to Seattle Public Utilities and the city’s Department of Planning and Development, new paradigm shifts in government service delivery and infrastructure management are leading more officials to consider sustainable solutions. In a conversation with Mr. Moddemeyer, he told CivSource that governments can no longer afford to approach [...]
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has signed an Executive Order that requires the Commissioners of the Department of Natural Resources and the Pollution Control Agency to “move at the speed of commerce,” by accelerating and simplifying their environmental review and permitting processes. The Governor claims that the changes are needed in order to make the state [...]
In 2007, Iowa Governor Chet Culver and the state’s General Assembly created the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council (ICCAC). The group of academic and public sector leaders was charged with forecasting Iowa’s greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, identifying ways to reduce GHGs by 50 percent and 90 percent by 2050. Legislation passed in early 2009 codified [...]
W Solar Group, Inc. will locate its corporate headquarters and research and development facilities in Dane County, Wisconsin – a move that will create 600 jobs and continue to build on the state’s burgeoning renewable energy sector. The project represents a capital investment of over $300 million. The company will be joining a growing group [...]
New York will keep more than 100 of its top companies running on hydropower according to newly approved long-term contract extensions announced yesterday. The contract extensions were signed by the Governor with the aim of keeping jobs and capital in western New York. Most of the contracts were extended through 2020 and contain increased job [...]
