Washington is working to phase out its use of coal for energy. Under the terms of a new law signed on Friday, the state will phase out both of its coal boilers – the first in 2020 and the second in 2025. Since 2009, the state has been working with TransAlta, the state’s coal boiler [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
According to a report released earlier this month, failure of the federal government to agree on energy efficiency standards has not stymied states from moving ahead on their own. The 2010 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), found budgets remain strong for energy efficiency initiatives, nearly doubling [...]
Last week, Louisiana announced its agenda for recovery from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, lifted the ban on recreational fishing and called on the FDA to do the same for commercial catches. However, items in the plan including the amount of control BP has over the safety certification of the state’s commercial fishing catch and [...]
Washington has launched the nation’s first “electric highway,” a network of electric vehicle recharging stations along Interstate 5. The project will be a partnership between the state’s transportation and commerce departments and is supported by $1.32 in federal Recovery Act infrastructure funding. Once implemented, Washington will have the first border to border highway to offer [...]
Oregon further strengthened its partnership with Mitsubishi Motors North America this week, by announcing that it will be working with the company to promote the use of electric vehicles through the development of a vehicle charging network. The state signed a memorandum of understanding with the company in April of last year. The memo was [...]
A bill that reforms how California stores, delivers and manages its water supply passed the state legislature Wednesday. Legislators and industry observers call it the most significant reform passed by the state in at least 50 years.
