Day: October 11, 2022

Webinar: Equitable Digitalization of Residential Energy Technologies

Oct 26, 1-2 pm CT
Register here.

The digitalization of residential energy—using technologies such as programmable thermostats and smart meters—has spurred a new energy efficiency investments and helped spawn the “smart home” movement. Together with home electrification, this has provided opportunities to reduce households’ energy bills. But who benefits from home energy digitalization and how can we ensure that it is equitable?

Join ACEEE for a webinar to hear about the wide terrain of residential energy digitalization from the current state of the technology to the important concerns about privacy.

Environmental racism at California’s military bases

Read the full story at LA Progressive.

California is home to at least seven military bases whose drinking water was contaminated with high levels of PFAS.

U.S. EPA establishes new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights

Read the full story at the Sidley Energy Blog.

On September 24, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the establishment of a new national program office, the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, which will span all 10 EPA regions and be supported by more than 200 staff. The new office will be led by a U.S. Senate-confirmed Assistant Administrator, who will be announced at a later date. According to the EPA, the new office will address environmental justice matters by providing grants and technical assistance, enforcing federal civil rights laws, developing and implementing environmental laws, regulations, and policies, and providing support in alternative dispute resolution.

Widespread “forever chemicals” in subsurface environments

Read the full story from Eos.

Massive use of materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercial and industrial sectors has led to their widespread occurrence in subsurface environments.

Toxic releases from industrial facilities compound Maryland’s water woes, a new report found

Read the full story at Inside Climate News.

The EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data for 2020 shows that industrial plants dumped tons of chemical waste and “forever chemicals” into Maryland’s waterways, slowing efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay and endangering public health.

How industrial companies responsible for pollution among disenfranchised communities can fight environmental racism

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Some ways industries and people can fight environmental racism include changing practices and educating themselves.

Illinois EPA announces Notice of Funding Opportunity for Public Light-Duty Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the purchase and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) light-duty electric vehicle charging stations at publicly accessible locations. This opportunity is being made available following the Pritzker Administration’s commitment to focus Illinois’ remaining Volkswagen (VW) Settlement funding on electric transportation and infrastructure. The NOFO and related documents have been posted to the Illinois EPA website.

Through this funding opportunity, Illinois EPA intends to fund a percentage of DCFC light-duty
electric charging stations to be located at publicly accessible locations (shopping centers, retail
stores, gas stations, etc.) in the three priority areas outlined in the VW Beneficiary Mitigation
Plan (BMP) and specified in the NOFO:

  • Priority Area 1: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties, Oswego
    Township in Kendall County, and Aux Sable and Goose Lake townships in Grundy
    County.
  • Priority Area 2: Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties.
  • Priority Area 3: Champaign, DeKalb, LaSalle, McLean, Peoria, Sangamon, and
    Winnebago counties.

Each application must include a minimum of two projects in two or more priority areas. Applications with a minimum of three projects, one in each of the three priority areas, will be prioritized for review, scoring, and funding. Eligible applicants include businesses (corporations, partnerships, sole-proprietorships, and limited liability companies), business trusts, or other legal business entities incorporated in or registered with the Illinois Secretary of State.

All required forms and information can be found on the Driving A Cleaner Illinois webpage. Applications will be accepted September 28, 2022 through 5:00 PM (CST) on December 30, 2022.

All applicants must pre-qualify through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act Grantee
Portal.

A Legal pot problem that’s now plaguing the streets of America: Plastic litter

Read the full story at Inside Climate News.

Waste packaging from a burgeoning and newly legalized marijuana industry litters streets across the country, adding to a global crisis of plastic waste.

In New York, regulators who are making the state’s first-ever rules for the retail sale of recreational marijuana hope they have answers to limit their state’s contribution to the problem. They’ve been working to include sustainable packaging requirements into the licenses that businesses will need to open by the end of this year.

However, at least one prominent environmental advocate fears New York—and other states grappling with a new and booming industry—aren’t requiring enough producer responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products.

Can these rocks help rein in climate change?

Read the full story at Eos.

Spreading olivine on beaches could accelerate ocean uptake of carbon dioxide and potentially limit climate change. The concept and execution still face some scrutiny from scientists.

A plan to share the pain of water scarcity divides farmers in this rural Nevada community

Read the full story at Inside Climate News.

As groundwater supplies decline, Western water law lets those with the oldest rights use their entire allocations while junior users absorb all of the reductions. Diamond Valley is trying to divide the cuts more equitably.