Biden infrastructure deal could create 500,000 manufacturing jobs, business group finds JULY 27, 2021 A bipartisan infrastructure deal being negotiated in the U.S. Senate could create roughly half a million new manufacturing jobs by 2024, the end of President Biden’s first term, an analysis conducted on behalf of the trade group Association…
Private network underpins smart city plans for Las Vegas
Private network underpins smart city plans for Las Vegas 20 July 2021 The City of Las Vegas has deployed what is claimed to be the largest LTE, 5G-ready private municipal network in the US. The network is part of a broader plan for new tech-enabled services, economic development and digital…
Connecticut launches nine-year effort to build up EV charging infrastructure
Connecticut launches nine-year effort to build up EV charging infrastructure July 19, 2021 The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) approved a nine-year program to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation in the state. PURA established a statewide Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Program that provides a combination of incentives for…
Democrats closing in on deal to unlock massive infrastructure bill
Democrats closing in on deal to unlock massive infrastructure bill 07/12/21 Senate Democrats indicated on Monday that they are close to a deal on a budget resolution that will pave the way for them to pass a sweeping, multi-trillion infrastructure bill along party lines later this year. Read more
Do cities devote too much space to parking? Some are changing the rules
Do cities devote too much space to parking? Some are changing the rules Jul 6, 2021 For urban planners, parking rules established decades ago have become a contentious 21st-century challenge. Parking takes up about one-third of land area in U.S. cities; nationwide, there are an estimated eight parking spaces for…
New York City Department Of Environmental Protection Partners With Arcadis To Drive City-Wide Resilience
New York City Department Of Environmental Protection Partners With Arcadis To Drive City-Wide Resilience June 21, 2021 Arcadis today announced its partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to launch a $53 million program designed to engage property owners across the city with resiliency measures that improve local and…
State, Local Governments Highlight Cybersecurity Funding Needs
State, Local Governments Highlight Cybersecurity Funding Needs June 18, 2021 State, local and county governments officials testified that they need continually renewed, flexible funding to fend off increasing cyber threats during a U.S. Senate hearing. Read more
Less state debt, but a ‘lost decade’ for U.S. infrastructure spending, S&P finds
Less state debt, but a ‘lost decade’ for U.S. infrastructure spending, S&P finds June 15, 2021 Most U.S. states took on less debt during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing a years-long stretch of deleveraging, according to a report published Friday from credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s. But an emphasis on…
White House expands investment ban on Chinese tech and telecom companies
White House expands investment ban on Chinese tech and telecom companies June 3, 2021 The Biden administration has replaced and expanded Trump-era restrictions on investing in certain Chinese firms deemed supportive of that country’s surveillance and military apparatus. Major tech, space and telecom companies are listed in the initial 59…
‘Time to move on’: Infrastructure talks near collapse
‘Time to move on’: Infrastructure talks near collapse 05/24/2021 Washington’s bipartisan infrastructure talks may soon look a lot like its cicada population: squashed after staggering around haplessly. Read more
GOP weighs going bigger on infrastructure
GOP weighs going bigger on infrastructure 05/10/2021 Senate Republicans are signaling that they could raise the price tag of their infrastructure offer to President Joe Biden, days ahead of a pivotal series of meetings that could make-or-break Biden’s hopes for a bipartisan deal. Read more
Could Biden infrastructure bill turn Baltimore’s Highway to Nowhere into a city park?
Could Biden infrastructure bill turn Baltimore’s Highway to Nowhere into a city park? By DAN RODRICKS, April 27, 2021 Gov. Larry Hogan and the so-called moderates he treated to crab cakes in Annapolis last week think of infrastructure in the most conventional terms — fixing roads and bridges. Hogan is a 20th Century…
GOP senator says Republicans will have infrastructure counteroffer by the end of week
GOP senator says Republicans will have infrastructure counteroffer by the end of week BY GRACE SEGERS, APRIL 20, 2021 Republican senators may unveil their counteroffer to President Biden’s infrastructure proposal by the end of this week, Senator Shelley Moore Capito said Tuesday, while the president continues to solicit bipartisan opinions…
Millions of connected devices have security flaws, study shows
Hannah Murphy, Apr 13, 2021 Millions of “internet of things” devices using software from groups including Siemens and Microsoft contain security flaws that could be used to compromise government servers or hospitals, new research has found. Read more
7 Big Winners From Biden’s American Jobs Plan
By Alex Sirois, Apr 6, 2021 President Joe Biden introduced his American Jobs Plan on March 31. The plan outlines $2.251 trillion of estimated spending to improve the country and jobs for Americans. It is divided into four major sectors: infrastructure at home, transportation infrastructure, research and development (R&D), workforce development and manufacturing, and…
What’s Next on Biden’s Agenda? Signs Point to Infrastructure Overhaul
BY RYAN CHATELAIN NATIONWIDE PUBLISHED 1:46 PM ET MAR. 09, 2021 With his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package on the verge of passing, President Joe Biden will soon turn his attention to his next major legislative endeavor. While the White House isn’t saying yet what that will be, it is widely believed…
After Stimulus, Biden to Tackle Another Politically Tricky Issue: Infrastructure
By Annie Karni and Jim Tankersley, March 1, 2021 Strengthening the country’s highways, bridges and broadband networks has broad popular support, but Washington remains bitterly divided on the details. Read more
Roads, transit and tech: How Buttigieg plans to localize the federal transportation agenda
DANIEL MOORE, Post-Gazette Washington Bureau Feb, 22, 2021 In January 2020, presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg stood before an audience of U.S. mayors and repeated his call for a “Pittsburgh summit” on climate to find solutions to the most pressing challenges in infrastructure, climate change, housing and education. Read…
Global energy efficiency gains slow in 2020, hobbled by coronavirus pandemic
Energize Weekly, December 16, 2020 Energy efficiency gains slowed to their lowest level in a decade in 2020, and feeling the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, energy efficiency investment is projected to be down 9 percent year-on-year to $227 billion in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).…
Smart Buildings with AI: It’s Only the Beginning
By Joe McKendrick | RTInsights While AI is seen as the ultimate future of smart building management, there’s still a lot of work to be done before it takes hold. The idea of smart buildings — outfitted with automated energy management and maintenance alerts — has been well-documented for years now. Now, the…
Transition costs to a zero-emissions transport system drop with falling battery prices
Energize Weekly, July 22, 2020 The cost of a transitioning to zero-carbon transportation is plummeting – thanks to a drop in battery prices – and may not need much in the way of direct government investment to speed the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, according to an analysis by University of…
New York Mayor de Blasio seeks to end the use of oil and gas in large buildings
Energize Weekly, February 12, 2020 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking aim at fossil fuels seeking to end the use of natural gas and oil in large buildings and banning the development of oil and gas infrastructure in the city. Other initiatives include switching the municipal feet…
Companies join global effort to set science-based emission targets for their operations
Energize Weekly, December 11, 2019 Nearly 700 companies around the world are moving to adopt “science-based targets” for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions with 40 percent already having plans in place, according to the non-profit and governmental groups sponsoring the initiative. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) – a collaboration…
U.S. market for ‘smart home’ devices to triple to $75 billion by 2025
Energize Weekly, September 25, 2019 The U.S. market for “smart home” devices will more than triple by 2025, reaching $75 billion, according to data analytics company GlobalData. The growth will be driven by the increased use of smart thermostats, which consumers see as an energy-saving device and utilities as one…
Seattle’s grid could be overwhelmed by ambitious plans for electric trucks and buses
Energize Weekly, September 18, 2019 Seattle’s ambitious plans for electrifying the city’s transportation sector could destabilize the metropolitan area’s electric grid by the addition of large numbers of electric trucks and buses, a study finds. The study by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in collaboration with Seattle City Light offers…
Climate-driven weather events pose a risk to municipal bonds, commercial real estate and utilities, BlackRock says
Energize Weekly, April 24, 2019 Among the economic threats posed by climate change are risks to municipal bonds, commercial real estate investments and the utility sector, according to an analysis by BlackRock and the Rhodium Group. “Our work with Rhodium Group shows a rising share of U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) will…
Duke Energy proposes a $76 million EV charging station program in North Carolina
Energize Weekly, April 10, 2019 Duke Energy has filed a plan with North Carolina regulators for a three-year, $76 million pilot plan to add electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and promote the growth of the vehicles in the state. “North Carolina’s current pace of EV infrastructure availability cannot support the…
Dynamic pricing for EVs could lead to $2.6 billion in benefits for Illinois consumers, study says
Energize Weekly, April 10, 2019 A well-designed electric vehicle (EV) program in Illinois could create $2.6 billion in consumer benefits, according to the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a consumer watchdog group. The key to those benefits is simultaneously promoting the adoption of EVs and creating a rate structure that optimizes…
Thin-film solar can grow in high-value markets like aerospace and building materials, NREL study says
Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 Silicon solar cells account for 95 percent of the global market, but there are potentially multi-billion dollar markets for flexible, thin-film cells, according to an analysis by researchers at the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “Multiple markets are emerging for renewable, low-cost power generation…