⚡What's happening in the world of climate and energy policy? The following are some topline news stories. Read on to find out!
🎉Federal
IRA + Chips: The 3 legged stool - Investments, Standards & Planning/Coordination
Opinion | All Biden Has to Do Now Is Change the Way We Live - The New York Times.pdf
💸 The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law by President Biden on August 16. This massive transformational act will impact clean energy and will result in a massive reduction in GHGs by 2040. Top Line Impact: Clean Energy and Climate Investments = $370 B
💡States
⚡️🏡 Massachusetts
Governor Charlie Baker signed a massive Massachusetts Clean Energy Law on August 11. Key elements include a list of 10 municipalities authorized to ban fossil-fuel appliances for new construction; Off-Short Wind focus Electric utilities must procure 5,600 megawatts of new offshore wind capacity by 2027.
🌲 Washington
Washington State will require all-electric space and water heating in new commercial and multifamily construction, making it the first state to incorporate building electrification mandates into statewide energy codes April 25, via S&P Global
🚗 California
On August 25th, The California Air Resources Board voted to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 – and other states may follow. Washington state and Massachusetts already have said they will follow California’s lead and many more are likely to.
🗽New York
Governor Hochul announced recommendations to address extreme heat A working group identified actions including expanding access to energy efficiency improvements for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers through the Home Energy Assistance Program, writing an equity-focused Extreme Heat Adaptation Plan, and adding extreme heat to the state emergency management plan. NASEO/NYS - Extreme Heat
🔌 Cities
✂️Boston, MA
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that Boston will seek to be part of a 10 city pilot program to ban new fossil fuel hook-ups from new building projects and large-scale renovations.
🏠⚡Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto is proposing building code updates to accelerate the adoption of all-electric homes. These rules include: 1) Requiring all new, non-residential construction to be all-electric; 2) Replacing gas-powered water heaters with electric water heaters (via the City of Palo Alto’s website).
☀️Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles passed an energy justice motion with energy and housing justice principles to incorporate in local building decarbonization efforts. The motion also initiated a community engagement process to ensure that input from vulnerable and frontline communities informs equitable policies. Months later, the city passed a new construction motion to prepare an ordinance for all-electric new construction starting in 2023 (via Rocky Mountain Institute)
🏛️ Public-Private Partnerships
🚀Launch of the Upside Tech Alliance: BlocPower is joining an initiative with three other companies from the Kapor Capital portfolio —Aclima, Bitwise Industries, and Promise—to partner with local leaders to implement technology solutions that serve the public good and drive economic growth.
🏅 A heat-pump water heater that plugs into a standard outlet stemming from a public-private collaboration brought a key climate-change-fighting tool to market: an efficient 120-volt water heater that can be easily installed in homes. Rheem ® launched two versions of the 120-Volt ProTerra® Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater.