ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of April 11, 2022
Nora's Note
Cleaning New York’s economy requires a new workforce. With 157,000 clean energy jobs throughout the state, 2021 represented a record year for clean power in New York across wind, solar and energy storage. All this despite a global pandemic. New York’s push for clean energy adoption and the corresponding demand for workers to develop and construct new clean energy projects can combine to create an inequity-ending job machine. But to pull this off, New York State will need to scale workforce training programs—and fast. The path to a long-term solution requires employers, educators, government agencies, unions, environmental justice leaders and non-profits work in partnership to enroll and train current and new workers on the scale New York needs to meet its climate goals.
Transportation
Car-Free Earth Day is coming back in 2022. More than 100 streets across NYC’s five boroughs will go car-free on Saturday, April 23, in celebration of Earth Day (April 22)—bringing an end to the event’s two-year hiatus. This year’s Car-Free Earth Day will serve as the kick-off to the City’s 2022 Open Streets program, an initiative that will close off certain streets to cars and make them more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. Read more for a breakdown of which areas will participate in this year’s celebration. (Source: Gothamist)
Governing: Ride-Share Riders Could Get Stuck With Medical Bills in a Crash
Reuters: U.S. truck drivers go missing
Route Fifty: How Open Bus Data Makes Transit Schedules More Reliable
CityLab: Cities Must Follow Through on Road Safety Plans. Here’s How.
Mass Transit: Infrastructure law demands new focus on transit worker assaults
Yale E360: As EV Sales Soar, Automakers Back Higher Fuel Standards
NY Times: Here’s How Slowly New York City Is Moving on Electric Vehicles
The Hill: Pressure builds on Biden administration to lift transportation mask mandates
Energy/Environment
Biden administration lines up $3 billion so low-income families can retrofit their homes. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) recently received funding to help low-income families complete home retrofits. The surge of Federal funding for WAP will retrofit more than 450,000 homes by covering the costs of installing insulation, upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and electrifying heating systems for homeowners. Read more for an in-depth look at the program’s role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting environmental justice. (Source: Grist)
Wall Street Journal: Pinterest Will Remove Content Deemed Climate-Change Misinformation
E&E News: FERC details climate, environmental justice strategy
Newsweek: Number of Birds Living in Tropical Forests 'Has Plummeted by up to 90 Percent in just 40 Years'
Nature: IPCC’s starkest message yet—extreme steps needed to avert climate disaster
NY Times: E.P.A. to Propose Restrictions on Asbestos
ABC News: WHO says 99% of world's population breathes poor-quality air
Utility Dive: Customers, advocacy groups and elected officials oppose ConEd's proposed double-digit rate increase
UPI: 47% of Americans 'worry a great deal' about energy costs
Economic Development
A wave of green jobs is coming to New York. NYSERDA data shows that clean energy jobs in New York State have grown by 12% between 2015 and 2020. By 2030, New York is expected to gain at least 211,000 jobs related to clean energy, with about 18,000 of those jobs expected to be located in the Hudson Valley. Read more to learn about some of the green job training programs that are preparing New York’s next generation of clean energy workers. (Source: The River Newsroom)
Small Business Trends: SBA Adds More Industries Eligible for Women-Owned Business Federal Contract Program
Gothamist: The NYC budget process enters its next phase. Here’s what lies ahead
Pew Stateline: The Census Missed Some Folks. These Cities Want Them Counted.
Next City: Philly Fund Looks to Diversify the Construction Industry
Smart Cities Dive: Transit-oriented development catches on as cities need to boost ridership and housing supply
Inc.: SBA Will Expand a Key Obama-Era Lending Program for Low-Income Business Owners
Hudson Valley 360: Columbia awarded $11.2M for economic development
Cities Today: San Diego moves ahead with surveillance technology oversight board
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