ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of January 17, 2022
Nora's Note
ASC Talks Equity. The team jumped into 2022’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, volunteering in our communities in NY, NJ and MA. And we paused for a don’t-hold-back conversation about equity in corporate America led by ASC Digital Manager, Myraan Mays, who made us think—hard—about real vs. performative allyship. Myraan put what it means to combat systemic racism in corporate America on the table, and what is in the way of real change. We learned there are only five Black CEOs in the Fortune 500, that Black professionals with college degrees are less likely to be employed than their white peers and that anxiety disorders among Black Americans rose from 36% to 41% after the murder of George Floyd. We examined performative equity “stunts,” looked at ourselves in the mirror and held each other accountable. It was a good day for Team ASC.
Transportation
NJ Transit OKs $11M for work on 2 transit stations. Last week, NJ Transit’s Board of Directors approved nearly $11 million worth of upgrades to Newark Penn Station and Trenton Transit Center. Newark Penn Station will add energy efficiency and amenity upgrades as part of an existing rehabilitation project, while Trenton Transit Center will be made more accessible. Read more to learn about the changes environmental groups would like to see in these projects.
Smart Cities Dive: North Carolina sets goal to sell 50% zero-emission vehicles by 2030
Energy Live News: Clean transportation projects in New York share $85m fund
CityLab: Picture a Better Way to Protect Bus Lanes
Mass Transit: MTA retires 1960s-era subway cars
Vox: Electric cars aren’t just vehicles. They’re big batteries
Route Fifty: A Missing Piece With State Efforts to Test Drive Mileage Taxes
amNY: Hochul officially nominates Janno Lieber for top MTA job
NextGov: Transportation Secretary Pushes for Government Support for Vehicle Innovation
Energy/Environment
EPA to crack down on dangerous coal ash storage ponds. The US EPA is now enforcing a 2015 rule that regulates the storage and disposal of coal ash to reduce coal-fired power plants’ contamination of streams, lakes and groundwater. Enforcement will improve environmental and safety standards for coal-ash ponds, protecting waterways from coal-ash pollution and preserving nearby wildlife habitats. Read more for how communities across the country are affected by the EPA’s recent action.
CNN: Planet-warming emissions surged faster in the US than expected in 2021, analysts say
Fast Company: What if all our buildings were sucking carbon from the air?
Transport Topics: FEMA Outlines Multiyear Plan, Guidance
Utility Dive: Connecticut targets building emissions, energy equity as it moves to update energy strategy
NY Times: A Vivid View of Extreme Weather—Temperature Records in the U.S. in 2021
ABC News: How climate change could hinder reforestation efforts, according to experts
Pew Stateline: California’s Drought Reckoning Could Offer Lessons for the West
Sustainability Times: Some 2.5 billion people in cities worldwide are exposed to air pollution
Economic Development
Over $1B in Rental Aid Shifted to Places Moving Faster to Spend It. States and municipalities that have spent pandemic-era rental assistance quickly, including New York and New Jersey, will receive $1.1 billion more in funding transferred from other initial recipients, according to the Treasury Department. With some cities and states experiencing initial challenges in distributing these funds, nearly 75% of this funding has been transferred voluntarily. Read more for the full list of places that will receive the reallocated funds.
SI Live: New York’s 7-step workforce plan—Here’s what might interest Staten Islanders
NY Times: The World Bank warns that the pandemic will slow economic growth in 2022.
CityLab: How U.S. Infrastructure Plans Shrank in Ambition
Gothamist: Venues Try To Attract Customers With Free On-Site COVID Tests
Government Technology: New Mexico Adds Smarter Tech into Rental Assistance Process
Smart Cities Dive: Las Vegas unveils digital twin at CES as part of sustainability push
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: ‘Spread very thin’—NYC schools remain, but learning is disrupted
Reuters: A quarter of small businesses across nine countries plan to offer crypto payments
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