ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of January 24, 2022
Nora's Note
New Year, New Budget, New York. Gov. Kathy Hochul released New York State's 2023 Executive Budget last week, presenting what the Governor called a “once-in-a-generation” $216.3 billion plan to ignite NYS's clean energy economy, deliver tax relief where it is most needed and improve infrastructure, from potholes to new housing. With a $4 billion investment in the Environmental Bond Act, $500 million to amp up New York's offshore wind energy supply chain and $6.7 billion to execute year one of the NYS Department of Transportation's 5-year capital plan, this year's budget proposal offers an exciting opportunity to affirm New York State as a national leader in clean energy and infrastructure. The ASC team looks forward to continuing to support recovery and beyond. Excelsior!
Transportation
MTA resumes subway service after Omicron impacts. Recovering from staff shortages caused by the recent surge of the omicron variant, the MTA recently announced the return of normal service for the A, B, J, W and Z subway lines. The late December spike in COVID-19 cases caused nearly one in five subway operators and conductors to call in sick, leading to brief line suspensions. However, as recovery from omicron seems to be on the horizon, concern about safety is rising. Read more to learn how the MTA navigated the recent COVID-19 surge to return to full service—we’ll be listening over the next weeks as MTA navigates to a safer way for everyone to travel.
NY Times: Here’s Where Subway Riders Have Returned. And Where They Haven’t.
Mass Transit: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Council forms to advance the HFC bus economy
Fox43 News: Gov. Wolf, joins Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to announce $1.6 billion in funding for Pennsylvania bridges
GovTech: Bus Makers Are Merging Electrification and Autonomy
SI Live: Transit Tech Lab announces winners of COVID-19 Response Challenge
Wired: Cities Want Ebikes to Stay in Their Lane—but Which One?
AP News: Major airlines cancel, change flights to US over 5G dispute
Next City: Fare Caps Might Get Transit Out of the Pandemic Slump
Energy/Environment
DOE will recruit 1,000 additional staffers to tackle the climate crisis. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will hire 1,000 employees to build out its Clean Energy Corps, a new initiative to address the climate crisis with clean energy solutions. With $62 billion in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Clean Energy Corps will increase access to clean energy, conduct research on new clean energy technologies and deliver clean power to American households. Read more to learn about what projects the Clean Energy Corps will tackle first.
Reuters: Less than half of projected U.S. renewable diesel output likely by 2025
CNBC: One of the world’s biggest offshore wind farms gears up for full operations
Utility Dive: Interior Department announces New York Bight lease auction for up to 7 GW of offshore wind
City Limits: Researchers Focus on Central Park to Study Climate Impact on Urban Green Spaces
City & State: Smokestacks loom over New York’s clean energy plan
ABC News: US plans $50B wildfire fight where forests meet civilization
Boston Globe: Race to cut carbon emissions splits US states on nuclear
E&E News: Federal pipeline agency shifts focus to cut methane
Economic Development
NYC Education Department to allow more remote learning. The NYC Department of Education has changed its attendance policy due to low student attendance during the current omicron variant surge. Educators will now be able to mark students who attend asynchronous classes or remote office hours as present. Officials expect this move will boost attendance rates, which fell to 77% last week—nearly 15% lower than the average 2019 rate. Read more to hear from educators and school administrators on how this policy change will impact student instruction.
Route Fifty: The Difficult Push to Build More Housing Near Transit
Pew Stateline: Cities and States Find New Ways to Tax Streaming Services
NY Times: Surprise in $216 Billion Budget Plan—New York Is Awash in Money
City Limits: What Ever Happened to CBAs? The Rise and Fall of ‘Community Benefits Agreements’ in NYC
The Real Deal: Hochul seeks to fast-track NYC-area casinos
WTNH: Women’s Business Development Council offering grants of up to $10,000 to qualified small business owners
NJ.com: Will more women, minorities get to serve on state boards in N.J.? This new database tracks appointments.
PHYS.org: Inclusion, walkability will be key to rebuilding cities after the COVID-19 pandemic
Arch Street Communications is hiring. Are you ready to make an impact?
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Please email us at Info@asc-pr.com with your cover letter and resume attached, and your name in the subject line.
COVID-19 Recovery Resources
NY Forward: NY State Reopening Updates
NYC Health: NYC Reopening Updates
Empire State Development: NY State Business Pandemic Recovery Initiative
CDC: Official Updates for Coronavirus Disease
SBA: COVID-19 Resources for Small Businesses
Get in touch to learn how our signature approach can work for you.
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