ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of July 30, 2021
Nora's Note
Glug, glug. If you drank water today or went thirsty, you’re a stakeholder in National Water Quality Month, which kicks off on August 1. Water quality is something to care about, but 2.1 billion of us still can’t access safe water at home and one in 10 of us drinks from water sources that are unprotected from contamination. When we ran FHWA’s It all adds up to cleaner air campaign, research told us people would take small steps. So, we promoted trip chaining, fueling up after 7 p.m. to reduce ozone levels and making sure cars are maintained—and people took small steps for better air quality. So this August, cut showers by two minutes, use a broom to clean off driveways and pick up after Fido. Small steps, big wins. Happy National Water Quality Month, all!
Transportation
The future of Metro-North's New Haven Line is at a crossroads. As ridership for the New Haven Line returns to pre-pandemic levels, transportation experts are calling for more investment in the future of the Line. A recent report estimates that the current system will need between $8 and 10 billion in updates to increase the speed, frequency and safety of the Line's operations between New Haven and New York City. Read on to learn more about how the Line might adapt to changing commutes and support the economies of both Connecticut and New York.
FHWA Public Roads: How 10 States Use, Evaluate, and Implement Nondestructive Evaluation Technology
Transport Topics: Research Could Provide Window Into Driver Shortage
National Academies: Transportation’s Role in Equity and Justice
Daily News: Federal Officials OK AirTrain for LaGuardia Airport in NYC
Cities Today: Can US cities embrace the electric vehicle revolution?
WBUR News: As Free Transit Gains Momentum Across U.S., It’s A Big Boston Mayoral Race Topic
New York Times: M.T.A. Postpones Fare Increase as It Tries to Lure Back Riders
Wired: Trucks Move Past Cars on the Road to Autonomy
Energy/Environment
How Managing Building Energy Demand Can Aid the Clean Energy Transition. Buildings use 75% of the United States' total electricity consumption and the energy sector has faced challenges in reducing this demand, in part because it can be difficult to quantify building emissions. New research from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory offers potential solutions to this challenge. The study also recommends actions to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, including the use of heat pumps. Read on to learn more about the work that has started toward reducing the energy demands of the nation's buildings.
CNN: As wildfires worsen, firefighters are on the front lines of climate change
PV Magazine: Storage paired with solar shows steady growth, Berkeley Lab says
Yale E360: U.S. Power Sector Sees Biggest One-Year Drop in Emissions in More Than Two Decades
NY Times: Maine Will Make Companies Pay for Recycling. Here’s How It Works.
Associated Press: Effort to fund racially diverse climate groups gets momentum
Smart Cities Dive: Cities behind on climate goals as extreme weather worsens
Common Dreams: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Renewables Would Add 8 Million Energy Sector Jobs Worldwide
Bloomberg: Clean Energy Producers Are Eyeing Old Coal Plants—for the Wiring
Economic Development
Businesses are reopening quickly, especially where vaccination rates are higher. In a promising update for the Unites States' economic recovery, many small- and medium-sized businesses have now either reopened — or even opened for the first time. New market research published by a popular review website shows that more than 60,000 businesses reopened between April and June, with the most consumer interest seen in states with higher COVID-19 vaccination rates. Many new small businesses also launched in the same time period, reflecting a trend toward record new business applications that started last year. Read on for more insights on business reopening trends.
News12 Brooklyn: Small businesses in NYC get digital boost from local initiative
PBS Newshour: U.S. jobless claims rise to 419,000 from a pandemic low
Deadline: New York State Launches $100M Tax Credit To Support Broadway Reopening
Next City: Can NYC’s Storefront Registry Help Level the Playing Field for Embattled Commercial Tenants?
NJ Business: NJEDA Announces Winners of Micro Lender Support Grant Program
Route Fifty: Feds Reveal Programs For $3B in Local Economic Development Funds
Axios: The return of superstar cities
Staten Island Advance: From State Island light rail to affordable housing, ideas for fueling pandemic recovery in NYC
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