ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of March 28, 2022
Nora's Note
The Road Ahead. This issue of Intersections opens Spring with a new look and editorial team, and closes Women’s History Month with a look back on what women-owned businesses have accomplished—and what is still in front of us. We’ve secured important wins, including a Federal commitment to advance pay equity and close the wage gap, record-breaking MWBE utilization rates in NYS contracts and an economic vision for NYC that features an equitable and inclusive approach to supporting women-owned businesses. But women left the workforce at higher rates during the pandemic and haven’t returned, and female entrepreneurs are still woefully behind their male counterparts in access to funding. We now own 38% of all businesses in the US; props to us, but lasting change means there is much work ahead to move past the advances we’ve made since HR 5050, the Women’s Business Ownership Act passed in 1988.
Transportation
Massachusetts program funds strategies pairing equity and clean transportation. The push to connect disadvantaged communities with electric transportation options will get a boost in Massachusetts, as the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a state economic development agency, awards $5 million in grants to advance 10 projects. The Accelerating Clean Transportation for All initiative chose projects geared toward electrifying nonprofit fleets, promoting e-bikes and improving electric taxi infrastructure, among others. Read more to learn how Massachusetts is putting environmental justice at the heart of its clean energy transportation policies. (Source: Energy News Network)
Protocol: The open EV charging network we need might finally be on the way
Bloomberg: It’s Time to Treat E-Bikes like Vehicles
The City: Privately Owned Midtown Subway Entrance Still Closed as City Pushes for Comeback
amNY: MTA picks former Massachusetts Transportation Secretary to lead city’s subways and buses
CNBC: Buttigieg says DOT will dole out $2.9 billion in infrastructure grants to states and cities
Morning Consult: As Lawmakers Determine Where Federal Infrastructure Funding Will Be Spent, Urban Voters Support Policies That Would Prioritize Public Transit
NJ.com: NJ Transit gives a sneak peek at what will make electric buses go—starting with Camden
Route Fifty: Women Pay More for Transportation Than Men
Energy/Environment
Many schools weren't built to withstand climate change. As climate disasters become more common in the United States, many communities are struggling to make the necessary resiliency upgrades to schools. According to data from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, nearly 1 in 5 students attended schools in districts that were affected by extreme weather, like hurricanes and wildfires, in 2017-2019. Read more to learn about how school districts are planning for future natural disasters. (Source: NPR)
Yale Climate Connections: Hundreds of schools, organizations to host teach-in on climate and justice
Gothamist: Lawmakers pursue $15 billion plan for climate justice in New York
E&E News: EPA slates 12 new Superfund sites for cleanup
Bloomberg: A More inclusive Green Energy Plan Starts With Old Buildings
AP News: Hydropower eyes bigger energy role, less environmental harm
Axios: U.S. Drought conditions to persist and expand
The Hill: Fifty percent of U.S. waterways impaired by pollution: report
Eco-Business: Empowering women essential for improved climate response
Economic Development
How jobs will change with a warming world. According to a U.N. International Labour Organization (ILO) report, about 80 million jobs around the world could be lost by 2030 as extreme temperatures reduce working hours. However, in the same period, the U.S. Department of Labor is projecting a dramatic growth in green jobs, with wind turbine servicing and solar panel installation jobs seeing a 68% and 52% increase, respectively. Read more for insights into how the growing effects of climate change could impact jobs and working conditions in the U.S. and abroad. (Source: Axios)
Route Fifty: Surviving Small Restaurants Push Forward as Pandemic Ebbs
Protocol: Americans think tech companies are key to solving climate change
Reuters: EU countries support plan for world-first carbon border tariff
Greenbiz: The importance of carbon pricing for small business owners
Workboat: New Jersey sets $3.3 million for offshore wind environment studies
Grist: New SEC rule requires companies to disclose how they’re approaching climate change
Trains: Tourist railroads have a workforce issue
AmNY: Local colleges collaborate to launch Queens STEM Academy
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