ASC's Intersections Newsletter — October 4th, 2024
Nora’s Note
We're listening. Small business hires about half of American workers, but we're not hearing specific policy proposals to help us succeed, even though 96% of us say we will vote come November. We're struggling with access to capital and high interest rates, workforce development, and employee issues like childcare. At the Convening on Small Business, America's Future, Sept 24, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Businesses Voices and Punchbowl News collaboration talked with Sens Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tim Scott (R-SC) on their legislative priorities related to small business issues and those of the candidates they support. While we serve up ice cream cones and smiles when the campaign trail stops at our places of business, we're well aware that both presidential candidates have been light on specifics of how to tackle inflation, and neither has mentioned increasing access to capital for women and minority owned small business. Both candidates want to help small business, even if for different reasons—the clock is ticking, but there's still time to tell us the plan.
Transportation
Mississippi River mayors from 10 states agree to unify ports from the Corn Belt to the coast. 105 cities in 10 states along the Mississippi river have announced a cooperative agreement among the river’s ports to take on commerce-related policy actions together. These policy actions include everything from federal recognition to keeping the river navigable for the nearly $1 trillion in goods that travel along the Mississippi each year. Read more about how regional transportation networks impact your local economy. (Source: Route Fifty)
Climate
Two years in, US clean energy manufacturing boom is still going strong. The Inflation Reduction Act has generated over $115 billion in investments in domestic clean energy manufacturing since it was enacted in August 2022. The Biden Administration passed the Act to catalyze clean-tech manufacturing projects across the country, which created more than 42,000 jobs in 2023. Experts anticipate the momentum to continue as more than $2.4 billion in clean energy manufacturing facilities were announced in August 2024. Read more about the boost in domestic clean energy manufacturing. (Source: Canary Media)
Axios: California to ban all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores
DT Next: They’ve Got a Plan to Fight Global Warming. It Could Alter the Oceans
Canary Media: Colorado launches first-of-a-kind landfill methane monitoring program
Economic Development
22 states want to employ 1 million people in climate apprenticeships by 2035. In an effort to reduce the world’s carbon energy, increase sustainability, and bring awareness to climate-friendly jobs, the U.S. Climate Alliance is launching the Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative. This initiative aims to promote many different jobs in climate to lead to a net-zero future. Read more to learn about the U.S. Climate Alliance’s plan and goals for the initiative. (Source: The Hill)
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Brooklyn Navy Yard hosts Green Skills Summit to build 'green collar' workforce
Grist: This tweak to mortgage rules could save homeowners thousands in energy bills
Route Fifty: Hungry for affordable housing, communities turn to land trusts
Digital
Can real-time state data ease parents’ child-care woes? Iowa’s new real-time dashboard, Iowa Child Care Connect, aims to address child-care shortages by offering tools for locating providers, tracking vacancies, and analyzing supply and demand. The tool empowers data-driven decisions for parents, providers, and policymakers, supporting economic development and enhancing child-care accessibility across the state. Read more about how Iowa’s innovative approach to data-driven childcare solutions could serve as a model for other states facing similar challenges. (Source: GovTech)
Smart Cities Dive: NOAA, Climate Mayors ink agreement to bring more science, data tools to communities
Engadget: California's 'click to cancel' subscription bill is signed into law
Route Fifty: To fight online misinformation, engage with the 'trolls,' city leaders say
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