The Future of What’s Next
The Mackinac Island Ferry Co., formerly known as Star Line, will replace two diesel engines with electric propulsion motors on its Chippewa vessel, then will transition the rest of its seven steel vessels to all-electric.
New orders for electric buses experienced unprecedented growth in 2022 driven, in part, by robust state and federal incentives, policy pressures and cost savings. With plenty of money in the pipeline, those purchases will continue.
The plan would require building upgrades and renovations in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on buildings with over 50,000 square feet of space. The cost to owners and tenants is an estimated $3.1 billion.
In Massachusetts, the latest piece of technology to take the Internet by storm — ChatGPT— helped craft a bill aimed at regulating AI. But, the lawmaker behind the bill says the tech isn't ready to write laws without help.
The state gave the isolated community of Cantua Creek a transportation lifeline: a fleet of four electric vehicles. The program worked for a few months, but then the cars disappeared and the infrastructure wasn't maintained.
The practice is more eco-friendly than traditional burial or cremation options and a group of state legislators are working on crafting a bill to, hopefully, get voted upon this session. Five states have already legalized the practice.
The state has ambitious goals to end natural-gas usage over the next several years as a way to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But storms and fires are more routinely causing residents to go days or weeks without power.
The first year of the state’s Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 was marked by billions being pledged on facilities to help the state meet that goal. But there still is a lot of work to be done.
The attention highlight the millions of dollars going toward connecting every resident and business, as well as the benefits of broadband for education, the workforce and economic development.
The Wildfire Emergency Act would accelerate forest restoration projects, create a program to maintain critical facilities’ power during disruptions, help low-income households fireproof their homes and establish a fire-training center.
The Alaska governor introduced two bills that would create a regulatory framework for geologic storage of carbon dioxide and for selling carbon offset credits, and could earn billions for the state. Many details are still unclear.
There's no question that a responsive, innovative government is more critical than ever. Here are some issues that are top of mind for state and local technology leaders as we take on the new year.
The state is the nation’s fourth-largest producer of marketed natural gas, but it powered just 4 percent of the state’s net electricity generation in 2021. The legislation would designate suitable sites for natural gas electric generation projects.
The rate of grid expansion needs to double to bring wind and solar online and would cost $700 billion. Advocates want utilities and grid operators to build infrastructure that aligns with the states’ clean energy goals.
The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission to procure 2.8 gigawatts of wind energy over the next 12 years, enough to power 980,000 homes. The turbines destined for the Gulf of Maine are still in development.
Democratic state lawmakers have asked Gov. Hochul to allot $10 billion for climate projects and proposed legislation that would require fossil fuel companies to pay for major storm-related issues and climate resiliency projects.
It’s hailed as the next wave of transformative technology, but artificial intelligence’s market growth and rapid deployment raise a host of issues, from safety to privacy to equity.
The Inflation Reduction Act allots more than $360 billion for business incentives to promote low-emission technology and manufacturing, which is also creating a competitive drive from businesses in Europe.
In Oregon, data centers and cryptocurrency miners would have to adhere to the same standards as big private utilities. If the bill passes, violation of the rules would result in hefty penalties and withheld tax breaks.
State coffers are overflowing, but inflation could put a pinch on spending plans and tax cuts. The labor market remains tight just when the demand for more teachers is skyrocketing. And then there are the ongoing culture wars. Welcome to 2023.
While some of the new policies’ impacts may not be immediate, the new laws will change the state’s future when it comes to oil and gas buffer zones, carbon capture and storage, renewable energy and more.
Lawmakers passed nearly 120 bills this past legislative session and some of the highest-profile bills have already gone into effect. But 20 new laws, from workers’ compensation to victim restitution, start on Jan. 1.
The plan would help make steep cuts in harmful emissions and protect public health, but it could come with significant costs to homeowners, businesses and the power grid. New York aims to cut emissions by 40 percent by 2030.
The state aims to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2035 and by 90 percent by 2050. The transportation sector accounts for almost 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. The new rule is based on California’s.
The Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan group that represents the state’s 30 largest cities, says its top recommendations for next year include remote work that could undermine local revenue, police training and gun reform.
We need to move toward a lower-energy future, but we can’t present it as a punishment.
Combining recycled plastic with asphalt could cut costs and waste as long as microplastics don’t leach into waterways. At least a dozen states in the past few years have started pilot programs to test plastic roads.
Academics and scientists say the state is likely to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change while it also has the capacity to develop infrastructure for swaths of climate migrants. But officials must begin adapting now.
As part of the agreement, France will send an “international technical expert” to Louisiana in an exchange effort to discover which industries might help the other government reduce carbon emissions.
A 260-mile corridor between Syracuse and Montreal has been approved by a consortium of international organizers in an effort to establish an “advanced air mobility” corridor for unmanned commercial cargo transport.
The path to delivering government services in accessible and efficient ways is through human-centered design and technology. Some programs are showing the way.
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