Trends
Massachusetts is showing the way by going to the end users of the products and services governments buy. It’s good for suppliers as well, and produces better results for everyone.
Despite having billions more than anticipated, Gov. Gavin Newsom will not allocate any of the surplus budget funds for the bullet train. With many Republicans opposing the rail project, the decision may have been political.
Antioch, Calif., voted to join the public partnership that will use autonomous electric vehicles to shuttle passengers between public transportation and businesses. The four-city system will be operating by 2030.
How states choose to regulate insurance and liability for self-driving cars may impact how quickly consumers adopt them, but many questions remain around how and when to set these new policies.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law that will allow small “personal delivery devices” to operate on sidewalks and crosswalks, opening the door for robot deliveries. Some believe the pandemic encouraged lawmakers to approve the legislation.
As the definition of literacy evolves to include digital and technological literacy, libraries are also evolving to include new technologies in their offerings to meet a wide range of community needs.
House Democrats introduced legislation that would establish nationwide EV infrastructure within five years to allow a smoother transition away from gas vehicles, but Republicans argue it’s too much too fast.
To convert more than 240,000 housing units from gas- to electric-power could cost the city as much as $5.9 billion. Natural gas currently makes up 38 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Washington state hopes to implement solar farms as a way to achieve clean-energy goals and transition toward more renewable energy. But officials are having troubles finding places to install them.
The Legislature has approved bills to regulate utilities and set clean energy guidelines at the state level. Local governments, along with environmental groups, are strongly opposed.
The White House and California are proposing regulations that would force companies to become more climate transparent by revealing supply chain emissions, product pollution and daily carbon footprint reports.
President Biden wants to spend at least $15 billion to significantly increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations to 500,000 by 2030. Currently, there are just 42,000 stations nationwide.
The newly released numbers from the 2020 U.S. Census count showed the state will lose one of its seats in the House of Representatives in 2022. The seat was lost by a count of just 89 people.
Florida’s proposed election reform bill has been watered down after pushback from voting rights groups, but there are many county election officials who oppose the changes and wonder why changes are necessary at all.
Two federal departments are dropping Trump-era mandates which restricted states’ abilities to set their own vehicle emission standards. It is expected California will again lead the charge against climate pollution.
A small company in Franklinton is trying to convert old tires into oil, syngas and other commodities that could be used to power a variety of things. The company’s first aim is to use it to mine cryptocurrencies.
State Sen. Mona Das has proposed a bill that would increase the requirements of post-consumer-use recycled contents, limit the use of plastic utensils and straws and ban the use of plastic foam.
The Colorado city is considering a $1 hourly fee for those who charge their electric vehicles at city-owned charging stations. The fee will help pay for the cost of owning and maintaining the stations.
The region in Colorado is slowly emerging as a hub for quantum technology, which is already being used in cellphones and medical devices, and could provide a major boost to the state’s economy.
A new report analyzes which states have the most eco-friendly behavior, good environmental quality and contribute the most to reduce climate change. Rankings are split between blue and red states.
Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to reopen the state by June 15, but that timeline relies on low hospitalization rates and a consistent supply of COVID vaccines. It also counts on the state achieving herd immunity.
Ten years from now, we could be zipping through town by air like the Jetsons. But there are many complications to be worked out first.
The use of robots from companies like Starship Technologies for last-mile deliveries skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and legislators would do well to make them easier to deploy on city sidewalks.
Agrivoltaics — putting solar panels on farmland — lead to astonishing productivity gains and improved energy efficiency. Except when they don’t.
A bill that would have required voter identification when applying for mail-in ballots has been revised to just online applications. The bill’s author is adamant about the role ID would have in tightening election security.
Gov. David Ige has said the technology is being tested but will not be ready for at least four weeks. The state is slowly beginning to consider lifting some of its other travel restrictions.
As the auto industry begins transitioning towards all-electric vehicles, some carmakers are trying to develop low-emission synthetic fuel for internal combustion engines in the meantime. But fuel alternatives are costly.
The bill would establish a system that allows voters to submit their voter registration materials online, enable electronic approval of applications and let residents digitally update their voter registration information.
The proposed American Jobs bill will award $80 billion across eight years for Amtrak improvements, and the railway would use some of the funding to add up to 30 new routes by 2035.
Congress has filed a bill that would provide $205 billion for high-speed rail projects across the nation. But skeptics don’t think a bullet train will ever come to Texas after a decade of empty promises.
To achieve the 2040 goal of powering all electricity from zero-carbon sources, the state will need to more than double their 2030 goals. Currently, about 65 percent of Connecticut’s electricity comes from zero-emission sources.
