Resilience
States and localities are having to adjust to a changing climate, establishing new policies, rules and guidelines relating to energy, land use and water rights, as well as responding to emergencies triggered by more intense storms, floods and wildfires.
Local governments have jurisdiction over the third-largest source of methane emissions: the decomposition of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
San Francisco residents will vote in November on whether they want to permanently close two miles of coastline road from cars, which, if passed, will become a historic pedestrian project. But the city is deeply divided on the project’s impacts.
The state’s power grid produced abundant solar power during school hours this August and scarcity is primarily an issue after students have been dismissed for the day. But state Rep. Jared Patterson thinks a delayed start could have benefits.
In 2023 the state created the Texas Energy Fund to finance about 10 gigawatts of electric generation capacity in hopes of reducing strain on the ERCOT power grid. Regulators approved 17 companies to receive loans if their projects are viable.
As many as 450,000 barred owls could be killed across three Pacific Northwest states over the next 30 years to prevent the extinction of another type of owl. The program aims to kill less than 1 percent of the current barred owl population.
On Aug. 18 a slow-moving storm system brought remnants of Hurricane Ernesto to Connecticut and New York. Within 12 hours, the region saw two 1,000-year rainfalls just 35 miles apart. Experts say this will likely become more common.
Since the state has adopted its ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery stores, grocery stores just adopted thicker, multi-use plastic bags and the waste worsened. Now, lawmakers are proposing to block large grocery stores from offering plastic bags at all.
A bipartisan group of more than 350 mayors has committed to ambitious targets for fleet electrification and charging infrastructure.
If Eversource Energy, a New England energy provider, follows through with its plan to replace 49 miles of transmission lines in New Hampshire, Maine ratepayers may see changes to their monthly bills throughout the duration of the project.
The state’s largest current fire has encompassed nearly all 41,000 acres of the Ishi Wilderness, which hadn’t seen significant fire since 1990. No one from Cal Fire has been able to set foot in the wilderness area since the Park Fire began.
A study found that earthquakes before 2017 in Texas’ Delaware Basin originated at shallow depths that correspond to where wastewater from fracking was disposed. Nearly 2,000 earthquakes hit West Texas in 2021.
Minneapolis just unveiled a $60 million water tunnel to help the city manage runoff. But what about the state’s small rural communities?
Tribes in the Lower 48 states need about $1.9 billion over the next 50 years for climate-related infrastructure needs. But as oceans warm, rise and acidify, Indigenous communities across the coast are especially vulnerable.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits that reimburse governments for clean energy investments. New online resources make the program more understandable and accessible.
Despite fires and floods, they keep coming in search of affordability and warm winters. But there are strong signs that the stampede is slowing.
From buckling roads to twisted rails, it’s under a lot of stress. Engineers have some ideas for minimizing the problems.
Last year’s Lahaina wildfire killed 102 people and forced thousands to flee. But more than 90 percent of 1,478 residential lots have been cleared of fire-related debris and a historic settlement will resolve 450 lawsuits.
The state’s “exceptional” drought has caused historically low water levels this year, risking pasture loss, severe crop damage and depleting water resources.
Fire authorities wish people would stop doing stupid stuff like burning toilet paper, igniting smoke bombs or tossing cigarette butts out of cars. People, not nature, are responsible for most wildfires.
The large oil spill was first detected on Saturday and was traced back to a leaking fuel tank at the Crescent Midstream pumping station. So far, 17 aquatic salamanders, two turtles and one crawfish have been found dead as a result.
The money flowing from Washington can go a long way toward decarbonizing the buildings we live and work in. But it’s crucial to design the implementation of these projects to benefit everyone.
Michigan’s Homeowners’ Energy Policy Act will take effect in October and will prevent HOAs from blocking the installation of a wide range of energy-efficient measures at their homes. Residents of mobile home communities might be next.
Mark Twain famous aphorism, “History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” reminds us that while exact circumstances may be unique, patterns do in fact repeat. That is true meteorologically this year as the U.S. navigates through another summer of extreme weather.
At the current pace of development, the number of public electric vehicle chargers across the nation will outnumber gas stations in about eight years. Many even expect charger momentum to increase, shortening the predicted timeline.
On Monday, July 15, Chicago issued 16 tornado warnings, the most sent on a single day since 2004. In an average year, the state only experiences 50 tornadoes annually. But as the air becomes more humid, tornadoes will become more common.
The water was being siphoned at the top of an old coal ash pond for reuse at the Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset, Minn., but escaped after an underground pipe broke. Experts say the risk is low to local drinking water.
Heavy rains on Tuesday threatened failure of the 89-year-old Nashville, Mo., City Reservoir Dam, forcing about 200 people to evacuate their homes. More rain is expected across the region.
The state’s power grid maintained service throughout a nearly three-weeklong record-setting heat wave. Officials are crediting investments in clean energy, particularly in 10,000 megawatts of battery storage.
Regardless of the continuing partisan debates about climate change, Republican-led states are benefiting economically from clean energy investments.
No rainmaker, aqueduct or prayer can save the Ogallala Aquifer from depletion. The battle over its decline pits good policy against powerful agricultural and political interests.
The state has joined with other Northeastern states in an effort to plan and develop regional transmission infrastructure.
