Energy Exchange

Illinois’ new EV Charging Act brings more equitable charging to renters

By Neda Deylami

UPDATE: Since this blog’s publication on June 15, 2023, the Chicago City Council has passed an ordinance aligning and complementing its existing EV readiness ordinance with the state law. Chicago’s 2020 ordinance was more stringent, requiring EV ready wiring in new residential and commercial construction rather than EV capable. Residential requirements only applied in homes of five units or more, whereas SB40 affects all new residential construction. Now, all residential parking spaces in new homes must be EV ready regardless of size. Like the state law, the updated code will require energy management systems, as well as reduction of requirements for affordable housing due to their unique permitting and funding timelines. The ordinance goes into effect for permits submitted after November 1, 2023.

The newly passed Illinois EV Charging Act will address the residential charging access gap by requiring new homes to have basic electrical infrastructure to support future EV charging and giving renters and condo owners a right to charge.

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Posted in Electric Vehicles, Illinois / Authors: / Comments are closed

Lack of standards could undermine global hydrogen market before it gets started

By Morgan Rote

Governments and industry around the world are wagering big on hydrogen to solve the climate and clean energy challenge.

But woefully insufficient global progress toward establishing strong climate, safety, social and sustainability standards is threatening to compromise the hydrogen market before it has a chance to get started.

With the looming threats posed by a rapidly warming climate, it’s a gamble of both time and money that we can’t afford to lose. It’s not just a matter of squandered resources; get it wrong enough, and we could even make the climate problem worse. Which means that before we roll these dice, it’s critical to have a set of commonly accepted standards to weigh our bets.

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Posted in Methane regulatons / Comments are closed

Beyond the application: what’s next for DOE’s hydrogen and direct air capture hubs, and how to engage in the process

By Jona Koka

The Department of Energy’s $7 billion  hydrogen (H2) and $3.5 billion direct air capture hubs program has been hailed as an opportunity to unleash innovation and create a new vision for industrial development. We’ve written about it before and agree this is a great opportunity to set a much higher bar for what high-quality projects could look like, including strong environmental protections and much deeper and more authentic partnership with communities.

But Environmental Defense Fund has been asked several times: How does this really work? What are the timelines? And how can I make my voice heard in the process?

For easy access, we’ve pulled together all the information in one place.

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Posted in General / Comments are closed

Once again evidence indicates stronger methane action needed in Canada

By Ari Pottens and Scott Seymour

Last week, the Canadian Government released new estimates for the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions of the potent climate pollutant methane. Methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas and is causing about a third of current global warming.

The oil and gas industry is the second largest source of methane in Canada, and according to the latest emissions inventory, it reduced emissions 34% from 2012 levels — the baseline level from which Canada measures its climate progress.

This indicates progress has been made since Canada first took steps in 2020 to help reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Unfortunately, a new report out today by an independent government auditor reveals that, due to significant flaws with the way Canada estimates emissions, it’s virtually impossible to know how much emissions have really been reduced. Study after study shows that emissions are up to twice as high as what the government reports.

The Commissioner’s report explains that “it cannot be certain” Environment and Climate Change Canada will hit its emission reduction target, despite the department’s assurance that it’s on track.

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Earth Day Italia Shines A Light On Methane

By Flavia Sollazzo

One of Italy’s most picturesque cities, Venice, topped the list of European regions most at risk for floods and sea level rise in a recent climate analysis from Cross Dependency Initiative. The research comes just weeks before thousands of environmental activists, experts, government officials, celebrities and citizens will descend on Rome for Earth Day Italia to stress the urgency and need for solutions that will create a healthier and safer planet for everyone.

One urgent climate opportunity has made this year’s main stage: methane.

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A North Star for Sustainable Aviation: Science, People and Nature.

By Pedro Piris-Cabezas and Glenda Chen

The Biden administration has worked to keep its promise to follow the science in dealing with challenges like housing, COVID, air pollution — and especially climate change. The next major test is coming soon. The Treasury Department is preparing to issue guidelines about which alternative fuels will qualify for federal refundable tax credits for sustainable aviation fuels created by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act.

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