To Apply, Or Not? EPA’s New Clean School Bus Grant Program, Deciphered
In general, I love the arms-wide-open, let’s-include-everyone approach to things, whether it’s a social gathering at my house, or a funding program for electric school buses (ESBs). Last year’s rebate program definitely had that spirit; the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean School Bus Program awarded almost one billion to 389 schools and Tribes in year one of […]
SunZia Southwest Transmission Project Receives Final Federal Approval
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued its record of decision last week for the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project, a precursor to its final right-of-way grant required for construction on federal lands, which is expected in the next month or so. The SunZia transmission line will traverse approximately 520 miles of federal, state and private lands, […]
Tempe Accelerates Creation of New Jobs
Tempe has been selected to join a new national peer-learning cohort to accelerate city efforts to design, develop and launch a workforce initiative that builds pathways into good jobs. The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy, led by the National League of Cities and the Department of Labor, works with municipalities to spur innovative and scalable […]
New solar canopy aims to energize Univ. of Arizona campus
Heading into the start of the Fall 2023 semester, Univ. of Arizona students should enjoy hanging out along the corner of 4th and Highland. A brand new 20-foot solar canopy will not only give them plenty of shade; the project will also collect energy to power campus. Nine On Your Side talked to UA’s Planning, […]
In low-income Phoenix neighborhoods, the lack of shade trees is a question of equity
In central Phoenix, rows of multidecadal Aleppo pines and evergreens form lush corridors along residential city streets. Their canopies expand over roadways and sidewalks, diverting the Phoenix sun, allowing for a thriving ecosystem of human activity to form within its cover. Couples walk on sidewalks pushing strollers, a teenager rides his bike in the designated […]
The Clean Energy Boom In Communities of Color
Since the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) became law in August 2022, companies are racing forward with massive investments to build our clean energy future. New manufacturing in wind, solar, batteries, and electric vehicles — along with storage projects across the country — means new, good-paying jobs for hard-working Americans. In the months since the […]
The Inflation Reduction Act Sparks a Clean Energy Revival for Rural Businesses
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making a massive investment of almost $11 billion in clean energy for rural communities, with funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. That should come as no surprise. From the hydropower dams of the Great Depression to the present day, clean energy has been a running theme in […]
Arizona Edition: Private investment behind AZ clean energy projects tops $7B
August 2022 saw the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. The focus was to lower prescription drug prices and drive investment in clean energy. Despite its name the legislation is considered some of the most significant passed that addresses the subject of climate change. Policy analysts call it the third of a trifecta of legislation that […]
Biden Administration to support workforce in Phoenix, Tempe as ASU is selected to lead clean energy project
The Biden administration this week announced new strategies to train and connect workers across the country to jobs resulting from passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, with a special focus on investments in Phoenix and Tempe. The new strategies are meant to build off the President’s Roadmap to Support Good Jobs, […]
Arizona Trail, a ‘Lifeline’ for Many, Under Threat by Wildfires
The Arizona Trail stretches 800 miles across Arizona, from Mexico to Utah. The trek is considered by many a “lifeline,” under threat with fire season fast approaching. Matthew Nelson, Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association, said the trail helps sustain communities such as Superior and Miami, Arizona, which benefit from eco and outdoor adventure tourism. […]
