The revolving door at public utilities commissions? It’s alive and well
If the words “public utilities commission” put you to sleep, you’re not alone. These are the government agencies that regulate utilities — companies that supply us with electricity, gas, water and more. All 50 states have them — and as boring as they sound, their work affects our daily lives. Utilities commissions have a key […]
Climate change has made home insurance hard to get in California, and Arizona could be next
Several major homeowner’s insurance companies have effectively pulled out of California. State Farm announced recently it will no longer sell most types of new insurance policies in the entirety of the Golden State. Allstate stopped selling new home insurance policies there last year. Why? State Farm cited wildfires and sky-high construction costs. Or, to use their phrase: […]
Tucson Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap Receives Award
The City of Tucson Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Roadmap was honored recently by Arizona Forward in the Climate Action Solutions Category of the 2023 Environmental Excellence Awards. The Roadmap is paving the way to help historically underserved communities access affordable, clean transportation powered by locally sourced clean and renewable energy. Since adopting the EV Roadmap in April 2021, the […]
Tucson’s final city budget will spend big on climate
Two weeks ago it was reported in this space that the City Manager Mike Ortega’s 2023-24 budget included $1.5 million from the general fund. That’s a snarky paltry sum and just a small part of the story, it turns out. Ortega’s budget wasn’t particularly easy to follow. That is the amount in the city’s general fund […]
Phoenix earmarks $3.5 million for trees and shade canopy programs
For the second time in a year, Phoenix is earmarking millions in federal funds to add trees and shade canopies to neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In June 2022, Phoenix set aside $6 million to add trees and shade to neighborhoods and schools in qualifying census tracts – that typically means lower income areas. On […]
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 […]
