Author: Rocket Lawyer Staff Published: 2/20/2024 Rocket Lawyer
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Open Letter To President Barack Obama July 8,2016 | Contact us at 202-246-4924 or info@positivechangepc.com!
Author: Rocket Lawyer Staff Published: 2/20/2024 Rocket Lawyer
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Author: WHOPSO Staff Published: 2/20/2024 White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach
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Author: Kiley Price Published: 2/20/2024 Inside Climate News
After a torrential downpour, most post-storm damages are impossible to miss: submerged cars, houses torn in half by fallen trees, debris floating through the streets. But in California, extreme weather is also mixing up a soup of rain and disease.
Climate-fueled outbreaks: In Southern California, an atmospheric river unleashed more than a foot of rain in parts of the region at the start of February. These types of storms also ravaged the state last year, following a decades-long period of drought. The climate-fueled cycle of rain and drought is driving an uptick in a fungal disease known as coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever, reported Grist last week. As it rains, the fungi proliferates in the soil, and when it dries out, spores are kicked up from the ground and into people’s noses or throats, potentially leading to pneumonia-like symptoms of cough and fever.
Scientists sounded the alarm bells for rising Valley fever cases due to changing environmental conditions in 2022, but the data has since become even more stark. There were more than 9,280 new cases of Valley fever with onset dates in 2023, which is the highest number ever recorded in this region by the California Department of Public Health. Around 200 people in the United States die from severe cases of this respiratory disease every year.
A report released last week by scientists at San Diego State University further underscored the severity of this public health threat, adding that wastewater can also carry toxic chemicals alongside bacteria. California government representatives are currently advocating for $310 million in federal funds to refurbish the state’s dilapidated sewage treatment plant at the border — an increasingly urgent request as the state currently faces another round of storms fueled by the atmospheric rivers.
Disease, water and war: Unfortunately, this kind of post-storm sewage overflow can be seen well beyond California. In November, wastewater flowed through the streets of Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas War as storms pummeled the region and sanitation services stopped operating. With a short supply of clean drinking water, civilian camps were ravaged by disease, and cases of diarrhea in children under five increased from 48,000 to 71,000 in just one week starting Dec. 17, according to UNICEF.
“Our whole family has diarrhea that seems to be caused by the water we drink, or the cold weather,” Mahmoud Aziz, a 36-year-old who fled to Rafah, told the Washington Post on Dec. 13. “We leave the windows open because of the bombing; we are afraid of the glass if there is a bombing.”
On Feb. 12, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 100 people in Rafah.
A judge in Montana recently ruled in favor of landowners and ranchers fighting against a housing development project near Helena that could have put further stress on steadily declining groundwater reserves.
Public defiance: Initially, the state and county governments had signed off on a developer’s plans to build 39 homes that would pull their water from wells, a project that was challenged by local residents in central Montana. But Broadwater County District Court Judge Michael McMahon found that the county commission and state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) had conducted an “abjectly deficient” environmental assessment for the housing construction.
His 85-page order stated that the offices’ approval of the project displayed “hostility” toward a previous court ruling that requires the government to consider the potential harms to the environment and groundwater before allowing for development.
“It should give DNRC pause that citizens with seemingly no legal training appear to have a better grasp of the exempt well limits than DNRC, the agency charged with administering the Water Use Act,” McMahon wrote.
While the coalition fighting this project celebrated the ruling, developers worried about its long-term implications.
“Where are we going to house citizens of Montana?” Eugene Graf, president of the Montana Building Industry Association, told The New York Times, adding that he hopes state lawmakers revise the law.
Shutting off the tap: If upheld, the “landmark” decision has the potential to curtail many new development projects in rural Montana, reported the Montana Free Press. The ruling isn’t the first of its kind: At the end of January, the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state can restrict new groundwater pumping if it will negatively affect other users and wildlife, while Arizona’s governor is pushing for broad reforms and the creation of groundwater-minded laws across the state, as my colleague Wyatt Myskow reported in December.
These actions come amid a widespread reckoning against rampant groundwater usage. Last August, a New York Times investigation revealed that much of the U.S. is facing drastic declines in their aquifers as climate-fueled droughts force residents to rely more on groundwater supplies for water than rain or snowpack. More recently, a study showed that this pattern can be seen globally, with aquifers shrinking around the world.
But not all hope is lost.
“We also find cases where declining groundwater trends have been reversed following clever interventions,” Scott Jasechko, a water resources expert at the University of California, Santa Barbara who co-led the study, told my colleague Liza Gross.
For example, Tucson, Arizona, reversed groundwater declines in some areas by constructing “leaky ponds,” which seeped much-needed water into aquifers, the study’s authors wrote in The Conversation.
Hawaii is Considering a ‘Climate Tax’ for Tourists: Gov. Josh Green is spearheading a push to charge island visitors with a $25 tax to help offset the environmental impact of tourism, Jeremy Yurow reports for USA Today. The proposed bill would allocate the money toward initiatives to restore coral reefs, build greener infrastructure and implement measures to prevent wildfires like the ones that tore through Lahaina on Maui in August.
A New Satellite Tool Will Help Users Map Methane Leaks: Google recently partnered with the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund to launch an AI-based satellite tool that could offer the most detailed look yet of global methane emissions from oil and gas operations. This could help governments pinpoint and plug the “types of machinery that contribute most to methane leaks,” Yael Maguire, who leads geo-sustainability efforts at Google, told James O’Donnell for MIT Technology Review.
An update following Friday’s newsletter … which covered the intense debate between Maine’s lobster industry and conservationists after an endangered North Atlantic right whale washed ashore in Martha’s Vineyard with lobster gear entangling its tail: Another dead North Atlantic right whale was spotted last week off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, this time with injuries consistent with a vessel strike. Boat collisions are one of the other leading killers of this marine giant alongside gear entanglements, and I covered a deep-dive of this issue in October if you’d like to learn more.
Author: Stacey M. Brown Published: 2/15/2024 Washington Informer Newspaper
The Biden-Harris administration has unveiled its Equity Action Plans for federal agencies in a continued push for equity and racial justice. This release marks the first anniversary of President Biden’s second Executive Order on Equity, outlining strategies to address systemic barriers and promote inclusivity in policies and programs.
Since taking office, officials tout how the administration has championed an equity and racial justice agenda, ensuring equal opportunities for all communities. However, they acknowledged that, despite progress, historical disparities persist in laws and public policies, hindering the advancement of underserved communities.
In a fact sheet released Wednesday, administration officials said the White House has actively implemented two historic Executive Orders on equity, the President’s Investing in America Agenda, and key legislation to advance opportunity and fulfill Biden’s promise of America for everyone.
“Since day one of our administration, President Biden and I have been fully committed to ensuring that every person in America has equitable access to opportunity and the ability to thrive,” Vice President Kamala Harris remarked.
On the first anniversary of the second equity executive order, federal agencies, including all cabinet-level agencies, released their 2023 equity action plans. The White House said these plans include measures to increase access to federal contracting dollars, address discrimination in the housing market, promote environmental justice, tackle health disparities, bolster civil rights enforcement, and combat bias in technology.
The administration also released a White House Progress Report on Equity, showcasing over 650 actions taken by agencies since the release of their 2022 Equity Action Plans. The actions range from increasing access to federal funding for small, disadvantaged businesses to addressing health disparities and promoting fairness in the justice system.
In her statement, Harris celebrated the past year’s accomplishments and reiterated the commitment to addressing remaining barriers.
“Together, we will continue to advance equity across the federal government, not only in hiring and appointments but in the historic investments we are making in communities that had been overlooked for far too long,” she stated.
Author: WHOPE Staff Published: 2/14/2024 Office of Public Engagement
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Author: DCPSC Staff Published: 2/13/2024 DCPSC
Staff from the DCPSC Office of Compliance and Enforcement were on the scene of a major natural gas explosion that rocked the 1200 block of Marion Barry Ave SE in Anacostia on Jan. 17. Washington Gas has been in contact with the Commission and will soon file an official report detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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Author: Smith, Tyrone Published: 2/10/2024 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs. One of the main goals and statutory requirements is foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by women and socially or economically disadvantaged persons. https://www.sbir.gov/
Currently, less than 25% of total minority and women small business applicants are applying for SBIR and others funding opportunities with the Department of Energy. We want to increase the number of minority and women small business applicants in the SBIR program within the Department of Energy. Further, the applicants will use resources and webinars to understand SBIR to be competitive in the process. Department of Energy has program(s) that will walk you through the applicants process.
What does a SBIR firm look like?
The SBIR program has Three Phases:
Phase I. The objective of Phase I is to establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed R/R&D efforts and to determine the quality of performance of the small business awardee organization prior to providing further Federal support in Phase II. SBIR/STTR Phase I awards are generally $50,000 – $250,000 for 6 months (SBIR) or 1 year (STTR).
Phase II. The objective of Phase II is to continue the R/R&D efforts initiated in Phase I. Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the project proposed in Phase II. Typically, only Phase I awardees are eligible for a Phase II award. SBIR/STTR Phase II awards are generally $750,000 for 2 years.
Phase III. The objective of Phase III, where appropriate, is for the small business to pursue commercialization objectives resulting from the Phase I/II R/R&D activities. The SBIR/STTR programs do not fund Phase III. At some Federal agencies, Phase III may involve follow-on non-SBIR/STTR funded R&D or production contracts for products, processes or services intended for use by the U.S. Government.
Our goal is for all applicants to apply and be competitive in the process. Also, share with other minority business and minority educational institutions. For further information please contact me Tyrone Smith tyrone.smith@hq.doe.gov.
Thanks,
Tyrone
Tyrone W. Smith
Senior Operations Research Analyst
Minority Business and Workforce Division
Office of Energy Justice and Equity (EJE)
Department of Energy
Mobile: (240) 805-4362
Alternate Mobile: (202) 578-6275
Author: Rev. Dr. Ambrose F. Carroll, Sr. Published:2/8/2024 Green The Church
Greetings, Ronald! Here’s what’s new from Green The Church!
Green The Church Founder Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll is the featured presenter at the 10th Anniversary Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership, this Saturday, February 10, from 9am to 12pm Central. In person or online, please join for a transformative reflection on Genesis 1:1-3 and Psalms 24:1 as Pastor Carroll delves into the intersection of theology and ecology and inspires us to embrace the mantle of creation care, explore innovative business ideas, and foster initiative-focused faith. Full event information and registration here.
On February 7, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final updated air quality standards for soot pollution to address historic inequities and injustices, including cleaning up the air in communities of color and lower-wealth areas already overburdened by pollution. With this stronger standard, the administration is taking an important step to protect public health. Thanks to everyone who answered our calls to action and contacted the EPA! Read an article on the update here.
Check out the most recent episode of THE R.A.C.E. (Resilience, Aboriginal, Courageous, Empowered) podcast, Holistic Ministry: Transforming Communities Through Green Theology, for an in-depth discussion of the intersections of faith, environmentalism, and community empowerment.
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Author: US DOE Staff Published: 2/8/2024 EERE
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Author: US DOE (BETO) Staff Published: 2/8/2024 Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Beth Bingham
bbingham@ghhi.org
443-692-8317
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Awarded $50 Million EPA Environmental
Justice Thriving Communities Grant
Baltimore, MD, December 20, 2023—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
today awarded the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) a $50 million grant as part of
its Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (EJ TCGM). GHHI is
one of just 11 organizations selected nationally to provide pass-through grant funds via
subawards to community-based nonprofit organizations and other eligible subrecipient
groups representing underserved and disadvantaged communities to build capacity to
advance environmental justice.
“We are honored to be selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lead
Region 3’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program. GHHI
brings to this Program our deeply rooted commitment to and understanding of the value of
building community-based capacity to address and reverse the effects of historic
disinvestment in environmental justice communities,” said Ruth Ann Norton, President and
CEO of GHHI. “We applaud the EPA for its thoughtful commitment to understanding the
need for capacity building support. The work to address environmental justice issues
reflects our own understanding as a nation that every American deserves the opportunity to
live in healthy and climate resilient communities.”
The diverse partners joining with GHHI on this effort in EPA Region 3 include Black
Millennials 4 Flint, BlocPower, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Children’s National Hospital,
Chisholm Legacy Project, Coalition for Green Capital, Delaware State University, Howard
University, Invest Appalachia, JustFund, NAACP Maryland, New Ecology, United Parents
Against Lead, Virginia Humanities, Virginia Poverty Law Center, and Women for a Healthy
Environment.
“It is a privilege to lead and work alongside these groups whose dedication to lifting up
disadvantaged communities and ensuring better health, economic, and social outcomes is
as unwavering as our own,” said Norton. “The EJ TCGM program provides an
unprecedented opportunity to leverage the investments made possible by the Inflation
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
Reduction Act to make tangible and transformative differences in communities throughout
the region and across the country.”
GHHI will serve as the EPA Region 3 Grantmaker for the EJ TCGM. Leveraging its 30-year
experience in health and environmental programs, GHHI will use a strong participatory
governance framework to build capacity in underserved areas, ensuring robust fulfillment of
TJ TCGM’s goals. The organization and its partners will engage the community through a
stakeholder advisory board, partnerships, and mechanisms for providing direct feedback to
adapt frequently to the needs of communities, particularly those from disadvantaged or
underserved areas.
“We are proud of GHHI for being selected as the EPA Region 3 Environmental Justice
Thriving Communities Grantmaker,” said Joy Thomas Moore, Chair of the Board of
Directors at GHHI. “The organization has three decades of experience working in and with
communities to build capacity and address the social determinants of health and equity.
GHHI works everyday with community-based organizations across the country to help them
access and leverage funds that enable them to create positive change, so we are wellpositioned to lead this EPA effort to reduce barriers to access federal EJ funds.”
“This program will invest tens of millions of dollars into underserved communities in the MidAtlantic Region, helping people that have typically been on the outside looking in. The
projects that come out of this program will clean up communities, revitalize neighborhoods,
and create a strong and vibrant workforce,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator
Adam Ortiz.
Learn more about the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmakers here.
About the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to
addressing the social determinants of health, opportunity and equity through the creation of
healthy, safe and energy efficient homes. By delivering a standard of excellence in its work,
GHHI aims to eradicate the negative health impacts of unhealthy housing and unjust policies for
children, seniors and families to ensure better health, economic and social outcomes in
historically disinvested communities – with an emphasis on communities of color.
GHHI has project offices in Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Michigan, Rhode Island,
Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and leads programs in states and communities across the
country, including New York, California, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and others.
Author: Aswad Walker Published: 1/23/2024 Defender Network
The HBCU received funding through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action in history.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University was selected as one of the 11 “Grantmakers” under its $600 billion Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) program.
The program was created by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in climate action in history.
“I am proud to say Texas Southern University is the HBCU that served as the launching pad for my environmental justice career way back in 1979 — before EJ had a name or initials,” said Dr. Robert D. Bullard, the Center’s namesake, who is often referred to as the “father of environmental justice.”
“And today, 44 years later, TSU was selected to serve as a Regional Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker,” Bullard added.
It makes perfect sense that a Center located in the Bayou City would be a recipient of this EPA grant. Why? Because of all of Houston’s national accolades, including being the most diverse city in the nation, one area the city leads the country in could be the death of us. Literally, no city in the nation pollutes its air and thus its residents like Houston.
Along with the Bullard Center, the city is home to Air Alliance Houston, founded in the late 1980s to reduce the public health impacts of air pollution and advance environmental justice through research, education, and advocacy. Additionally, Houston’s Furr High School is the first environmental justice magnet high school in the U.S.
RELATED: New Tools Empower Black Communities on the Frontlines of Climate Change
Houston’s Fifth Ward has made national news for being smack dab in the middle of a major cancer cluster so toxic that the city is investing $5 million to relocate residents.
The Center will work closely with its community-based organization partner, Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS), led by Bridgette Murray, who is focused on engaging, educating, and empowering communities impacted by industrial sources of pollution.
“ACTS is honored to serve as a partner for the Bullard Center. Our success as a community-based organization is a result of the mentorship of the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium and the Houston Data to Action Project, which provided both technical and financial assistance. It is our desire to assist other nonprofit organizations in the environmental justice space to lead mitigation efforts in their own communities. It is our belief this award will assist other communities to thrive in their desire to improve their own quality of life and health,” said Murray, who is a native Houstonian.
ACTS has been a long-time collaborative partner of the Bullard Center as a member of the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium and the Houston Data to Action Project.
“Texas Southern University is proud to advance this critically important work of environmental and climate justice with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s support,” said TSU’s interim president, Dr. Mary Sias. “This is another example of the Bullard Center’s continued leadership on these often overlooked issues. We look forward to the tangible difference that will be made in underserved communities as a result of the Thriving Communities initiative.”
RELATED: The Kids Suing the EPA Over Climate Change Are Black and Brown Too
The Bullard Center will also work with the EPA Region 6 EJ Thriving Communities Technical Assistance (TCTAC), South Central Environmental Justice Resource Center at New Mexico State University, HBCU-CBO Consortia, and the National Black Environmental Justice Network to maximize the impact of these combined environmental justice funds — and ensure the funds follow the need — directed to communities and organizations that historically have been left out and left behind.
This new Grantmakers Program is designed to make it easier for small community-based organizations to access subgrant funding by reducing obstacles and barriers.
“Our plan includes streamlining grant application and submission procedures, providing resources and technical assistance, improving the efficiency of the awards process, building in a more diverse pool of reviewers, and adopting a transparent tracking and reporting system, with the goal of ensuring communities that have long faced underinvestment can access the benefits of the IRA,” says Bullard.
The Grantmakers Program has tremendous potential to deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative whose goal is to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Communities will be able to apply to our Grantmakers Program for subgrants to fund a range of different environmental project activities, including (but not limited to) small local clean-ups, local emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency programs, environmental workforce development programs for local jobs reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fence-line air quality and asthma-related projects, healthy homes programs, and projects addressing illegal dumping and a host of other environmental areas.
For more information on the EPA Grantmakers Program, click HERE.
This post was originally published on Defender Network
Author: Nish Amarnath Published: 2/2/2024 Utility Dive
The U.S. Department of Energy is allocating $171 million to 49 projects and inviting applications for an additional $83 million to cut emissions in hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors.
The 49 selected projects, spanning 21 states, are managed by the DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office. They will support high-impact, applied research, development and pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration projects aimed at reining in energy usage and GHG emissions from industrial subsectors like the chemicals business, the DOE said.
The agency noted that the projects will also advance cross-sector industrial decarbonization approaches to addressing industry challenges. Private industry selectees will lead 16 of these projects, while academic institutions will take charge of 22. DOE national laboratories will take eight other projects under their wing, the department said, with the full list of selectees and project award amounts available on its website.
Chemicals businesses represent around 40% of all industrial energy use and emissions in the U.S., the DOE said. To cut emissions from energy-intensive chemicals and industrial products like fuels, polymers and paints, the DOE said $30.5 million is being channeled toward six projects that will focus on decarbonization technologies like advanced separations processes and advanced reactor systems.
Around $37 million is being invested in seven projects that address decarbonization in iron and steel production, such as developing manufacturing technologies that can reduce emissions, electrify existing manufacturing processes, tackle scrap contaminants in recycling and overcome challenges with utilizing hydrogen in steelmaking.
Ten projects, awarded $25.3 million, will develop technologies for equipment and components to decarbonize industrial thermal processes, and six other projects receiving $20.7 million will focus on research and development activities that can speed up the development of commercially ready hydrogen-fueled process heating technology and combined heat and power with flexible low-carbon input, the DOE said.
The additional $83 million made available will focus on applied research and development for the highest GHG-emitting industrial subsectors, specifically chemicals and fuels; iron and steel; food and beverage; building and infrastructure materials; and forest products. The DOE said that these industries account for more than 65% of U.S. industrial manufacturing emissions.
Concept papers are due March 19 at 5 p.m., with full applications due June 11, the DOE said. Its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy “envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements,” with each award expected to have a performance period lasting about 12 months to 36 months, the DOE said.
The department noted that selecting projects for award negotiations does not reflect its commitment to issue an award or provide funding and that a negotiated process will unfold between applicants and the department before funding is issued.
Author: Roland Martin Published: 2/2/2024 Black Star Network
Power of the Black Men’s Vote in 2024: GOTV Gathering of Black Men at The House of Hathor
Thank you,
Black Star Network Team
Author: Amanda N. Jackson Published: 2/2/2024 Americans For Reforms
Ronald,
Biganks took $15 billion in overdraft fees from us… and that was just in 2019. This predatory and financially damaging practice harms low-income, Black, and brown families the most. These fees prey on our communities constantly. It’s a major reason why consumers of color are 4-5 times more likely to be unbanked than white consumers.[1]
But this practice does not have to remain in place.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed a policy to limit overdraft fees. Often as high as $39, the proposal would have banks either cap — somewhere between $3 and $14 — or force them to disclose how truly outrageous these fees are. And since AFR has been involved on this issue for quite some time, we’re going to be full speed ahead on organizational and individual submissions on why this move is necessary.
Your experience will help support the strongest action possible by the CFPB. Here are some questions to help get you started:
We welcome any and all experiences you can share with us.
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No story or moment of financial uncertainty is too small and all efforts support eliminating excessive fees a reality.
Thank you for sharing your story today.
– Amanda
Amanda N. Jackson (she/her)
Director of Consumer Campaigns
Americans for Financial Reform
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Author: WHCEQ Staff Published: 2/2/2024 White House Council on Environmental Quality
Since Day One, President Biden has led and delivered on the most ambitious climate agenda in history, which is lowering energy costs for hardworking Americans, creating millions of good-paying jobs, safeguarding the health of our communities, and ensuring America leads the clean energy future. Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a temporary pause on approvals of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports. Read President Biden’s statement on the decision.
Also last week, the United States Postal Service (USPS), alongside White House officials, unveiled its first set of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center (S&DC). Charging stations like these will be installed at hundreds of new S&DCs across the country throughout the year and will power what will be the nation’s largest EV fleet.
(L to R) Leslie Johnson-Frick, USPS S&DC Launch Team Executive Director; Louis DeJoy, USPS Post Master General and CEO; Andrew Mayock, CEQ Chief Sustainability Officer; Brenda Mallory, CEQ Chair; and John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation visit new EV charging stations at the U.S. Postal Service’s South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center.
The Biden-Harris Administration also announced:
GET INVOLVED!
UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS
February 14 and 15, 2024: Voyage to Justice: Equity & Climate Justice Forum: Join the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) inaugural Voyage to Justice: Equity & Climate Justice Forum from 8:30am – 4:30pm ET. During this free two-day in-person event, federal agencies, local governments, community stakeholders, advocacy organizations, and others will convene to exchange ideas and approaches through interactive discussions on advancing climate and environmental justice. Learn more and register here.
February 16, 2024: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Roadshow: EPA’s second roadshow event is scheduled for February 16 in San Bernardino, CA from 5:30 to 8:30 PM PT. This event provides opportunities for community leaders and potential grant applicants to hear about significant Investing in America funding opportunities and technical assistance, develop or deepen new community-based partnerships, and brainstorm how to confront the climate crisis and advance environmental justice in your community.
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Federal agencies are seeking public input to help inform the development of funding opportunities, grant processes, policy and program implementation. Below is a list of open Requests for Information and Public Comment.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Request for Information Regarding Department of Homeland Security Activities and Advancing Environmental Justice
White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ): Request for Information on the Environmental Justice Scorecard
Department of Energy: Request for Information: Supporting Successful Solar Plus Storage Deployment Serving Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities
RESOURCE HUB
AP News: Biden delays consideration of new natural gas export terminals, citing climate risk
Reuters: Biden administration announces $207 million for fertilizer, rural clean-energy projects
Bloomberg: More Than 1,000 New EV Stations Have Come Online in the US Since Summer
Tech Times: US Postal Service Launches EV Charging Stations, Sets Sights on Largest Electric Fleet
WBAL TV: Baltimore City Public Schools unveils fleet of 25 new electric school buses
Religion News Service: Agriculture Department, Church of God in Christ make plans for funds to add trees to urban centers
Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP)
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration took another step forward in tackling the climate crisis.
We announced a temporary pause on pending decisions of Liquefied Natural Gas exports. This gives us the opportunity to assess the impacts of these exports on energy costs, America’s energy security, and our environment.
@POTUS and I are delivering on the most ambitious climate agenda in history.
Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (@SecGranholm)
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has spurred a new industrial revolution in clean energy, driving billions in announced private investments back to our shores. http://Energy.gov/invest maps the latest announcements—including nuclear and heat pump manufacturing.
Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory (@BrendaMallory46)
From restoring wetlands and building new parks to reconnecting wildlife habitat and protecting more than 26 million acres of lands and waters, @POTUS’ conservation efforts are accelerating across the country to the benefit of families and communities. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/news-updates/2024/01/26/historic-conservation-progress-the-2023-america-the-beautiful-report/
CENT BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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Author: Stacy M. Brown Published: 2/2/2024 Washington Informer News
Good afternoon, it’s February 2nd, and we’re starting the day with a tribute to Joe Madison, the renowned radio host and civil rights activist who passed away earlier this week. We’ll also cover D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s kickoff of Black History Month and the urgent warning from the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development about the world’s lack of preparedness for climate shocks. Plus, we’ll highlight a local production company’s first NAACP Image Awards nominations.
Tributes continued to pour in throughout Friday for the talk show host, activist and philanthropist known as “The Black Eagle.” After a lengthy bout with prostate cancer, Joe Madison the popular SiriusXM host died on Feb. 1 at 74.
Those familiar with the popular SiriusXM host and his legacy noted his death, fittingly, comes as America observes the start of Black History Month.
“For the over 60 years that I have been in the civil rights movement, Joe Madison has been an effective freedom fighting communicator. His radio show informed and listed the aspirations of African Americans and others to continue to cry out for freedom, justice and equality,” said celebrated activist and President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis. “Black radio was a key force that helped to keep the freedom movement and therefore in the passing of Joe Madison we must fight to keep Madison’s courage and use of the radio and media to continue the March for freedom.”
Even the Biden-Harris administration acknowledged Madison as a freedom fighting force.
“Whether it was a hunger strike for voting rights or his advocacy for anti-lynching legislation that I was proud to sign in 2022, Joe fought hard against injustice,” President Joe Biden said in a statement with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Madison aligned his platform with his purpose,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “Through his decades-long career in radio, he championed the fight for equity and justice. Our nation is better because of his voice.”
Activist and radio and television personality, the Rev. Mark Thompson, told The Informer, Madison was a leader in activism over the airwaves.
“Joe and I were coworkers for over three decades— first at Radio One and WOL, and then at Sirius XM. But we were not just coworkers, we were co-activists,” Thompson said. “Joe coined the term for himself, ‘radio activist,’ but we would all do well to live up to that term to live up to that name in his memory.”
Radio personality Tavis Smiley also released a statement in Madison’s honor. “Pulling and praying for the family of Joe Madison,” Smiley said. “He loved us so, and was dedicated to our freedom and liberation everyday he cracked the mic. His voice will be sorely missed.”
According to his official bio, the native of Dayton, Ohio, was an All-Conference running back at Washington University in St. Louis where he was also a baritone soloist in the university choir and a disc jockey at the campus radio station. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology, becoming the first person in his family to graduate college.
At age 24, he became the youngest executive director of the NAACP’s Detroit branch before being appointed the organization’s national political director and eventually being elected to the national board of directors where he served for 14 years.
During his tenure at the NAACP, Madison led hundreds of volunteers on a series of successful voter registration marches, including a cross-country “March for Dignity” from Los Angeles to Baltimore. The marches garnered thousands of signatures for an anti-apartheid bill in Congress.
Madison’s radio career began in 1980 at Detroit’s WXYZ. He continued his broadcast journey to WWDB in Philadelphia, WWRC and WOL in Washington, D.C. The popularity of his WOL program led to syndication on the Radio One Talk Network and its XM satellite channel which merged with Sirius to become SiriusXM in 2008. In 2023, Madison celebrated his 15th anniversary with SiriusXM.
In 2015, Madison set the Guinness World Record for the longest on-air broadcast, 52 hours. During the record-breaking show, he raised more than $250,000 for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Five months later, Madison made history again by broadcasting live from Cuba and becoming the first American radio host to do so in more than 50 years.
Veteran journalist Charles Robinson, Madison’s longtime producer, shared what the activist contributed to radio.
“He was in the unique vanguard of Black radio,” Robinson said. “He was topical, funny and tough.”
In 2021, Madison went on a 73-day hunger strike to encourage passage of voting rights bills. Unbeknownst to his listeners, he was fighting prostate cancer during his hunger strike. When asked if he understood the danger he was in, he replied, “I am willing to die.”
His bio further noted that a few months after his hunger strike, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed in the Senate with the help of Madison’s continued push on the radio. His efforts were noticed by many, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who publicly thanked him for another fight for justice.
Author: Kavya Balaraman Published: 2/1/2024 Utility Dive
The overall outlook for the energy storage sector is relatively optimistic, with growing adoption driven by factors like renewable energy integration, grid stability, and the electrification of various industries, Prabhu said. In 2024, the sector is poised for continued growth, with installations and overall capacity expected to increase significantly as demand rises and the price of battery packs and energy storage system components decrease, he said.
Some of the largest venture capital funding deals that took place last year in the energy storage space include fleet electrification and battery storage company Zenobe, which raised $1.1 billion; battery material recycling company Redwood Materials, which raised $1 billion; EV battery manufacturer SK On, which raised $944 million; lithium battery manufacturer Verkor, which raised $905 million; and energy storage manufacturer Hithium, which raised $622 million.
In addition to the standalone energy storage tax credits, the IRA also offers a 10% domestic content adder and an advance manufacturing credit for U.S.-produced battery components, Prabhu said.
“Recycling of EV battery materials in the U.S. qualifies for subsidies,” along with other incentives that are also attracting investors,” he added.
Despite the high venture capital funding, overall merger and acquisition activity lagged in 2023, due to high asset valuations, elevated interest rates, and investor caution, according to Prabhu. Factors like high interest rates and market volatility due to supply chain disruptions are making some energy storage investors wary of deal-making, he noted.
“I think the investor caution will extend at least into the first half of 2024 until there is more clarity about the Federal Reserve’s plans for rate cuts, timeline and trajectory,” Prabhu said.
On the smart grid side, corporate funding dropped 30% year-over-year in 2023, recording $3.3 billion in 60 deals compared to $4.7 billion in 58 deals the previous year. Venture capital funding also decreased 55% year-over-year, according to the report.
The outlook for the smart grid sector, besides EV charging technologies, was affected by economic conditions, Prabhu said — most sectors that do not have direct policy support or incentives have struggled to overcome high interest rates and tough economic conditions.
However, the “outlook could improve in the second half of 2024 once there is more clarity about the rate cut trajectory,” he added.
Energy storage deployments have been growing both in the U.S. and globally, panelists said on a webinar hosted by the Clean Energy States Alliance on the state of the domestic storage industry Monday. In the U.S., that growth is dominated by California and Texas, Todd Olinsky-Paul, senior project director with CESA, said. These batteries are being used largely for frequency regulation and arbitrage, although other applications may become more prominent in the future, he said.
Author: Earlene K.P. Dowell and Adam Grundy Published: 2/1/2024 U.S. Census Bureau
When people begin house hunting, they want to know how close the real estate they’re considering is to their jobs, schools, grocery stores, public transportation, hospitals and other services.
Aware of this, real estate agents have incorporated demographic and economic Census Bureau statistics into their marketing strategies to give homebuyers all the information they’re seeking.
Read More
Census data are free and available not just to real estate professionals but individual buyers and sellers. Anyone can access the demographic and economic statistics the Census Bureau collects and produces to paint a complete and up-to-date profile of neighborhoods with homes for sale.
This article, which focuses on the real estate industry, is part of an occasional series that highlights how businesses and partners use Census Bureau data.
Continue reading to learn more about:
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Learn More |
https://www.census.gov/data/academy/webinars/2021/job-opportunity-tool.html
Author : Word in Black Published: 1/30/2024 Word in Black
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