
Cities

Achieving Clean Energy Legislation in a Moderate State
On October 13, 2021, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed into law the first major piece of climate legislation in the tar heel state in recent years. North Carolina House Bill 951—Energy Solutions for North Carolina—was passed by both chambers of the North Carolina state legislature with…

More Lanes Do Not Mean Less Traffic
In Austin, Texas, a battle is underway to reverse the ills of a highway that is increasingly perceived as a racial and environmental scar on the city. Running through the heart of the city, I-35 evolved over the decades from a modest boulevard to an elevated, double-decker highway that…

Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation
As the United States grapples with meaningful action on climate change, much emphasis has been placed on the transportation sector, and with good reason. Transportation accounts for 29 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the most of any sector. A majority of these emissions, unsurprisingly, come from passenger vehicles.

Banding Together: How Aggregation Helps Cities Buy Renewables at Scale
In March 2021, 24 local governments in Maryland joined together on a plan to purchase enough renewable energy to power more than 246,000 homes a year. They did this by issuing a joint request for proposal (RFP) through the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) to seek a supply…

Protecting and Empowering Communities during Disasters
Over the past few years, Texans have come to understand the need for resilience in the face of a changing climate.