"After a few years of progress, a new national ranking of state energy efficiency policies confirms that Ohio is now falling fast behind competing states," reports David Beach.
Beach provides the history of how Ohio fell from its position of leadership in energy efficiency: "In 2008, the Ohio General Assembly voted almost unanimously to require investor-owned utilities to support the expansion of energy efficiency and renewable energy….In 2013, the state was named 'most improved' by the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, a policy ranking by the influential American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)."
Yet that changed in 2014, when the state's General Assembly "passed SB 310, which placed a freeze on the clean energy requirements and called for a panel to study whether the freeze should be permanent." An article by Anastasia Pantsios reports that the study panel is stacked with opponents of clean energy.
The latest ACEEE scorecard took notice, and "Ohio dropped seven spots to a tie for 25th place in the ranking, making it one of the states to fall the furthest in 2014." Then there was this ignominious mark: "The ACEEE scorecard gave Ohio 0 out of a possible 9 points for transportation policies."
Read the full story: Back to the carbon age: Ohio falls in ranking of state energy efficiency policies
The 'Marshall Plan for Middle America' Plans $600 Million in Clean Energy Investments
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Court unfreezes $20B in federal climate grants
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A desolate patch of Southern California desert could become a lithium powerhouse
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
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St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
If Corpus Christi can’t revive desalination plant project, it may owe Texas $235 million
Earlier this month, city officials declined to pursue developing the plant for the second time in a year.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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