Minnesota reports great success with its “25 by 25” goal. Ten years ago, the state’s Next Generation Energy Act set an ambitious goal to obtain 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. Today, more than 21 percent of Minnesota’s electricity comes from renewable sources. The effort reportedly has created 15,000 clean-energy jobs…
News and Updates
Rhode Island Offers Free Trees to Save Homeowners Money
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is once again partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation to give away 1,000 trees. This initiative is part of the State’s Energy-Saving Trees Program that helps homeowners conserve energy and reduce utility costs while beautifying their neighborhood. Trees play an important role in filtering air and reducing…
DC Mayor Announces Pioneering Plan to Establish DC Green Bank
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this week that she will introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make the city the first one in the United States to establish a Green Bank. Green Banks are innovative policy tools that seek to expand renewable energy, lower energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create green jobs.…
Tennessee Offers Summer Energy Education Camps for Educators
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Office of Energy Programs is offering no-cost Energy Education Camps this summer. The three-day educational sessions will provide K-12 educators with information and resources needed to teach about energy and energy conservation in the classroom and how to involve students in service learning projects that promote environmental…
Colorado Reviews Existing Science on Oil and Gas Health Effects
A new report from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment concludes that the risk of harmful health effects is low for Coloradans living near oil and gas operations. The report calls for more study, rather than immediate public health action. Assessment of Potential Public Health Effects from Oil and Gas Extraction in Colorado…
District of Columbia Announces Major Funding for Solar Innovation and Expansion
The District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment has made available two funding opportunities for eligible entities to install additional solar capacity throughout DC and provide benefits to low-income residents: Eight million dollars is available to install 4 to 8 megawatts of new solar capacity on multifamily homes, commercial buildings, and non-residential surface spaces.…
Connecticut ‘Green Bank’ Recognized by Innovations in American Government
The State of Connecticut’s “Green Bank” program was recently named a semifinalist for the 2017 Innovations in American Government Awards. The first state Green Bank in the nation, it is a quasi-public agency that uses a public-private financing model to generate investments in clean energy deployment. The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP)…
Virginia Oil and Gas Programs Examined in New Report
A new review of oil and gas programs in Virginia details several strengths of agency programs and provides recommendations for continuous improvement. Conducted by State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, Inc. (STRONGER), a national, multi-stakeholder organization that supports state oil and gas environmental regulatory programs, the review examines programs of the Virginia…
Pennsylvania Undertakes Statewide Planning to Boost Solar Energy Development
On November 3, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that a statewide planning project, led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will equip the state to produce more solar energy and increase solar-generated in-state electricity sales to at least 10 percent by 2030. The project, called “Finding Pennsylvania’s Solar Future,” was selected for a $550,000…
Tennessee Offers Energy Education Camps for Teachers
October is National Energy Awareness Month, and as part of its Energy Education Initiative, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs (OEP) is presenting various studies and tips that encourage increased energy resiliency. One such effort is OEP’s Energy Education Camps for K-12 educators. The camps focus on exercises in which…
