The California Department of Water Resources is forecasting a fourth dry year in a row. In this interview with VX News, Felicia Marcus, William C Landreth Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West and Former Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, reviews some of the recent wins and losses in water regulation that the state has seen in face of serious drought conditions.
The conclusion of California’s Legislative session saw the adoption of ambitious new climate and energy legislation—including laws to set interim targets for 100% clean energy, regulate projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere and smokestacks, and approve buffer zones for new oil wells near communities. The aforementioned coincides with much of the State experiencing the dire effects of climate change and the health and resilience challenges wrought by extreme heat and wildfires.
In April of this year, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach began implementing the Clean Truck Fund fee to generate $90 million annually to encourage adoption of clean trucks with a goal to achieve a zero-emission drayage truck fleet by 2035. VX News shares this panel excerpt from VX2022 moderated by S&C Electric’s Jim Kelly, in which Port of Long Beach Executive Director,
Reflecting on his time as a dedicated public servant in Los Angeles, VX News is pleased to present this exit interview with Greg Spotts as he leaves in September to become the new Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation.
In March of this year, the Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods group sued the University of California asserting UCB’s long-range development plan did not adequately account for the impacts the student population growth would have on the surrounding city.
Last month, a proposed statewide ballot initiative to increase taxes on incomes over $2 million to fund programs to reduce air pollution and prevent wildfires—Proposition 30, the California Clean Cars & Clean Air Act—qualified for the November ballot.
VX News checked in with Tom Ford, Chief Executive Officer of The Bay Foundation and Director of the SMBNEP, to update readers on the significance of $132 million included for NEP in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.
According to records from the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, western states reliant on water from Lake Mead and Lake Powell, might need to cut their wat
"Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member Bentz, Representative Napolitano, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. It is my pleasure to convey Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s (Metropolitan) support for H.R. 8090, extending the authorization for Reclamation’s Basin Study Program for ten years. Metropolitan is the largest wholesale water provider in the United States.
In a surprise move before Congress’ August recess, US Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Energy Committee Chair Manchin announced a deal on budget reconciliation—the Inflation Reduction Act.
Recognizing extreme heat as the deadliest climate threat facing Americans, last week the Biden administration launched Heat.Gov, a one-stop hub offering maps, data and information across disciplines to empower the public and decisionmakers plan for and mitigate the health impacts of extreme heat.
Last week, Bloom Energy opened a fuel cell factory near San Francisco that is expected to produce 1 GW of fuel cells powered by natural gas or biogas by the end of next year.
In July of this year, an array of Blockchain-based Metaverse and Web3 platforms launched the Open Metaverse Alliance, a new decentralized autonomous organization to ensure a governance system within the Metaverse with four core principles of transparency, inclusiveness, decentralization and democratization.
In this panel from the 2022 Motivate Vancouver conference, both aviation operators and investors speak to the innovative future for air travel.
In looking for global solutions and inspiration, the American Jewish Committee West put on the webinar Environmental Collaboration: The Israeli and West Coast Models, with speakers Gidon Bromberg of EcoPeace Middle East; Denny Heck, the Lieutenant Governor of Washington; and a response by California State Senator Ben Allen, and moderated by AJC’s Sam Jefferies.
At the end of June, the US Department of Transportation Maritime Administration designated offshore wind vessels as Vessels of National Interest, making them eligible for financial support and facilitating more offshore wind construction. One of the many expert panels at VX2022 focused on the future of offshore wind in California.
With the industry expected to reach a value of over $72 billion by 2030, compared to just $1 billion in 2021, green hydrogen, and specifically its role in powering zero emission fuel cell vehicles is a potential gamechanger in the fight against climate change. As part of the H2 Super Track at VerdeXchange VX2022, American Honda Motor Co.
In the days after Governor Newsom signed California’s $308 billion budget—which includes record spending across sectors bolstered by a nearly $100 billion surplus—TPR/VXNews interviewed California Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Robert Hertzberg on the highlights of the 2022-23 state budget package. The Senator elaborates on the one-time infrastructure investments embedded throughout the budget for climate resilience—including grid reliability, EV charging, wildfire, water recycling, and more.
In examining ways for the Los Angeles region to be more resilient and smart about our water use, TPR interviewed the Founder and Project Executive of Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA), Andy Lipkis, regarding his life long quest to induce governments and individuals to adopt and invest in stormwater capture and other sustainable practices.
VX News recently spoke with California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen about what challenges lay ahead with climate change and other pressures impacting California’s ability to meet demand for clean energy.