This August marked the two-year anniversary of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the single largest legislative investment in climate and energy in American history. VX News excerpts this webinar from the Environmental Law Institute on the IRA’s impact on renewable energy project development.
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VX News shares this latest news from Metropolitan Water District and LA County Sanitation Districts on the status of Pure Water Southern California.
Earlier this summer, Palmdale Water District broke ground on the Pure Water Antelope Valley (Pure Water AV) facility—a demonstration project to model capabilities for advanced water treatment and groundwater recharge.
Nikolas Patsaouras’ new book The Making of Modern Los Angeles, which chronicles the transformation of Los Angeles over the last 50 years.
In August, after years of citizen protestations, the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in favor of Culver City’s decision to restore a lane of traffic on each side of Washington Boulevard by modifying the new bus and bike lane additions originally included as part of the Move Culver City project.
Janna Sidley elaborates on the Little Hoover Commission's study of how the state can create clearer pathways for P3s and reduce legal hurdles in project development
VXNews excerpts LA84 Foundation President & CEO Renata Simril addressing a recent LAEDC Board of Governors’ meeting highlighting the Foundation’s origins and ongoing work as a grantmaking organization promoting play equity, its historic building and internationally acclaimed sport history library.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson shares Long Beach's exciting and ambitious Grow Long Beach economic agenda for transitioning the city from its dependence on oil revenue to generate diversified and sustainable industries.
Leah Goold-Haws, CEO of the Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP), discusses the economic opportunities tied to Long Beach’s key assets, such as the Port of Long Beach, ongoing efforts to transition to clean energy, and the role of offshore wind projects.
New LADWP Board President Richard Katz shares his insights on the priorities and future direction of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the challenges the department faces in ensuring infrastructure resilience, and his role in guiding the utility through an era of increasing environmental and technological pressures.
With recent research estimating over half of the world’s population lacks access to safe, clean drinking water, VX News interviewed Robert Hertzberg, who, as chair of the advisory board for SOURCE Global, shares insights on how the technology that uses solar power to extract water from the air is addressing the global water crisis with innovative, scalable solutions that can provide clean drinking water to communities around the world.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provided $5 billion for the US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to fund the development and implementation of ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
With California alone requiring roughly 150,000 new megawatts to meet the state’s clean energy goals and keep the the lights on, how the energy sector can harness this increasing demand to accelerate deployment of emerging technologies is the focus the latest Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Topic Brief from the US Department of Energy.
Yusef Robb from tk/Communications discusses two heavy rail alternatives for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project and the potential to transform regional mobility by connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Westside and beyond through a network of integrated transit options.
Ara Najarian, recently elected as President of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA), updates readers on the status of the Hollywood Burbank Airport’s long-awaited, replacement passenger terminal project.
Christine Harada discusses the administration's investment in grid resilience and innovation, the impact of the CHIPS and Science Act on advancing semiconductor technologies, and the importance of modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
House Republicans' resistance to green spending is waning as they face the economic impact of green investments in their districts. Speaker Mike Johnson received a letter from 18 GOP members urging him to preserve clean technology subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act, despite many having opposed it. Their concern is that dismantling these subsidies could lead to lost jobs and unfinished projects in their areas. With a significant share of the IRA’s $200 billion investment and job growth slated for Republican districts, these members are balancing ideological stances with economic realities, especially in competitive or moderate districts.
Stephan Tucker, General Manager of the Water Replenishment District (WRD), details the district's core mission of safeguarding groundwater quantity and quality across southern LA County. Established in 1959 to combat depleted groundwater basins and seawater intrusion, WRD collaborates closely with the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) and local agencies to replenish the Central and West Coast Groundwater basins using a mix of stormwater and recycled water, thereby reducing dependence on imported water sources. In this exclusive interview, Tucker provides in-depth insights into key projects, notably the ongoing expansion of desalination facilities aimed at purifying groundwater, supported by federal grants and strategic partnerships. He also discusses the district's strategic vision for achieving long-term water supply sustainability, navigating construction challenges, and managing economic implications within the region's water infrastructure landscape. Throughout the conversation, Tucker emphasizes the critical importance of public awareness regarding groundwater's pivotal role in ensuring reliable water supply and maintaining cost-effectiveness across Southern California, painting an optimistic outlook for the region's water future.
In this comprehensive interview with Mark Pestrella, Director of the Los Angeles County Public Works, Pestrella delves into the multifaceted responsibilities of overseeing the largest public works agency in the United States. Outlining the agency’s extensive scope, which includes managing water systems, roads, airports, and emergency responses for over 10 million residents across 4,000 square miles, he emphasizes the challenges of maintaining such vast infrastructure while simultaneously addressing climate change, which he describes as an ever-present threat that the agency has been planning for over the years.
Pestrella also discusses the agency’s strategic approach to leveraging historic federal funding from recent bills, such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), securing $1.5 billion to fund projects that prioritize climate resilience and equity. He underscores the ongoing challenge of workforce development in the face of a competitive labor market and highlights innovative approaches like AI and digital twins to enhance infrastructure maintenance and planning. As the 2028 Olympics approach, Pestrella shares his vision for showcasing LA County’s infrastructure, particularly along the LA River, as a reflection of the region's evolution and resilience.
California Policymakers Can Incorporate Mediation Into Legislative Proposals To Streamline Renewable Energy Permitting