News
California mandates zero-emission buses at its largest airports
Greentech Media – June 28
California air quality regulators voted unanimously in late June to require fleet operators to use 100 percent zero-emission shuttles at the state’s largest airports by 2035. The new regulation adopted by the California Air Resources Board applies to public and private operators of the vans and buses that carry travelers between parking facilities, rental car agencies, hotels, and airport terminals. The new rules establish three deadlines for fleets to transition to zero-emission fuel cell or battery electric models. Under the regulation, shuttle fleets at the state’s 13 largest airports are required to be at least 33 percent zero-emission vehicles by the end of 2027, 66 percent ZEVs by the end of 2031, and 100 percent ZEVs by the end of 2035.
Largest affordable housing bond in S.F. history headed to November ballot
San Francisco Chronicle - July 9
San Francisco voters will be asked to weigh in on the biggest affordable housing bond in city history this November, a measure that could lead to the construction of about 2,800 new affordable housing units in the next four years. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this Tuesday to place the bond — originally proposed by Mayor London Breed in January — on the November 5 ballot. The measure will need to pass by two-thirds. If voters pass the bond in November, the money will be used to repair and reconstruct dilapidated public housing developments, upgrade rental housing for low-income individuals and families, and create new affordable housing for seniors and teachers.
L.A. is hemorrhaging bus riders — worsening traffic and hurting climate goals
Los Angeles Times - June 27
Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses, which carry most of Los Angeles County's bus riders, have lost nearly 95 million trips over a decade, according to federal data. The 25 percent drop is the steepest among the busiest transit systems in the United States and accounted for the majority of California’s transit ridership decline. The bus exodus poses a serious threat to California’s ambitious climate and transportation goals. Reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions will be next to impossible, experts say, unless more people start taking public transit. Now, transportation officials and advocates are puzzling over how to transform the humble bus into something more than a last resort. To reverse the slump, Metro is preparing to redesign its network of 165 lines and 14,000 stops for the first time in a generation. A study launched two years ago is examining where people go and what can be done to make the bus more competitive with driving.
Orange Unified School District getting 2.1-MW solar project
Solar Industry Magazine – July 10
Ameresco Inc. has begun construction on a 2.1-megawatt solar project for Orange Unified School District (OUSD) in Southern California. This is the first solar project in OUSD’s history. It will consist of a combination of ground-mounted and shade canopies at eight sites, generating approximately 3.55 million kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity in its first year of operation. This will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 2,512 metric tons – the annual equivalent of 533 passenger cars driven for one year.
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