Solutions from Your District: Local and State Climate Action in 2020 | Article

Along with regular briefings and fact sheets, EESI features climate solutions in action across the country through articles published in our biweekly newsletter, Climate Change Solutions. In 2020, EESI produced over 25 articles covering geographically specific case studies of sub-national climate action.

Projects included renewable energy innovation in Alaska, electric ferries in New York, wind energy policy in North Carolina, sustainable construction in Iowa, aquaculture career training in Mississippi, wood technology innovation in Oregon, and a dozen more in between.

While federal leadership and support can be key to inspire and finance action, climate solutions are enacted on the ground, by passionate and capable individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and state and local organizations. EESI is pleased to highlight these remarkable instances of environmental leadership across the country.

Check to see if your district, town or state was featured below.

If you have a great local or state solution we should highlight in 2021, reach out to us at [email protected].

Climate Action by State or Territory:

Alaska

Iguigig, Alaska

District: Alaska-01

Innovations in River Renewable Energy Powers Remote Alaskan Communities

Ocean Renewable Energy Power Company works with a remote Alaska village to replace diesel generated energy with cutting-edge hydrokinetic power devices, saving villagers fuel transportation costs and reducing environmental risk from diesel spills.

Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

District: Ark.-03

Nation’s Largest Mass Timber Building Opens at University of Arkansas

Mass timber is an innovative advancement in building technology, using wood products to replace conventional, carbon-intense materials like concrete. University of Arkansas is leading broader adoption of this material through a new 202,027 square foot residential building.

California

State-wide

California Leads the Country in Zero-Emissions Trucks

California state legislature passed the Advanced Clean Trucks Regulation, which would require manufacturers to work towards metrics such as 40 percent of 18-wheelers being electric by 2035.

In Conversation with Bruce Saito: Executive Director of the Largest and Oldest Conservation Corps

The California Conservation Corps enrolls roughly 3,000 young people every year to work on a wide range of environmental projects, including park and trail restoration, tree planting, habitat preservation, energy efficiency upgrades, and emergency response. Corps members learn skills and earn credentials which enable them to pursue careers in conservation and natural resources.

Colorado

North Park, Colorado

District: Colo.-02

Mountain Parks Electric Launches “Electrify Everything” On-Bill Financing Program

Mountain Parks Electric utility cooperative’s new “Electrify Everything” program, which EESI provided guidance for, allows its members to use an on-bill tariff model to fund four types of projects: air-source heat pumps, commercial electric vehicle charging stations, insulation upgrades, and solar array installations.

Western Colorado

Districts: Colo.-02 and Colo.-03

Colorado Utility Launches Innovative Financing Tool for Battery Storage

On September 1, Holy Cross Energy, a rural electric cooperative serving 58,000 members in western Colorado, launched an on-bill tariff pilot program aimed at financing battery energy storage systems for its members.

Georgia

State-wide

EESI Intern Analyzes Solar Energy Potential of Georgia’s Contaminated Lands

Contaminated lands represent an additional renewable energy investment opportunity for Georgia and other southern states. With new policy incentives, these sites can be made even more competitive for locating renewable energy systems.

Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa

District: Iowa-01

City, State, and Community College Work Together to Build Sustainable Construction Workforce

The City of Waterloo, Iowa donates funding and infill lots to Hawkeye Community College’s Sustainable Construction and Design program. Students in the program build energy efficient housing on these lots and go on to work for local construction businesses.

Kansas

State-wide

Barriers to Floodplain Management in Rural Communities

Steve Samuelson, CFM, the National Flood Insurance Program Coordinator for the State of Kansas, identifies some of the specific challenges faced by rural communities when it comes to managing floodplains: inadequate or non-existent flood maps, lack of staff and resources to meet community needs, barriers to access federal programs, and misalignment between federal funding and community action.

Maryland

College Park, Maryland

District: Md.-04

Third and Fourth Graders Promote Carpooling with School-wide Initiatives

Third and fourth graders at Friends Community School in College Park, Maryland, conducted research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions by increasing parent carpooling to drop off and pick up students and put together an action plan.

Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

Districts: Mass.-07 and Mass.-08

Boston Featured as Top City for Climate Change Action

The Climate Disclosure Project featured Boston as one of its 105 “A-List” cities for climate action in 2019 because of its ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction legislation, mayoral leadership, and commitment to comprehensive climate action planning since 2007.

Mississippi

Ocean Springs, Mississippi

District: Miss.-04

Mississippi Aquaculture Program Highlights Importance of Technical Education in High Schools

Ocean Springs High School aquaculture career and technical education program gives high school students training in fresh and saltwater aquaponics and marine science. Students graduate equipped to enter the workforce in the aquaculture industry or pursue higher education.

Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

District: Mo.-05, Mo.-06

Kansas City to Become Largest City with Fare-Free Bus System

In late 2019 Kansas City, Missouri voted to implement fare-free bus services. Kansas City’s fare-free bus push fits within the city’s wider pattern of sustainable planning, which includes the KC Green program and the group Climate Action KC.

New Jersey

State-wide

New Jersey is at the Forefront of Climate Change Adaptation

On January 27, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy released the New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats regulatory reform initiative, which will update the state’s Energy Master Plan to incorporate comprehensive provisions that protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase resilience.

New York

Niagara Falls, New York

District: N.Y.-26

Maid of the Mist: Making Waves for Electrification

The iconic Maid of the Mist ferries patronized by Niagara Falls tourists from around the world launched battery-powered, electric ferries in the summer of 2020. The ferries are 100 percent emissions free--a hydroelectric dam at Niagara Falls will produce the ferries’ electricity.

North Carolina

State-wide

Are the Winds of Change Blowing for North Carolina’s Wind Industry?

Wind power in North Carolina has a complicated history. The article highlights the history and current state of clean energy in North Carolina.

Oregon

Lyons, Oregon and Mill City, Oregon

District: Ore.-04

Oregon Lumber Company Showcases New Mass Timber Product, Invests in Sustainability

Freres Lumber Co., Inc, a small family-owned and operated wood manufacturing company in Oregon’s Santiam Canyon, is innovating new mass timber products to replace carbon-intensive building materials like concrete. The company also operates a biomass facility using waste products from its operations to offset power consumption.

Puerto Rico

Utuado, Puerto Rico

New Co-op Plans to Increase Energy Security and Resilience in Puerto Rico

In 2019, the Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña became Puerto Rico’s first rural electric cooperative (co-op). The co-op’s mission is to provide stable and renewable energy power to the rural communities that suffered greatly from prolonged power outages after Hurricane Maria.

Virginia

State-wide

Electrifying Virginia’s School Bus Fleet

Dominion Energy, Virginia’s leading energy provider, released its three-part electric school bus initiative September 2019. The initiative begins at the end of 2020 with a small pilot program and includes the goals of adding 1,000 buses by 2025 and replacing all old diesel school buses within Dominion’s service area by 2030.

Virginia’s Latest Session is a Milestone for the State’s Clean Energy Advocates

With legislative sessions disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, state legislatures have passed significantly fewer energy-related laws in 2020 than in 2019. However, Virginia defied this trend.

Washington

State-wide

State and Federal Efforts to Address the Murder Hornet Menace

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is working to eradicate the Asian giant hornet before large populations are established in the United States and has recently released a report detailing its public outreach strategy and extermination methodology.

Puget Sound area

Districts: Wash.-01, Wash.-02, Wash.-06, Wash.-07, Wash.-08, Wash.-09, Wash.-10

Shore Friendly: Financing Coastal Resilience on the Puget Sound

Shore Friendly, a program administered by the Washington State Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources (with funding from the federal government) encourages homeowners to replace hard armored shorelines with natural solutions to erosion, or “soft shore protection,” such as gravel, logs, plants, or other proven nature-based methods of erosion control.

Orcas Islands, Washington

District: Wash.-02

Washington State Islands Work Towards a Fossil-Fuel-Free Future

Orcas Power and Light Cooperative, a rural electric cooperative, provides nearly carbon-free electricity to its members across the Orcas Islands, thanks to abundant access to hydropower. However, many island residents rely on propane for heat, which must be ferried in at great expense. EESI was there to help work on solving this problem

Washington, District of Columbia

New Craft Beer Shows What is Possible with Solar Energy

Atlas Brew Works, a fully solar-powered brewery in Washington, D.C.’s Sunny Honey Saison is brewed using solar power and with honey harvested from pollinator-friendly solar arrays.

Solar for All Demonstrates the Importance of Equity in Clean Energy

With a first of its kind program, the District of Columbia’s Solar for All sets an example for the rest of the nation proving equity and clean energy can, and must, go hand in hand.

Climate Action by Region:

Appalachia

Reimagine Appalachia Charts Sustainable Path for the Region

A coalition of policy leaders and organizations are coming together in support of an ambitious new plan for a green transition for the region of Appalachia. The project is called Reimagine Appalachia, and its coalition of over 60 supporters include activists, businesses, think tanks, and community organizations from across Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Great Lakes

Climate Solutions from the Great Lakes Region

From stabilizing soils to relocating infrastructure, Great Lakes farmers, tribes, communities, and industries are leading efforts to adapt to climate impacts in a way that creates opportunities for the region.

Compiled by: Amber Todoroff