U.S. Energy Foundation

The IRS finalizes direct pay rules, increasing access to Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits so entities like local governments, public school districts, churches and hospitals will more easily be able to jointly invest in clean energy projects. The regulations expand on an IRA provision that allows entities with little to no federal tax liability to benefit from clean energy tax credits via direct pay instead. https://bit.ly/4i1iEUf

Resilient cities hold their value and appeal to new and current residents, enabling even risky places to thrive. While there’s no perfect way to measure resilience, there’s a growing body of data to draw from. See how your city is planning ahead. https://wapo.st/3Z0vOIv

More jobs. Better jobs. Lower energy prices. Cleaner water. Cleaner air. Fewer asthma attacks. Fewer heart attacks.Those are just a few of the benefits working people and communities across this country are reaping from the transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy. https://bit.ly/4fOo57a

A Maryland resident remarks on the power of replacing one diesel bus and the opportunities schools have to switch their diesel school bus fleets to electric. https://bit.ly/415XM8H

“The work to keep building America’s clean energy boom must continue. We need to fight for policies that are already making the US a clean energy manufacturing powerhouse; we need to keep working to bring affordable clean energy to every home and community in the country," said Clean Energy for America's Executive Director, Andrew Reagan. https://bit.ly/3ApqBSy

The Biden administration announced the winners of the Clean Ports program last week, a $3 billion grant program created by the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce toxic air pollution and carbon emissions at the nation’s shipping hubs. The 55 grants across 27 states and territories will support the electrification of cargo handling equipment, drayage trucks, trains, and ferries, as well as solar power projects and EV charging infrastructure. The projects are expected to cut more than 3 million metric tons of CO2 over the first 10 years of implementation. Read more about what EF grantee, People's Collective for Environmental Justice, is doing to decarbonize the goods movement industry near the Ports of LA and Long Beach. https://bit.ly/40wisGm

The recent offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Maine resulted with two bidders offering a combined $22 million for the rights to develop projects on four ocean tracts. If fully developed, the leases could generate 6.8 gigawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 2.3 million homes, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. https://bit.ly/4fuSyHq

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Michigan Chapter (AAFA-MI) is one of four AAFA national chapters—also covering New England, Alaska, and St. Louis—dedicated to reducing the burden of disease for people with asthma and allergies by providing support, advocacy, education, and research. For this U.S. Energy Foundation grantee, climate advocacy is becoming increasingly prevalent in their work since climate contributes to the negative health outcomes of individuals with asthma and allergies. https://bit.ly/3NFsVrC

More than $428 million is going towards 14 clean energy manufacturing projects across 15 communities with decommissioned coal facilities. The federal investment is intended to address critical supply chain vulnerabilities, and is expected to attract over $500 million in private capital while creating over 1,900 jobs. The selected projects focus on five areas: grid components, batteries, low-carbon materials, clean power generation, and energy efficient products. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. https://bit.ly/4e1V2Mn

The world is entering the “Age of Electricity,” with low-emission energy sources on track to generate more than half of the world’s electricity by the end of the decade, according to the International Energy Agency’s new World Energy Outlook. With rising investment of clean technologies and rapid growth in electricity demand, the WEO 2024 examines how far the world has come on its journey towards a safer and more sustainable energy system, and what more needs to be done to reach its climate goals. https://bit.ly/3BL3fqy