Rohit Aggarwala

New map released by Dept. of Energy shows where investments are flowing so communities can be alert to opportunities for community benefits plans and agreements. "This Community Benefits Map for Demonstration and Deployment Projects is a tool that local communities can use to better understand what DOE-supported projects are being developed in their areas. This will allow local community members and other leaders to engage more effectively with the project, ultimately creating stronger and more specific benefits and building long-term project support." https://lnkd.in/eHPd7353

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🚌🌱 Imagine a quieter, cleaner, and healthier environment for our children. That's the promise of electric school buses, and here's how they can positively impact #Connecticut: 📉 Noise Pollution Electric buses are significantly quieter than diesel buses, bringing peace to our neighborhoods and enhancing the learning environment for students. 🌍 Emissions Reduction Switching to electric means zero tailpipe emissions, drastically cutting down pollutants that contribute to smog and respiratory issues. This is a crucial step for Connecticut, given our urgent air quality challenges. 💪 Public Health Benefits Cleaner air means healthier kids! Reduced exposure to harmful pollutants can decrease respiratory problems like asthma, leading to fewer school absences and a healthier future for our children. 💰 Economic Efficiency Though the initial investment is higher, electric buses offer lower total ownership costs thanks to savings on fuel and maintenance. This means more money could potentially be redirected towards enhancing educational resources. 📚 Educational Opportunities This transition isn't just about transportation—it's a live lesson in sustainability and technology. It sets a fantastic example for students and the community, showing that proactive environmental action is within our reach. 🚧 Moving Forward Connecticut is already investing in infrastructure like charging stations and working on multiple fronts to meet these demands. From grid demand data analysis and modernization to solar, wind, and nuclear, and more, it is happening here. The goal? To ensure our shift to emission-free energy also supports broader renewable energy use and a thriving economy. This is Connecticut. We are built to innovate and will continue to lead in high-tech, clean, and efficient solutions to meet our goals and leave our state better for generations to come. #ElectricVehicles #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #PublicHealth #Education #ElectricBus

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Only 1.5 percent of commuters would have paid the congestion pricing toll in NYC. 5.7 million of us who commute on subways, commuter rail or buses would have benefitted directly from transit investments, and everyone would have benefited from cleaner air, safer streets, and an easier drive if you did need to drive into the toll zone. Although economic woes were cited as the reason for the postponement, business leaders--including the Partnership for NYC--support congestion pricing, citing the $20 billion + costs of maintaining the status quo. Change is really hard, but NYC was ready for it. We need leadership with the courage to lead and reverse the postponement of congestion pricing.

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Deadline Today: Submit nominations for a new National Academies study I'm leading, examining the safety, societal considerations, and impacts of carbon management technologies: https://lnkd.in/eAJVeVU4 Carbon management technologies and infrastructure aim to address climate change by capturing, transporting, converting, and sequestering carbon dioxide. Large investments are being made by federal agencies and industry in research, development, and demonstration of carbon management, and new facilities and technologies are being planned and built. The Department of Energy requested this study to assess safety, societal considerations, and environmental and health impacts associated with implementation of carbon management at scale. The committee will examine technologies and their potential harms and benefits to human health, the environment, and communities; document and address impacts on burdened communities; examine the implications of carbon management policy on emissions and fossil fuel use; assess regulatory systems; and suggest approaches to reducing harm and increasing benefits of carbon management technologies. The National Academies is actively seeking experts to serve on the study committee, and we invite you to submit nominations by Monday, November 4, 2024. We are looking for nominees with expertise in the environmental, societal, and technological dimensions of carbon management. As always, we appreciate suggestions of experts who have diverse professional and personal experiences and backgrounds, including women, people of color, and individuals of differing age, location, and professional backgrounds. We are particularly seeking expertise in: -environmental and energy justice, including impacted community perspectives; -public health and exposure risks from industrial emissions; -public safety of carbon management technologies; -life cycle and techno-economic assessments; -regulatory and policy aspects of carbon management; -public engagement and accountability, including community benefits agreements; and -engineering and science of carbon management technologies, including point source carbon capture for industry and power, direct air capture, biomass carbon removal and storage, CO2 transport, CO2 conversion, and carbon sequestration. Thank you for your input as we assemble this committee!

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You're right Sam Sklar, good TDM is *so* underrated. Some of my favorite things about TDM: 1) being a mode broker - orchestrating ALL the modes using outcome and capacity data, 2) levers of demand management at your fingertips, and 3) finding win-wins between public and private players. So much more we TDM practitioners can be useful on. 🏆

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Here is a new article, "Focusing on transportation affordability," published in the Public Square, the journal of the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), which describes my new report, "Evaluating Transportation Affordability" (https://lnkd.in/gCNEsm3s ). The CNU advocates for more compact, walkable neighborhoods; my research suggests that this type of development can provide large household savings and other benefits. I'm glad to see this important but overlooked issue getting the attention it deserves. What do you think? Can we do a better job of incorporating transportation equity into community planning?

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Earth Day is coming up, and I couldn't think of a better time to highlight one of my favorite orgs working to make earth a little better: Footprint Project. As an advisor to Footprint I've had the privilege to share in the growth of the org and see their successes as they work to decarbonize disaster response. Last year I saw it in response to the fires in Maui and the tornadoes in Mississippi. Today, 10 hubs on Maui are still running their operations off of solar microgrids and exploring new models of recovery that give deeper meaning to the phrase “build back greener.” Communities in climate crisis deserve access to clean energy in their most vulnerable moments. We know that more climate related disasters are coming and we need to be prepared to break negative feedback loops of responding to disasters with fossil fuel generation where we can. Footprint's model also envisions a better world for all communities, especially those who are often left behind in disaster response. Disaster response is inherently an equity and justice issue. As you think about your or your institution's commitments to supporting growing organizations, either donations or in-kind (Footprint accepts renewable energy tech donations!), please consider them this year! https://lnkd.in/eKimRNHh

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This fascinating study from my Brookings Metro colleagues Adie Tomer Ben Swedberg shows that the bipartisan infrastructure law didn't change much about how state DOTs operate...but that greater transparency, accountability, and partnership with cities and regions is possible, and deserve to be part of the next major reauthorization bill. A smart framework built from in-depth analysis. Highly recommend! https://lnkd.in/e2TUN6Dn

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There's some great research inside the new resource Policy to Practice: A Guide to Measuring Complete Streets Progress, which makes the case for why measuring Complete Streets progress is essential, and outlines 100 different ways that local agencies can effectively evaluate their impact. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/guukRA26

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Just published a piece on the idea for a new Department of Government Efficiency. Short version: Lots of promising ideas, but lots of distractions and ideas that could make government efficiency far worse. Important to focus! https://lnkd.in/gYX6jkPS

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Submit nominations for a new National Academies study I'm leading, examining the safety, societal considerations, and impacts of carbon management technologies: https://lnkd.in/eAJVeVU4   Carbon management technologies and infrastructure aim to address climate change by capturing, transporting, converting, and sequestering carbon dioxide. Large investments are being made by federal agencies and industry in research, development, and demonstration of carbon management, and new facilities and technologies are being planned and built. The Department of Energy requested this study to assess safety, societal considerations, and environmental and health impacts associated with implementation of carbon management at scale. The committee will examine technologies and their potential harms and benefits to human health, the environment, and communities; document and address impacts on burdened communities; examine the implications of carbon management policy on emissions and fossil fuel use; assess regulatory systems; and suggest approaches to reducing harm and increasing benefits of carbon management technologies.   The National Academies is actively seeking experts to serve on the study committee, and we invite you to submit nominations by Monday, November 4, 2024. We are looking for nominees with expertise in the environmental, societal, and technological dimensions of carbon management. As always, we appreciate suggestions of experts who have diverse professional and personal experiences and backgrounds, including women, people of color, and individuals of differing age, location, and professional backgrounds. We are particularly seeking expertise in: -environmental and energy justice, including impacted community perspectives; -public health and exposure risks from industrial emissions; -public safety of carbon management technologies; -life cycle and techno-economic assessments; -regulatory and policy aspects of carbon management; -public engagement and accountability, including community benefits agreements; and -engineering and science of carbon management technologies, including point source carbon capture for industry and power, direct air capture, biomass carbon removal and storage, CO2 transport, CO2 conversion, and carbon sequestration. Thank you for your input as we assemble this committee!

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Kudos to all involved at FEMA on today's release of the FY23 pre-disaster mitigation grants under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. As I wrote back in October 2023 when the Notice of Funding Opportunity was released, the Agency is literally putting its money where its mouth is regarding the importance of modern building codes; the Building Code Plus Up provided vital resources for every state, territory, and Federally-recognized tribal nation to make meaningful investments in codes-related initiatives. FEMA selected 129 building code-related subapplications -- totaling $55.7 million -- to support recipients to adopt and enforce hazard-resistant building codes. For comparison, across FY20-22, BRIC only received 49 subapplications for code-related activities. With the new Building Code Plus Up for FY23, BRIC received 137 building code subapplications (an 180% increase in building code subapplications submitted)!!! #BRIC #resilience #mitigation #buildingcodes #construction #architecture #engineering #disasters

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As urban development continues to evolve, the condition of our roads often reflects the broader socio-economic challenges facing our communities. Edward Glaeser's recent academic piece, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, uses Uber records to dive deep into the "bumpiness" of America's roads, providing a literal and metaphorical map of infrastructure investments and underinvestment. Glaeser's findings reveal a disparity in road conditions, particularly affecting poorer neighborhoods and communities of color. Interestingly, the research suggests that road roughness can predict future resurfacing actions, albeit inconsistently across different cities. This paper prompts us to think critically about how we prioritize and fund road maintenance. It is not just about improving travel efficiency but also about fostering equitable urban environments. As local government officials and urban planners, we must leverage this data to advocate for balanced infrastructure development and consider strategies to ensure that road quality, and by extension, quality of life, is not dependent on zip code. Check out the original academic paper by Edward Glaeser here: https://lnkd.in/enKxew_5 #urbanplanning #infrastructure #pavementmanagementindex #americanenterpriseinstitute #icma #dataforurbanaction #allianceforinnovation

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For those interested in transportation policy, or even just the modern history of the City of New York, @nicolegelinas's "Movement" is an absolute "must read." Here she speaks with @harrysiegal and @benmax about the main themes of the book. It would be impossible for me to over emphasize the importance of Nicole's work. It is essentially volume two of "The Power Broker." https://lnkd.in/eM7GjS9p

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The @American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard came out this week! This scorecard ranks 75 of the largest U.S. cities on energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions and identifies the best-performing cities, the most improved, and those with substantial room for improvement, with recommendations for making progress. This year, the top three cities are: 1. #SanFrancisco 2. #Denver 3. #Seattle Find out what they did to earn the top spots and where your city ranks⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eUEdqyqf 

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Federal agencies are required to address climate vulnerabilities and environmental justice in managing their buildings and other real property. Today we published a report on the steps that 13 agencies are taking to address these important issues: https://lnkd.in/eeTPArgS

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Our team at Pew recently supported a report by Dr. Jay Golden at the Dynamic Sustainability Lab at Syracuse University analyzing the potential impact of the EV transition on state transportation revenues and expenditures. Due to the varying rates of EV adoption and fuel tax revenue across states, the effect on state budgets will differ significantly. Still, the EV transition is ultimately expected to exacerbate already dwindling fuel tax revenues across the country. Each state must prepare for the unique budgetary challenges this transition will bring.   The good news is that several proactive states are exploring innovative solutions to replace this crucial funding source for roads, bridges, and highways. For example, California and Washington are considering Road User Charges (RUCs); Montana and Utah are applying a sales tax to electricity used for charging EVs; and, more recently, states like Colorado and Minnesota are implementing fees on retail deliveries from companies like Amazon.   You can read more about the key findings from the report and find out where your state stands in terms of EV adoption rates in the article linked below. Thanks to my teammate Mollie Stegeman for leading the charge on this effort :). https://lnkd.in/ezsvNjEX

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