In troubling times, a these words from Mr. Rogers bring comfort: “Look for the helpers.” That’s what we’re trying to do with our weekly Hopeful Headlines. This week, Sierra Club put forth a green stimulus proposal in the key of $6 trillion over 10 years that focuses on creating green jobs and infrastructure upgrades.
Will the plan be put into effect? Who knows. Is it nice to dream about a future powered by clean energy and efficient infrastructure? Yes, yes it is.
Each week we summarize three pieces of news that give us hope for a greener and brighter future. Sign up for our newsletter, The Burn Off, to have this weekly dose of good news sent directly to your email inbox.
Green group proposes nearly $6T infrastructure and clean energy stimulus plan
By Rachel Frazin, The Hill, May 26, 2020
- Sierra Club and University of Massachusetts Amherst economists proposed a 10-year, $6 trillion stimulus plan centered on clean energy and infrastructure upgrades.
- The proposal would create over 9 million quality jobs per year and “reduce carbon dioxide emission by 45 percent by 2030.”
- Per the article: “The traditional infrastructure jobs included in the proposal would be for improving roads, schools, public parks and recreation and other areas. The clean energy and agriculture jobs are in areas such solar and wind energy, energy efficiency and land restoration.”
World’s largest all-electric aircraft set for first flight
By Damian Carrington, The Guardian, May 27, 2020
- A Cessna Caravan (one of the most popular mid-range planes) with a magniX electric engine will take a 20-30 minute test flight in Washington State (go Washington!) on Thursday, May 28.
- The nine-passenger plane is the largest to be retrofitted with an electric engine. “The engine maker, magniX, hopes the aircraft could enter commercial service by the end of 2021 and have a range of 100 miles.”
- MagniX CEO Roei Ganzarski told The Guardian: “Electric airplanes will be 40%-70% lower cost to operate per flight hour,” he said. “That means operators will be able to fly more planes into smaller airports, meaning a shorter and door-to-door experience, with no harmful CO2 emissions.”
Andrew Cuomo Rejects Controversial Gas Pipeline, Handing Climate Activists A Victory
By Alexander C. Kaufman, HuffPost US, May 15, 2020
- Governer Andrew Cuomo rejected a permit for the Williams Pipeline, a proposal to “lay a new conduit under Lower New York Bay to carry gas from hydraulic fracturing sites in Pennsylvania to homes in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.”
- The proposal was rejected with prejudice — meaning the applicants cannot reapply — citing an “apparent lack of need for the Project, as well as its increased impacts to water quality as compared to identified alternatives.”
- The rejection is a win for environmentalists and another step in weaning the US off of fossil fuels.
Bonus divestment news!
- Both Cornell University and University of California recently took steps in divesting their endowments from fossil fuel investments.
- UC announced it had fully divested its $126 billion portfolio from fossil fuels, turning instead to sustainable investments including wind and solar.
- Following a vote by its Board of Trustees, Cornell announced a moratorium on fossil fuel investments and plans to transition investments to “alternative energy technologies.”
Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash
