Energy Management Articles | Page 431

The decision by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to veto landmark climate legislation is extremely disappointing and a step in the wrong direction for Massachusetts’ ability to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, according to this column from Ceres. The organization is calling on state legislators to reintroduce this legislation immediately, noting that the Commonwealth cannot afford to delay the transition to a net-zero emissions future that is already underway.

Kansas City Southern, a transportation holding company, announced on Jan. 19 that it has submitted a commitment letter to the science-based targets initiative (SBTi) pledging to establish greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

New Jersey is launching a pilot program to incentivize businesses and institutional organizations to divert from diesel trucks and instead purchase medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) vetoed a bill on Jan 14 that would update the state’s carbon emissions goals to make the state “net neutral” by 2050, citing that the bill didn’t do enough to help cities and towns adapt to the effects of climate change. 

Fifth Third Bank announced on Jan. 19 that it reached carbon neutrality for its operations in 2020, including greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities and business travel.

On Jan. 19 BloombergNEF (BNEF) announced a new broad measure of energy transition investment showing global record-breaking 2020 commitments to decarbonization totaling $501.3 billion. This beats the previous year by 9% despite the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our series of presentations from the 2020 VIrtual Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum continues with "The Evolution of McDonald's Sustainability Roadmap." Emma Cox, Global Renewable Energy Lead, explains how the company's motto, "Scale for Good," is being put into action as McDonald's explores how to achieve its own sustainability goals and how to bring others along with them.

The United States Air Force announced on Jan. 14 that it began construction on an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) including a combined heat and power plant with microgrid controls to improve energy resilience and enhance mission readiness at its Yokota Air Base outside of Tokyo, Japan.

Marsh & McLennan, a global professional risk services firm, announced two important commitments on Jan. 14 in the effort to combat climate change.

Kia announced new branding on Jan. 15 to create sustainable mobility solutions for customers. Signaling the brand breaking away from its traditional manufacturing-driven business model, Kia will form a new corporate name, removing ‘Motors’ from its name (previously ‘Kia Motors Corporation’).