EnviroPolitics Blog

Rivian test drive along North Shore turns heads in Chicago

Public gets first look at the new $73,000 Illinois-built electric truck

The Rivian R1T electric truck at Gillson Park in Wilmette on Oct. 20, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

By ROBERT CHANNICK CHICAGO TRIBUNE

In Chicago, drivers want to know how the $73,000 electric truck will handle Chiberian winters, vehicle-swallowing potholes and the daily demolition derby of rush hour traffic.

Rivian, the electric truck startup that launched production last month at its downstate Normal factory, has put its R1T pickup to the test in grueling settings from the Colorado Rockies to the Nevada desert.

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Those questions will remain unanswered for now, but the Tribune did get to tool breezily on a sunny fall afternoon test drive on Sheridan Road along the North Shore, turning heads as suburbanites got their first in-person look at a bright blue Rivian truck.

Founded in 2009 by CEO RJ Scaringe, Rivian is building an electric truck and SUV, as well as 100,000 custom delivery vans for Amazon, an investor in the company. Rivian has raised about $10.5 billion from investors since 2019, a roster that also includes Ford Motor Co. and T. Rowe Price.

Rivian is planning an initial public offering that has yet to be priced, but could raise at least $100 million, according to an Oct. 1 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Read the full story here

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Nor’easter to make landing in N.J. tonight

A flash flood watch was issued in 17 counties as a coastal storm is expected to move through the state tonight. Here's the latest forecast: — *A flash flood watch was issued in 17 counties as a coastal storm is expected to move through the state tonight.*

By Kimberlee Bongard, Patch Staff

NEW JERSEY — A slow-moving coastal storm with damaging winds and heavy rain is expected to move through New Jersey on Monday night bringing up to four inches of rain, with potential for flooding across the state, forecasters said.

A flash flood watch has been issued for all counties except Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem from 8 p.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

About 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain is expected across the state, which could cause flash flooding in creeks, streams, urban areas and areas with poor drainage. Most of the rain is predicted to take place Monday night into Tuesday, also scattered afternoon showers are also possible.

Minor coastal flooding is expected during Tuesday and Wednesday high tides along the coast and near the Delaware Bay, according to the weather agency.

Severe thunderstorms could be possible tonight with damaging winds strong enough to pull down trees and power lines. Up to 45 mph winds could strike along the Jersey Shore.

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‘Old Ladies’ dive in Cape ponds to remove sunken litter

‘It’s like treasure hunting’

Susan Baur, left, and Mary Grauerholz swim in wetsuits to gather trash in Deep Pond in East Falmouth as part of the group Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage.

By Rachael Devaney Cape Cod Times

About 10 minutes after Susan Baur, 81, and Mary Grauerholz, 71, two members of Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage, disappeared into the depths of Deep Pond in Falmouth, the duo, clad in full-body wetsuits and scuba gear, broke the surface.

They carried handfuls of long forgotten fishing lures, golf balls and birthday balloons, all of which had settled on the bottom of the outer edges of the natural kettle hole pond.

“It’s like treasure hunting. Every single outing, we wonder what we will find, who will be with us, and what will we see,” Baur said. “It’s wonderful to set out and explore — except that the underwater litter hurts the plants and animals that are all part of this pond community.”

As Baur reached the shore, and fought her way out of her wetsuit, she explained that during the last four years group members traveled to Great Ponds – fresh bodies of water that are at least 10 acres – from Chatham to Falmouth. They clean up trash left behind by visitors and residents and debris that blows into the water from nearby homes and roadways.

What lies beneath

They find lawn ornaments, deflated footballs, lawn chairs, beer and soda cans, discarded ropes and boat rigs, garden gnomes, charcoal grills and more. While 75% of the trash is along the water’s edge, Baur said, the group often travels into the middle of ponds to pull out bigger and heavier objects like car tires.

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Turbine blade facility for offshore wind project expected to bring 300-plus jobs to Portsmith, Virginia

By Nathan Crawford, Brian Reese, 10 WAVY.com

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Dominion Energy will partner with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for their offshore wind project, Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday, bringing more than 300 new jobs to the region.

Siemens Gamesa will build a facility at Portsmouth’s Marine Terminal to produce wind turbine blades for the overall $8 billion project off the coast of Virginia Beach. The blade production project will cost $200 million, with $80 in investment for buildings and equipment at the terminal.

50 of the roughly 310 new jobs with be service jobs for the offshore project, and there will be hundreds of other indirect jobs needed to support the overall project, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said Monday. Granholm and other speakers emphasized how production and upkeep of the project will come from American workers.

“Virginians want renewable energy, our employers want it, and Virginia is delivering it,” Northam said. “The Commonwealth is joining these leading companies to create the most important clean-energy partnership in the United States. This is good news for energy customers, the union workers who will bring this project to life, and our business partners. Make no mistake: Virginia is building a new industry in renewable energy, with more new jobs to follow, and that’s good news for our country.”

The announcement is two months to the day that Dominion announced that they would use part of Portsmouth Marine Terminal as a staging and pre-assembly area for Dominion’s $8 billion project.

Currently, Dominion is operating a two-turbine pilot project 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, but plans call for 180 of the 14-megawatt turbines with construction starting in 2024.

The project is expected to provide enough electricity for 660,000 homes when complete.

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A Philly high school offers training for clean energy careers

Frankford is first school nationwide to have clean energy training lab

By John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio

PHILADELPHIA — Frankford High School in Northeast Philadelphia is making history, as the first high school in the country to have a clean energy training lab. It’s all to prepare students for careers in solar and clean energy.

Solar energy technology is on the cutting edge, and Frankford’s “Bright Solar Futures” program gives students a thorough look at the fast growing careers available in the industry.

“They have over 1,000 hours in training,” said Jordan Crawley, Frankford’s solar energy technology teacher.

“They get hands on training on solar installs … understanding energy conservation and some of the dollars and cents behind the industry, to get them set up to be successful in an array of potential career pathways.”

“I’m trying to be a roof installer when I grow up,” said 11th grader Angel Camacho. “I already know how to do it, how to install it and everything, where the anchor has to go on top of the rooftop, but that’s my main objective in life, to be a roof installer.”

He said it isn’t the best job for anyone afraid of heights. “Sometimes you might be afraid of heights, but if you actually are trying to do a roof install, just don’t look down,” he advised.

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In New York, advocates push for faster electrification of buildings

Advocates for clean energy say installation of air-source or ground-source heat pumps would be best to use in the switch to electricity for heating, cooling and cooking. (Adobe Stock)

By Michayla Savitt, Public News Service (NY)

ALBANY, N.Y. – Groups in support of renewable energy are pushing for legislation and other initiatives to accelerate complete electrification of buildings in the state, as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Alliance for Clean Energy New York is among the advocates supporting the building-code bill that would phase in all-electrical appliances and heating. It passed in the state Senate but has yet to reach the Assembly floor.

ACE New York Executive Director Anne Reynolds said if the state is going to meet its climate goals, it has to accelerate its use of electricity in buildings.

“And it really comes down to making building electrification accessible and affordable for New Yorkers over time,” said Reynolds. “So that when we get to 2040, and 2050, that becomes the standard that all buildings have.”

Reynolds said a way to speed up the change to electric is to offer New Yorkers more incentives to install air-source heat pumps, and enforce possible energy-efficiency efforts into buildings.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 establishes that the state must operate at 100% zero-emission energy by 2040.

Read the full story here

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