Gallery

Bloomberg Plan Calls for $20 Billion Effort to Prepare New York City for Future Storms

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As New York City proceeds with the lengthy rebuilding process following Superstorm Sandy, the Administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg has released an ambitious report that calls for a series of measures to limit the impacts of climate change and help … Continue reading

First North American Offshore Wind Turbine Launched in Maine Waters

Photo courtesy of Advanced Structures and Composites Center, University of Maine

Photo courtesy of Advanced Structures and Composites Center, University of Maine

Last Friday, the Gulf of Maine became host to North America’s first grid-connected offshore wind turbine, as part of a performance test  for an innovative floating technology that proponents hope will advance an industry that has struggled to gain a foothold in this country. Continue reading

Staying or Leaving: Challenges for Communities Subject to Repeated Natural Disasters

sandy-hits-new-jersey_croppedThe destructive forces unleashed by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 have left a number of northeastern states with challenging decisions about how best to manage the risks of increasingly frequent and severe weather events.  One particularly complex issue involves policy approaches to sites that undergo repeated flooding.  Continue reading

College of Staten Island Hosts a “Serious Conversation” about the Borough’s Post-Sandy Future

Staten Island Zoning VariancesSuperstorm Sandy unleashed a powerful assault on Staten Island in late October. The island’s position in New York Harbor at the Narrows — where waters from the large Lower Bay funnel into the small Upper Bay — along with the storm’s westward shift at landfall focused Sandy’s energy on its southeastern shore. Communities such as New Dorp, Midland Beach and Oakwood Beach were battered by the storm surge, which also coincided with high tide. Continue reading

Aggressive Steps to Increase Efficiency Central to Massachusetts and Connecticut Energy Plans

MA EE Plan 2013-15The Northeast stands out for its aggressive pursuit of energy efficiency, as demonstrated by the presence of six of its states– Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont – on the top-ten list in the most recent national scorecard published by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Massachusetts has occupied the scorecard’s first place since 2011, and its ambitious energy-efficiency plan for 2013-2015, along with new initiatives for building rating and commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans, suggest it is not content to rest on its laurels. Continue reading

New York Assembly Hearing Explores Steps to Lessen the Environmental Impact of Severe Weather

Recognizing that Superstorm Sandy is “only the most recent example of extreme weather events,” the New York State Assembly’s Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation sought expert testimony about actions that might mitigate the factors contributing to a changing climate and the impacts caused by such alternations. Continue reading

New York Gov. Cuomo Calls for Infrastructure Hardening, Action on Climate Change

In his State of the State Address on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for a series of measures to safeguard New York’s infrastructure during future severe weather events and adapt to a changing climate. Continue reading