Nebraska environmental leader Jane Kleeb has received the largest environmental award offered to an individual, a $3 million Climate Breakthrough Award.

Kleeb is founding director and president of Bold Alliance, formerly Bold Nebraska.

She said after 13 years of fighting pipelines, they are moving into being energy builders. Energy Builders is also the name of the project the award money will fund. Kleeb pointed out the "unlikely alliance" of farmers, ranchers, tribal nations and climate advocates fighting pipelines has, unfortunately, often been on the other side of unions. She expects it to change as they begin a "new chapter."

"Because a lot of those jobs are not union jobs right now," Kleeb explained. "Workers that I talk to that are building wind and solar talk about how they wish that they were union jobs because they know that the pay they're getting is not fair and equitable to what is happening in fossil-fuel jobs."

Kleeb noted they are excited about working in solidarity with unions because in addition to developing clean energy projects they will be creating good-paying jobs for young people who want to stay and raise their families in rural communities.

The other 2023 Climate Breakthrough winner is from Indonesia, and Kleeb is only the third U.S. recipient among the 19 awardees so far.

Kleeb added they also will work to bring more "parity" to state and national energy policy.

"Pipelines get away with leaving their pipe in the ground, not having decommissioning plans, using eminent domain, and wind and solar have much stronger regulations," Kleeb outlined. "Some of this work is going to be us working at the ground level in the states to make sure that all energy projects are actually living up to the same standards as clean energy."

Another major focus will be ensuring the people and communities affected by new energy projects receive their fair share of the profits.

"I'm excited about not only making sure we are building more clean energy for climate change, but making sure that individuals are building wealth, not just energy corporations," Kleeb emphasized. "And that we are getting out of this box of only fossil fuels dominating our energy."

Savanna Ferguson, executive director of the group Climate Breakthrough, called Kleeb a "remarkable leader," and said the amount of wind, sun and land in the Midwest make it a prime location.

"There's an incredible opportunity in the Midwest to expand renewable energy," Ferguson asserted. "It's not just about stopping fossil fuels; it's about where do we go from here. How do we have a healthy and robust energy system that benefits the people in rural America?"

A new report highlighted the growth of Pennsylvania's methane mitigation industry, showing positive effects on the economy, job market and environment.

Pennsylvania ranks among the top five states for methane mitigation activities, accounting for 8.5% of the total employee locations in the sector nationwide.

Marcy Lowe, CEO of Datu Research, said Pennsylvania's state-level methane rules have led to a 22.2% increase in methane mitigation companies over the past three years and 65% over the past decade.

"These, by the way, are firms that are both manufacturing firms and service firms that help oil and gas operators reduce the amount of methane that escapes from their operations," Lowe pointed out. "Methane, of course, is a very potent greenhouse gas, far more potent than even CO2."

Lowe emphasized the need to prevent system leaks and alter operations to avoid venting and flaring, which release significant amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

Lowe stressed reducing methane emissions significantly improves air quality and public health, which is especially important in communities with historically poor air quality. She also noted the reduction has boosted employment opportunities in Pennsylvania, providing valuable and good-quality jobs in the methane mitigation sector.

"All the way up to computer and informational scientists that make $145,000 annual salary, to sort of the middle range," Lowe outlined. "You might have mechanical engineers making $99,000 all the way down to assemblers and fabricators making about $40,000 per year."

Lowe said they used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to understand the pay for the jobs, focusing on the median annual salary across the United States. Lowe added the number of employee locations in Pennsylvania's methane mitigation industry has grown to 50 this year, a more than 38% increase since 2021.


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The mayor of Dearborn has adopted a "health-in-all-policies" approach, a pledge to prioritize health, environmental justice and climate action in city decisions.

Abdullah Hammoud, mayor of Dearborn, announced the initiative with other city officials at an event hosted by the group Elected Officials to Protect America. With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Dearborn is updating ordinances, zoning and permits to make the "greenest" choices easier for all.

Hammoud noted severe weather left nearly two-thirds of Dearborn homes underwater just a few years ago.

"Over the last 10 years, the City of Dearborn has had several flooding events; three," Hammoud pointed out. "We are taking all the proactive steps that we must to help prevent flooding from happening in the future."

Hammoud earned national recognition with a Mayors Climate Protection Award at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, making Dearborn one of six large cities honored.

Ashley Flintoff, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Rouge, a group working to clean up the Rouge River, said choices made about chemical use, stormwater runoff and natural habitat loss mainly affect communities of color.

"Causing flooding and sewage backups in residential basements," Flintoff observed. "This creates direct mental and physical health consequences for residents, particularly those in the hardest-hit neighborhoods, like the South End."

David Mustonen, communications director for Dearborn Public Schools, said after concerns about kids' exposure to diesel fumes at bus stops, the school district is replacing diesel buses, using more than $7 million in federal funding.

"With the purchase of 18 electric school buses, we look forward for these buses arriving and being delivered to the district soon, so that we can put them into service and remove 18 diesel buses," Mustonen explained.

The Inflation Reduction Act offers communities incentives and grants to cover upfront costs for other "green" projects, including solar power.


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The Biden Administration is investing $50 million from the Inflation Reduction Act in Colorado to produce more batteries to power electric vehicles.

Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, said the state is bullish on EVs, in part because gas-powered vehicle tailpipes are a major contributor to harmful ground-level ozone and climate pollution.

"When you look at both our climate goals and just the pollution problems that we have in Denver and the Front Range, switching to electric vehicles just has huge benefits for our air quality and for our climate," Toor asserted.

The new funding will allow Thornton-based manufacturer Solid Power to add at least 40 new jobs, paying production operators, chemists and engineers nearly $78,000 a year on average. Solid Power is also partnering with area high schools and community colleges for job training programs.

After he purchased his own EV, Toor noted he started tracking his electric bills and found significant fuel-cost savings compared with gas-powered vehicles.

"It's the equivalent of me paying about 90 cents per gallon for gasoline," Toor explained. "They are incredibly convenient, I basically don't have to go to the gas station, I just plug in the vehicle when I get home and let it charge overnight."

Colorado supported Solid Power's early growth with an Advanced Industries Accelerator grant in 2014, which supports the development of early-stage technologies. Their new sulfide-based batteries are expected to provide more power and range for drivers and are safer and less costly than conventional lithium-ion technology. Toor emphasized battery-powered vehicles can also help lower electric bills for everyone.

"People primarily charge their electric vehicles overnight, when there is a lot of excess capacity on the grid," Toor pointed out. "It helps to keep everybody's electric rates affordable over time as we get more and more EVs on the grid."


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