skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

VP Kamala Harris says she plans to 'earn and win' Democratic nomination after Joe Biden drops out and endorses her; New Alabama bill threatens voter rights, legal challenge ensues; Fact-checking GOP claims on immigrants; Water contamination a concern in Midwest flood aftermath.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

VA law bolsters energy efficiency programs

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 23, 2024   

A new Virginia law is expected to grow energy efficiency programs in the state.

Senate Bill 737 expands access to energy-efficient appliances and other electrification programs without cost-burdening ratepayers. It also changes language from Senate Bill 754, passed in 2020, to make the improvements more affordable for customers unable to afford initial investments.

Karen Campblin, sustainability program manager at the Center for Common Ground, said the bill's consumer protections ensure reductions in electricity use occur.

"The program has a specific intent of reducing on-site energy consumption and reducing on-site energy burdens, but preventing any type of opportunities for those savings to then turn into increased energy rates for consumers," Campblin explained.

Earlier drafts of the bill did not feature certain provisions such as changing the language of calculating energy savings. Stakeholders from utilities and communities will come together to lay out the on-bill tariff program, which should garner numerous viewpoints to ensure programs in the bill are effective and equitable.

The bill also outlined guidance to ensure the programs do not unfairly charge or burden customers. Passing the bill is not the end for Virginia's work to develop a climate-friendly future; far from it.

Campblin noted the bill is not 100% perfect, saying there are ways the state can build on the law.

"One of the ways would be looking at kind of expanding the opportunities for utilities to provide financing support for their clients," Campblin suggested.

Other ideas include creating a program for families interested in energy switching, such as a household with a gas heater, converting to electric.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


Environment

play sound

Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state …

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of educators from across the nation will be in Houston starting this weekend for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention…


The Illinois State Board of Education report card said O'Fallon Township High School HSD #203 is currently only funded at 64%. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristy Alpert for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Colla…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Counterfeit medicine sales are on the rise, in Connecticut and nationwide. The state faced trouble with growing sales of counterfeit Xanax pills …

"Arizonans understand that it is insane to risk Phoenix or Tempe for Odesa or some corn field in Ukraine. It is not in our national interest to get involved," said U.S. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Ariz. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Social Issues

play sound

More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

Environment

play sound

So far, states like Wisconsin have largely escaped the worst of the summer heat affecting much of the nation but a group of scientists wants regional …

Social Issues

play sound

Postsecondary enrollment data for 2023 shows community college enrollment increased nationwide by more than 100,000 students, and a large percentage …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021