8/25/21 U.S. Funds for EV Charging to Focus on Largest States The $1 trillion infrastructure bill has $7.5 billion earmarked for EV charging-a sharp decrease from the original $15 billion-and it will likely end up being closer to $5 billion for building the actual electric charging network, Autoweek reports. Yesterday, the House narrowly advanced a $3.5 trillion budget framework that paves the way for a late-September vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the Wall Street Journal reports. 8/24/21 NJ Gas Tax Will Change Starting In October As Result Of Economic Recovery Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline-ConvenienceAutomotive Association, said he didn't expect an increase because it was hiked last year more than was necessary. "Any time we lower any tax, it's a good thing," Risalvato said. "We predicted something similar to this last year when they increased it more than 9 cents. We thought then that they increased it way too much based on our analysis of revenues, and we predicted then that that was done in order to keep from having an increase this year in an election year. I will say that I am surprised that there was not just a reduction but this much of a reduction." 8/23/21 Murphy Orders Vaccination Requirement For All N.J. State Workers, Including At Public Colleges All New Jersey state workers will be required to be vaccinated for the coronavirus or undergo regular testing, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday. . .It affects all state workers, Murphy said, including "those at all state agencies, authorities, and public colleges and universities - whether they be full- or part-time, or contract employees."
8/20/21
Millions Of Electric Car Batteries Will Retire In The Next Decade. What Happens To Them? A tsunami of electric vehicles is expected in rich countries, as car companies and governments pledge to ramp up their numbers - there are predicted to be 145m on the roads by 2030. But while electric vehicles can play an important role in reducing emissions, they also contain a potential environmental timebomb: their batteries. By one estimate, more than 12m tons of lithium-ion batteries are expected to retire between now and 2030. Not only do these batteries require large amounts of raw materials, including lithium, nickel and cobalt - mining for which has climate, environmental and human rights impacts - they also threaten to leave a mountain of electronic waste as they reach the end of their lives. 8/19/21 Disruption to Coin Supply Has Retailers Asking for Change Finding enough coins to make change for customers was a common challenge during the early days of pandemic in 2020, and now, some retailers are once again reporting that coins are scarce. In June 2020, the U.S. Mint resumed operating at full capacity to boost the availability of coins, and the Federal Reserve placed a temporary cap on the coin orders placed by depository institutions to ensure the supply was fairly distributed. However, with coin supply still below pre-pandemic levels, the Fed reinstated those caps in May. "Where we're located, our local bank is out of change completely," said Bill Decker, general manager of Davis Travel Center in Stony Creek, Virginia. "They have no idea when the shortage of coins will end. They're frustrated, [as are] the [businesses] they serve." |
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