Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
Clean Energy, The Empire Wind Project, Congestion Pricing Wins, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday! As May is coming to an end, don't forget our Spring 2025 Bike Challenge ends in a few days, so get pedaling this weekend! May brought a lot of significant days to celebrate the environment and species, including Endangered Species Day. Last week was World Bee Day, and World Turtle Day, both meant to recognize the importance of bees and other pollinators, as well as reptiles, and their role in sustaining ecosystems. Next up, June! (Already!!)
Keep reading for sustainability news…
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
OFFSHORE N.Y. EMPIRE WIND PROJECT WILL PROCEED
The Trump administration has reversed course and lifted its stop-work order on Empire Wind, a major offshore wind project off Long Island led by Equinor. The pause, issued in April by the Department of Interior, had stunned the clean energy sector and cost Equinor an estimated $50 million per week, not only putting the $5 billion project in serious jeopardy, but also seriously jeopardized New York State’s chance of meeting its climate and clean energy goals. NY Governor Kathy Hochul apparently secured the agreement for construction to resume after several direct phone calls with President Trump, where she stressed the job creation and energy benefits. The wind farm, already 30% complete, is expected to power 500,000 homes when finished. The decision was celebrated by clean energy industry leaders, who had criticized the original halt as legally shaky and lacking evidence. Work will now resume with a target completion date of 2027.
U.S. STARTUP UNVEILS FRIDGE-SIZED MACHINE THAT MAKES GAS OUT OF THIN AIR
Aircela, a New York-based startup, has unveiled a compact, fridge-sized machine that creates gasoline directly from the air using renewable electricity. Demonstrated on a Manhattan rooftop, the device combines direct air capture with on-site fuel synthesis to produce clean gasoline that can be used in any standard engine without modifications. The machine captures CO₂ directly from the air and uses renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen through electrolysis. It then combines the captured CO₂ with the hydrogen in a chemical reaction to create synthetic gasoline. This process mimics how fossil fuels are formed but does it quickly and cleanly on-site. The resulting fuel is free of sulfur, ethanol, and other pollutants and can be used in any standard gasoline engine without modifications, presenting a carbon-neutral alternative (if powered by clean energy).
The technology builds on decades of carbon capture research, and unlike traditional synthetic fuel plants, Aircela’s system is designed for distributed, plug-and-play use in homes or businesses without requiring major infrastructure changes. Aircela is backed by several investors and was founded in 2019 by Mia and Eric Dahlgren, and plans to roll out its first machines by fall 2025.
NEW YORK WINS COURT ORDER IN ONGOING FIGHT OVER CONGESTION PRICING
A federal judge just gave the MTA a big win in the ongoing battle over NYC’s congestion pricing. Judge Lewis Liman blocked the U.S. Department of Transportation from retaliating and cutting highway and transportation funds to New York as punishment for keeping the toll program going. Since January, drivers have been paying $9/day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, and has been successful at reducing traffic and raising millions for subway upgrades. The Trump administration had demanded it be shut down by May 28.
The MTA sued, arguing that the toll program had already been approved during Biden’s presidency and that the feds can’t just pull that back because a new administration disagrees. The judge agreed (at least for now) saying funding can’t be withheld until the lawsuit is settled. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claims the tolls hurt low-income drivers and aren’t allowed to fund public transit. But during the hearing, the judge pushed back, even asking the federal lawyer how he got to court (spoiler- he took Amtrak and didn’t have to pay the toll).
The federal side looked a bit shaky, especially after a leaked memo showed their case might be weak. The judge now wants everything wrapped up faster than expected, with all evidence from the federal side due by June 9th. MTA Chair Janno Lieber said that’s great news for New Yorkers and shows the court is ready to move quickly.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
A new report by the American Clean Power Association found that clean energy manufacturing could add 453,000 jobs by the end of the decade. The report similarly expects the economic output generated by those facilities to grow from contributing $18 billion to the U.S. GDP today to $86 billion by the end of the decade.
Germany reverses position, and will treat nuclear power as on par with other renewables.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its forecast for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, with a higher estimated upper limit for named storms than earlier predictions from private forecasters.
Microsoft announced its commitment to purchase nearly 623,000 metric tons of low-carbon cement from the startup Sublime Systems. The contract is intended to “reduce emissions — both at Microsoft and globally.”
Pakistan imported 22 gigawatts of solar panels in 2024, more than the entire country of Canada.
How A.I. Is Transforming Conservation Science
A guide to the 4 minerals shaping the world’s energy future.
The daughter of a woman who died during the Pacific Northwest “Heat Dome” in 2021 sued seven oil and companies for wrongful death in Washington state court.
“Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America’s energy independence and the reliability of our grid - we urge the senate to enact legislation with a sensible wind down of 25D and 48e,” Tesla Energy’s Twitter account posted, in reference to tax credits for home purchases of solar and storage energy systems and investments in clean energy systems. The post came hours after news broke that Tesla CEO Elon Musk would be leaving the Trump administration.