Category Archives: Progress

The Cybertruck has been making a comeback in the news these days, first with the discovery that Tesla has removed pricing and specs for the electric pickup from its website, and then with the spotting of a prototype featuring side mirrors and possibly rear-wheel steering.

Now, we learn that Tesla is making progress on the industrialization of the Cybertruck, which will enter production at Giga Texas after the Model Y.

We are making progress on the industrialization of Cybertruck, which is currently planned for Austin production subsequent to Model Y.

Tesla Q3 2021 Earnings Report

Details on what exactly Tesla is working on for the Cybertruck at the moment are scarce, but the company revealed during its Q3 2021 earnings call (listen to it in full at the end of this article) that suppliers are being tapped to ensure that the Cybertruck could be ramped fairly well.

For example, Tesla says it has already begun the casting of the Cybertrucks initial exoskeleton.Steel Dynamics, the company that will likely supply steel to Gigafactory Texas, will soon complete its nearby factory in Sinton, Texas. The EV maker also reiterated that the Cybertruck is designed for durability.

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When Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in November 2019 at its Design Studio Headquarters in Hawthorne, California, it described it as near indestructible, thanks to the 30X cold-rolled stainless steel alloy body panels.

Since then, Tesla has done a slight redesign of its massive electric truck, dialing back the dimensions by around 3 percent. This is what caused the Cybertrucks production to be delayed from December 2021 to late 2022, according to the automakers websitealthough volume production will likely begin in 2023.

Recently, Tesla stopped offering customers the option to pick a Cybertruck variant they would like to order, only allowing potential buyers to place a $100 deposit.This likely means that customers will be given a choice of configuration at a later date, although a change in pricing should not be ruled out either.

You can listen to Tesla's entire Q3 2021 earnings call below (audio only).

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Tesla Making Progress On The Cybertruck's Industrialization - InsideEVs

RHP Camden Sewell, head coach Tony Vitello and Evan Russell met with the media on Thursday's baseball availability to discuss offseason progress, specifically with Russell taking over as catcher, and preparation for their exhibition this Saturday against Georgia State.

Sewell, a senior from Cleveland, Tennessee, comes into next season looking to fill a void left from Tennessee pitchers Chad Dallas and Sean Hunley leaving for the majors in the 2021 MLB Draft. Sewell speaks on his progression, relationships with new teammates and more in the video below:

Up next for the media was head coach Tony Vitello. Vitello had a lot to say regarding his team's offseason progression, along with players who have become leaders to the younger players. Watch below to see Vitello go into depth on Evan Russell changing positions, the MLB conference championship series' and more:

Lastly, Vol baseball star Evan Russell, who burst onto the scene as one of Tennessee's hottest bats, met with the media to discuss how transitioning to catcher has treated him mentally and physically, providing updates on the newcomers and also giving a message to Tennessee fans following Vols-Ole Miss.

Watch Russell's full availability below:

Tennessee heads down to Chattanooga to take on Georgia State for a Fall exhibition on Saturday. (See tweet below):

Video and photo courtesy of VR2's Jack Foster and Jake Nichols.

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Watch: Tony Vitello and Pair of BaseVols Talk Offseason Progress - CalBearsMaven

JACKSON, MI Ongoing construction along I-94 and U.S. 127/West Avenue in Jackson has made large progress since its start, but drivers can expect the work to continue few more years.

The Michigan Department of Transportation project in began in summer 2018 and is not expected to be fully complete until spring 2024, according to MDOT officials.

This work is part of MDOTs ongoing $120-million investment to rebuild and widen I-94 near the Airport Road interchange to just west of the east U.S. 127/I-94 interchange in Blackman and Leoni townships.

Funding for this project is made possible by Gov. Gretchen Whitmers Rebuilding Michigan program to rebuild the state highways and bridges that are critical to the states economy and carry the most traffic.

MDOTs most recent update on the project shows that, as of Oct. 1, eastbound I-94 traffic has been shifted onto the newly built westbound I-94 roadway from Lansing Avenue to Airport Road. This allows for the demolition of the eastbound I-94 bridge over U.S. 127/West Avenue, and the beginning of pavement removal from the eastbound I-94 lanes, which is expected to be complete in May 2022, officials said.

MDOT will complete the bridge carrying Lansing Avenue traffic over I-94 near the end of December, and the new Elm Road bridge over I-94 will continue to be built, as well, until the end of this year. However, road work connecting to the new bridge wont be complete until summer 2022. The existing Elm Road bridge will remain open until that time, officials said.

MDOT will also continue to work on the eastbound lanes of I-94 from Airport Road to Cooper Street. These are expected to be complete in Summer 2022, officials said. MDOT will also rebuild lanes on I-94 from near Elm Road to U.S. 127 south in 2022. The west half of the new diverging diamond interchange at I-94 and U.S. 127/West Avenue will be complete in summer 2022, officials said.

It is anticipated that I-94 traffic will be maintained in its current configuration through the winter months, officials said. Here are the ramp and local road impacts still active around the county:

More information about the project can be found on MDOTs website.

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I-94 construction making progress, but these closures are still active in Jackson County - MLive.com

Rico Blasi coached 20 years at Miami and is now leading St. Thomas in its inaugural Division I season in 2021-22 (photo: Brad Olson).

After some time away, theres one thing Rico Blasi noticed about the familiar rinks of the CCHA.

The smell is still the same, the first-year St. Thomas coach joked in a phone interview Tuesday, reflecting on his teams recent road trips to Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State.

Blasi, who played at Miami in the old CCHA from 1990 to 1994 and then coached at his alma mater from 1999 to 2019, has a lot of familiarity with the teams from the old incarnation of the CCHA. And as the league has returned in 2021 with many of the same teams from those old days, Blasi is excited his new team can be a part of it.

The arenas that weve been to, Northern and Lake State, having been in the league and played in the league, I have some fond memories of those buildings, he said. Im just excited to be back in the CCHA, and see the logo. Its a little bit surreal, to be honest with you, but theres some comfort to it as well. Im grateful to be here.

Not only are the Tommies brand-new to the CCHA but they are, as everyone knows, brand-new to Division I. And this weekend, they will host their first-ever true home game as a Division I program with a series against Ferris State at the 1,000-seat St. Thomas Ice Arena.

It will be just a little bit different to their other home game, which was Oct. 3 St. Cloud State at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Tommies were the hosts and the designated home team on the scoreboard, but the energy levels in a high school arena in the St. Paul suburb of Mendota Heights are going to be slightly different to the NHL rink.

Playing at the X was great, and we had 4,000-plus fans and a great student section but we still had to pack our bags and get on the bus for a game, Blasi said. This will be a different environment, no doubt about it, but our guys are excited about it. It will be tight in terms of space but it will be a lot of fun.

Its just one of many firsts that Blasi and the Tommies are checking off the list as they transition from Division 3 to Division 1. The ultimate goal is to have St. Thomas competing at a high level in Division 1, but this is going to take some time.

Teaching and getting better every day is the most important thing in our process, Blasi said. Were getting there. Maybe not as quick as everybody wants to, but thats part of making sure that you have a good understanding of where we want to be in the future.

For now, Blasi is focusing on creating a specific St. Thomas culture, which means getting players up to speed with how Division 1 hockey is supposed to be played.

We want to be a relationship-based program that is process-oriented and takes a holistic approach to the development of the student athlete on and off the ice, he said when asked about his ideal culture. Were going to focus on those areas and continue to hold our guys accountable to that standard. Were not going to miss on opportunities to teach and develop our student athletes as individuals and our program as a team.

Currently the Tommies are 0-6 overall but have, aside from a 12-2 loss in their season opener at St. Cloud State, been competitive in every other game. Last weekend against Laker Superior State, for example, the Tommies outshot the Lakers in both games but lost 3-1 and 6-3. And their power play has been quite good theyre currently 8-for-33 (24.2 percent).

We still have a lot of work to do in a lot of areas, but were throwing a lot of new things at our guys, he said. The team has been put together from 12 or 13 different teams, with different languages, different ways of playing. Most of our guys have not played a lot of division 1 games Id say 98 percent of our guys. Its been one that continues to grow, continues to get better, so we havent put it all together yet. But we have gotten better in certain areas week to week.

Certain guys maybe are not used to the cadence of what we do and how we do things. That takes some time. We started school Sept. 8, we had our first game three weeks later. Its not like weve had months of time to get into a routine. But from where we started Sept. 8 to where we are today, Im extremely happy with the progress weve made.

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This Week in CCHA Hockey: Blasi 'extremely happy with the progress we've made' at St. Thomas in first weeks on ice as DI program - College Hockey -...

Oct 16 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will remain overnight in a Southern California hospital following a urological infection, but he has continued to make "excellent progress" and is expected to be discharged on Sunday, his spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.

The 75-year-old, who served as president from 1993 to 2001, entered the University of California Irvine Medical Center on Tuesday evening after suffering from fatigue.

Clinton spokesperson Angel Urena said the former president was doing well.

"He is in great spirits and has been spending time with family, catching up with friends, and watching college football," Urena said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Clinton's wife, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was at the hospital on Saturday.

Members of media wait outside University of California Irvine Medical Center after it was announced that former U.S. President Bill Clinton was admitted to the hospital in Orange, California, U.S. October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

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Since his admission to the hospital's intensive care unit, he has received fluids and antibiotics, his doctors said.

Clinton, who was in California to attend a dinner and reception for his foundation in Los Angeles County, has dealt with health problems in the past. He had quadruple bypass operation in 2004 and a procedure to open a blocked artery in 2010.

The Democrat served two four-year terms in the White House, overseeing strong economic growth while engaging in bruising political battles with congressional Republicans.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives impeached him in 1998 on charges arising from his sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but Clinton was acquitted by the Senate.

He was only the second U.S. president to be impeached. Republican President Donald Trump would later become the third when he was impeached twice during his term.

Clinton, a former Arkansas governor, has combined a folksy charm with deep knowledge of policy issues. He defeated an incumbent president, Republican George H.W. Bush, in 1992 and then beat longtime Republican Senator Bob Dole to win re-election in 1996.

Reporting by Makini Brice; editing by Jonathan Oatis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Former U.S. President Clinton making progress but will remain in hospital - Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a meeting commemorating the 110th anniversary of Xinhai Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 9, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

BEIJING, Oct 15 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping warned against government over-promising on social welfare amid a push to achieve "common prosperity" by mid-century, while demanding progress on a long-awaited property tax that could help reduce wealth gaps.

China, still an avowedly socialist country, has vowed to reduce inequality after years of breakneck growth while stressing that people should still work hard to create wealth.

In an essay in the ruling Communist Party journal Qiushi, published by the official Xinhua news agency on Friday, Xi also called for China to "vigorously and steadily advance" legislation for a property tax.

China has mulled such a tax for over a decade but faced resistance from stakeholders including local governments themselves, who fear it would erode property values or trigger a market sell-off.

Such a tax could curb rampant speculation in the housing market, which is currently under intense global scrutiny as developer China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) struggles with a debt crisis.

Xi also warned against government over-promising on social welfare amid a push to achieve what he called "common prosperity" by mid-century.

"Common prosperity" is a broad policy drive to narrow the gap between rich and poor. It has involved a wave of regulatory crackdowns on excesses in industries including technology and private tuition. read more

China became an economic powerhouse after reforms unleashed last century under a hybrid policy of "socialism with Chinese characteristics", but it also deepened inequality, especially between urban and rural areas, a divide that threatens social stability.

The gap between people's income and consumption should be narrowed to a "reasonable range" by mid-century, Xi said.

But Xi also said that the government should not make promises it could not deliver on and avoid the "trap" of "welfarism" and helping the lazy.

"The government cannot take care of everything," he said.

While the "ossification" of social classes should be prevented, so should "lying flat", said Xi, referring to a trend among China's youth to embrace passivity and step back from intense competition in the world's second largest economy.

"Some developed countries...due to their social systems, have not resolved the problem of common prosperity, and the disparity between the rich and the poor has become more and more serious," he said.

Xi also said that salaries of grassroots-level civil servants and workers at state-owned enterprises should be increased.

Reporting by Gabriel Crossley, Stella Qiu and Yew Lun Tian; editing by John Stonestreet, William Maclean

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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China's Xi calls for progress on property tax in drive for prosperity - Reuters

New Orleans fans have circled Oct. 20 on their calendar, as their teams regular season opener vs. Philadelphia. A to-be-determined date in late October is also now an important one for the Pelicans.

Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin announced Thursday after practice that All-Star forward Zion Williamson is making progress to return from his offseason foot fracture, with doctors evaluating imaging in two to two and a half weeks, which is sometime around Halloween.

Zion underwent imaging (Wednesday) on his right foot, Griffin said. (Doctors) who reviewed those images were very encouraged by the healing evidence there. They are very optimistic he will recover from this, and they have cleared him to continue his progression. The next step for him now will be running and on-court individual work.

Williamson was cleared Wednesday to do running and 1-on-0 individual work, which he began Thursday morning. In late October, his progression will be assessed to determine his status.

Given the nature of bone healing, there is no fixed timeline for his return to game action, but the doctors are very encouraged by this last batch of images, Griffin said. As he continues along his return-to-play progression, doctors will be using additional imaging that will take place two to two and a half weeks from now, as guides and landmarks for taking the next steps. Its everyones goal that Zion return to play as soon as is safely possible.

Asked how far beyond the 2.5 weeks Williamsons absence from games could extend, Griffin said, Because of the bone-healing aspect (of a foot fracture), its hard (to project). Every player is different. Nothing has gone wrong and there is no setback (in Williamsons recovery); it just takes a certain period of time.

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Zion Williamson progress from foot injury to be evaluated in 2-2.5 weeks - Pelicans.com

A global pharmaceutical company is not likely to remain a significant player if they dont continue to pursue and encourage innovation. Frank Nestle, global head of research and chief scientific officer with Sanofi, discussed how the company is harnessing unique disease insights and emerging technologies to achieve notable advancements in research.

OSP: Technology has always been a key driver in the evolution of medicine. Could you please share your thoughts on what kinds of factors tend to have the biggest influence? What makes a tool or technique more likely than others to have an impact?

FN: At Sanofi, we are going beyond incremental therapeutic improvements building on the wealth of molecular disease insights combined with novel and proprietary technology platforms to discover and deliver transformative medicines. Progress does not happen overnight we've been carefully building out our portfolio of innovative biomolecular platforms over several years, to empower our scientists and drug hunters with the tools they need to engineer sophisticated solutions to seemingly intractable medical problems.

One technology Im especially excited about is our natural killer (NK) cell platform. NK cells have the innate ability to detect and destroy cancer cells and help trigger a broader adaptive and protective anti-cancer immune response, all without attacking the body's own healthy cells. This has major implications for minimizing toxicity associated with many of the currently available cancer cell therapies.

Sanofi's proprietary NK-cell platform expands and activates NK cells derived from a unique universal donor pool using our PM21 particle technology. It enables our teams to move on from costly individualized cell therapies and develop "off-the-shelf" immunotherapies that provide potential future access to a wider range of cancer patients.

OSP: What types of technologies have been emerging and transforming the life sciences in recent years?

FN: Sanofis Expanded Genetic Alphabet technology adds two letters to the existing four letters of the genetic alphabet, allowing our scientists to engineer new proteins with highly specific attributes. This empowers our teams to overcome long-standing challenges in drug design and fills important gaps in protein-based therapeutics for cancer and immune-mediated diseases.

This platform has already yielded an immuno-oncology drug candidate, SAR 245/THOR-707, which addresses a well-known limitation of the cytokine drug IL-2. Introducing a novel amino acid into the IL-2 protein and attaching a PEG at a specific site has made it possible for this investigational therapy to increase the numbers of tumor-killing T effector cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells in cancer patients without significant expansion of potentially immunosuppressive regulatory T cells.

SAR245 is just a first example of a whole new generation of sophisticated and highly engineered protein therapeutics that exploits progress in synthetic biology to design medicines with unprecedented efficacy and safety features.

OSP: In your position with Sanofi, you have a unique and informed perspective on what specific technologies stand to transform the field. Could you please share your thoughts on perhaps a handful of those technologies/platforms, and what makes them potentially transformative?

FN: Sanofis NANOBODY technology is a next-generation single domain antibody technology that facilitates binding to multiple targets at once.

Nanobody proteins are approximately 1/10 of the size of a normal antibody, highly modular, and bind with high affinity to their targets. Through the creation of a string of pearls of Nanobody proteins, we can target multiple disease components with a single medicine. Nanobody proteins can also be engineered as bi-specific binders to connect a tumor and a T cell or NK cell for instance.

Our Nanobody technology allows us to develop single, multi-action medicines that could one day replace complex combination treatment regimens and improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients. The first approved Nanobody drug that targets von Willebrand factor is a first-in-class treatment for acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, making a difference for patients suffering from this acute and potentially life-threatening disease.

OSP: Tech companies are constantly working on new tools and platforms that stand to elevate life-science operations. What are some of the areas of need/interest you might recommend such tech brains focus on if they hope to come out with solutions that stand the greatest hope of capturing the attention of drug research and development firms?

FN: Sanofi's toolkit of proprietary technology platforms brings our teams several steps closer to developing transformative medicines for patients with difficult-to-treat diseases. Our goal is to offer a whole new class of treatments that could make patients' lives better and fundamentally change how clinicians approach cancer and immune disorders.

OSP: Do you have anything to add?

FN: A few other exciting technologies in our pipeline include:

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'Progress does not happen overnight': Sanofi on evolution of medicine - OutSourcing-Pharma.com

The Lakers winless record in the preseason has already caused some buzz about the teams current state. Maybe its because of the infamous 2012 Now This is Going to be Fun Lakers team also went 0-5 in their preseason. Or maybe its due to this newly built team once again being bitten by the injury bug, and looking like a shell of what many anticipated them to be as a result.

No matter how you slice it, its been a whole week of early overreactions mixed with some panic and fear, with a doses of patience mixed in. But amidst all of it, this current Lakers squad is staying encouraged, despite losing six meaningless games in a row.

Why? Its not just because the games didnt count. The team also believes theyre progressing in ways that arent really reflected in their overall preseason win-loss record, at least for now.

In the 288 minutes the Lakers played this preseason, their main focus was not to win each game, but rather to develop their on-court chemistry, implement a whole new offensive system and build rhythm as they get ready for a brand new regular season ahead.

At the end of the day its really about the practice work that we are putting in. These are practice games where youre working on things and youre building rhythm and timing, said Lakers head coach Frank Vogel on Thursday night. Thats the biggest thing that you can do. Get as much rhythm and timing as you can while remaining healthy.

One way the Lakers can make progress is to turn the ball over less and not foul so often. As of publishing time, L.A. ranks fourth in turnovers (19.8 per game) and first in fouls (23.3 per game) in the preseason. Its clear that the team still lacks the necessary familiarity and communication they need. But team captain LeBron James believes that theyre addressing these issues as each game passes.

I think we built our chemistry as the games went on and on and on. Were starting to learn from each other. We learned from each other every quarter that we were on the floor, James said. That was the biggest thing that we can build from the games that we played.

James co-star, Anthony Davis, also remains optimistic about the season because of how the team has executed their offense. Getting nine new rotation players learn a brand new system and how to play with each other is no easy to ask. However, the 28-year-old superstar has seen a few encouraging things during the teams film sessions, which is a sign that the team is slowly but surely coming together.

When we look back at film, we think we played bad, but we actually played pretty well, despite a loss or a win, Davis said. Every day we go into film, coach showed us positive things. The way we moved the ball, the way we cut, the plays we were making just playing randomly, and so were encouraged by everything that we do.

Davis and Vogel have been open about the teams desire to be the best fast break and defensive squad in the league. In order for them to achieve this, the purple and gold have to play at a certain speed, tempo and aggressiveness while limiting their fouls and turnovers

The team understands that they cant achieve their goals overnight, but theyre committed to improving on both ends as each game passes.

Defensively we can get a lot better, Davis said. But were going to chip away at it every day.

I still think we have a long way to go on a defensive end, Vogel echoed. Were getting everybody integrated and up to speed on how we do things. Every time we touch the floor theres growth and improvement.

Ultimately, growth and improvement are what the Lakers wanted this preseason, and they certainly achieved it, as they looked better with each passing game. Its also the reason why the teams superstars and veterans continue to preach patience this early in the season. Their goal is not to impress the world in the early days of October. What they want to achieve is way off in the distance, in May and June.

Take it from Russell Westbrook, who hardly remembers anything about his past preseason stints.

Ive been in the league 13 years, I dont know my preseason record for any of those years, Westbrook said when asked if going 0-6 in the exhibition slate was something he gave any thought to. So no, it doesnt matter.

All Westbrook was looking for was progress, and he saw it.

I feel like we got better each game. Obviously getting all guys healthy is most important and keeping us healthy throughout the year, Westbrook said. Im just encouraged by how each game weve gotten a little better.

Just like Westbrook, the Lakers probably wont remember much about this years preseason, especially if they end up raising their 18th championship banner in the rafters of STAPLES Center. That kind of goal is a long way off, but while it may not have always looked like it, the team feels like it was taking baby steps towards it, and know it will take time to get there, no matter what their preseason record was.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

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Lakers encouraged by preseason progress, despite not winning a game - Silver Screen and Roll

ANDERSON When it comes to the issue of climate change, Indiana finds itself caught, in a sense, between two realities.

Government leaders are touting advancements in clean air and water initiatives, and environmental experts say that improvements in solar and wind technology are shrinking the states carbon footprint.

But environmental advocates say there is much work still to be done.

According to a recent report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United States is second only in the world to China in carbon dioxide emissions from energy and electricity. Ten states account for half that total, and Indiana is one of them.

The Hoosier state emitted nearly 190 million metric tons (more than 209 million U.S. tons) of energy-related carbon dioxide in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration enough to place it among the top 10 of all states in both overall and per-capita emissions.

Our electric supply sources in Indiana are still very dependent on fossil fuels which emit carbon things like coal and natural gas, said Gabe Filippelli, executive director of Indiana Universitys Environmental Resilience Institute. Theyre an outsized part of our electricity portfolio compared to a lot of other states, including several of our neighboring states.

Indiana also remains a significant transportation hub, with interstate highways and railroads crisscrossing the state. The Indiana Department of Transportation estimates that 724 million tons of freight passes through the state annually, much of it carried on heavy equipment that discharges carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Basically, a lot of trains and trucks go through Indiana, Filippelli said. Plus, we still have some significant manufacturing and production facilities not only steel but others and those produce kind of an outsized share of emissions.

Those three factors especially the states continued reliance on fossil fuels are widely seen as the main culprits behind the states unwanted status as a leading CO2 emitter.

According to Dana Nuccitelli, an environmental scientist and research coordinator with Citizens Climate Lobby, more than 90% of the states generated electricity in 2020 was supplied by fossil fuels 53% from goal and 38% from gas, compared to less than 10% from wind and other renewable energy sources.

The states utilities are gradually moving away from coal and other fossil fuels despite what some critics say are legislative efforts to slow the transition. Vectren Energy last year announced its Integrated Resource Plan, which detailed its efforts to curtail carbon emissions by nearly 75% and, by 2025, rely on coal for only 12% of its energy production.

Oftentimes utilities are slow to make this transition because they have sunk costs into their existing fossil fuel infrastructure, Nuccitelli said. For example, perhaps they recently took out loans to install pollution scrubbers on their coal smokestacks and feel the need to continue operating them because they havent yet paid off those loans.

Nuccitelli and others suggest that Indianas energy policies must become more robust, carrying with them greater incentives for companies to move toward renewable energy sources and harsher penalties for those that violate clean air standards.

As of September 2020, 38 states had established renewable portfolio standards (RPS), policies that require a certain percentage of a utilitys electricity to come from renewable or other clean energy sources. Most of these, according to Nuccitelli, mandate that states reach 50% of their electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

Indianas current mechanism is the Comprehensive Hoosier Option to Incentivize Cleaner Energy (CHOICE) program, passed by the legislature in 2011. The program sets a voluntary goal of 10% clean energy by 2025.

To put it mildly, that is not an ambitious target, Nuccitelli said.

Federal wind and solar tax credits, he added, could be extended and expanded to entice more producers to switch over, with local governments potentially helping utilities defray the costs theyve already incurred to maintain their coal-based operations. He acknowledged that the idea could carry political pushback.

That would mean making taxpayers reward utilities (that have made bad decisions to invest in fossil fuel infrastructure, he said. These are difficult policy choices.

Filippelli suggested that instead of waiting for legislative guidance, businesses should take the initiative to assess their greenhouse gas emissions. A greenhouse gas inventory, he said, can provide insight into wasted electricity costs and provide data that could help speed a transition to renewable energy.

A lot of these renewable energy sources have certain subsidies built into them, like all of our power systems, Filippelli said. In a sense, coal and natural gas are getting a free subsidy, and they always have because theyre allowed to emit their pollutant, carbon dioxide, right into the atmosphere. Theres no control on that.

Theyre getting a free ride, and what has to happen, I think, is that free ride has to end, he added, either through a carbon tax or another way to account for that as a pollutant that has negative value so those other electricity sources that dont produce that should be incentivized.

The states Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) recently awarded a total of $12 million to more than two dozen projects around the state designed to curb diesel emissions. The money comes from the states allocation of $41 million, part of a $2.7 billion court settlement with German automaker Volkswagen, which was found to have cheated on emissions tests in the early 2010s.

That money is going to fund new vehicles that are much cleaner with emissions, said Beverly Gard, a former Indiana state senator who served on an 11-person committee tasked with determining how to allocate the settlement.

Weve given a significant amount of money for school buses to either upgrade to natural gas or electric. Even some of the old diesel-powered school buses, weve given some money to upgrade those to a much cleaner diesel.

During a recent Chamber luncheon in Anderson, Gov. Eric Holcomb promised his office will make a series of announcements about renewable energy initiatives later this month. He said his approach to these policies would continue an all-of-the-above philosophy when it comes to finding ways to promote renewable resources across various industries.

We live in a small world, it turns out, Holcomb said. He added that skyrocketing natural gas prices in Europe and electricity shortages in China should be seen as cautionary tales of overreliance on traditional power sources.

We dont want to be caught in that position, he said, so well continue to lean on reliable, clean, sustainable sources of our energy. For Indiana, that will continue to serve us well.

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Despite progress, Indiana's still one of the nation's top CO2-emitting states - The Herald Bulletin