The existing annex of the state Capitol in Sacramento. Photo: (Department of General Services)Sacramento’s core is being transformed by an array of construction and infrastructure improvements — much to the ire of detour-weary motorists. But the centerpiece of the building has nothing to do with the city —it’s the state Capitol’s annex, which contains a hive of government offices.
A woman linking her tablet to the Internet via a service provider. (Photo: Daniel Krason, via Shutterstock)OPINION: With a historic investment in broadband on the horizon, Gov. Newsom and the California Legislature have an unprecedented opportunity to bring chronically unserved California households online with high-speed Internet.
The Energy Observer, the first round-the-world hydrogen-powered sea vessel, arrived in Long Beach on Earth Day, April 22. (Photo: Ringo Chiu, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In the May Revision to his state budget proposal, Gov. Gavin Newsom added $110 million to support clean hydrogen production, recognizing the need for more clean hydrogen in the U.S. and the opportunity for California to dominate its development on a national and global scale.
A damaged highway in a rural area of California. (Photo: Tupungato, via Shutterstock)What might President Biden’s colossal proposal to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure mean to California? Admittedly, the $2 trillion fix is a long way from becoming reality. It’s still in the House, and Senate passage as the bill is written is a big “if.”
An artist's rendering of California's bullet train. (Image: High-Speed Rail Authority)State rail officials are taking the glass-half-full view. Rather than lamenting the fact High Speed Rail is absent from the president’s infrastructure plan, they’re pointing to supportive statements from Biden and his team, and insisting there’s time before Congress irons out a final deal to claim a share for California’s fast train.
Workers repairing Polk Street near Pacific Avenue in San Francisco. (Photo: Susan Leg Anthony, via Shutterstock)OPINION: President Biden wants America to Build Back Better — and we at the Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California (ABC NorCal) completely agree. The foundation for the country’s economic rebound will depend on the big infrastructure plans the president has for the country.
Headquarters of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, (Photo: Cassionhabib, via Shutterstock)In February, Texas experienced a freak weather event, a deep freeze that shut down its electrical system, damaged its infrastructure and cost dozens of lives. The storm revealed the lack of preparation and investment by the Texas state government, the flaws of its system of deregulated privately-owned utilities, and the failures of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The latter is responsible for maintaining the state’s energy infrastructure.
A California power plant at sunset. (Photo: David Crockett, via Shutterstock)OPINION: President Biden campaigned on a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But this goal will not be achievable without deploying technologies and practices that can pull greenhouse gases from the atmosphere – or from smokestacks of industrial facilities that have few viable alternatives – and securely store it underground or use it in long-lived products like concrete.
The state Capitol's East Annex. (Photo: State Department of General Services)A fight is brewing in the Capitol – about the Capitol. It’s all about plans to build a new Visitors Center beneath the domed West Wing and demolish the 68-year-old East Annex, replacing it with one of three proposed buildings.
A bus at UC Irvine powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. (Photo: Rhonda RothOPINION: As it helps draft a strategy for recovery, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery should look to the role that hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles can play in achieving all that, just as other governments around the world are doing.