Taylor Searcy

A good read about Metro’s critical role as the regional mobility backbone for mega-sports event. READ my interview by LAist about heat mitigation solutions for moving tens of thousands of people through our public transit system while protecting them from extreme heat. #hydration stations #shade #misters #coolingtents #heatsafety #heatpreparedness #transitfirst https://lnkd.in/g3cwgZQM As L.A. prepares to host the global soccer tournament – and the Olympics in 2028 – organizers and local officials say that making sure fans and city infrastructure are ready to endure the heat is critical. That's especially true as the region gets warmer due to climate change. Get more information with the link in comments. ✍️ Libby Rainey 📸 Gina Ferazzi / Getty Images

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This quarter, I had the opportunity to contribute to The Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation newsletter. My article focused on the critical role capability statements play in a successful government contracting strategy. These one-page documents are often the first impression a company makes with government agencies and prime contractors—so it’s essential to get them right. At APEX Accelerators, we’re here to help you craft compelling, professional capability statements that make your first impression a lasting one. Let us help you stand out. 💼✍️ #GovernmentContracting #CapabilityStatement #APEXAccelerators #SmallBusinessSupport #GovCon

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Today’s LA Business Council Sustainability Summit proved business and climate solutions can — and must — move together. Transportation is the elephant in the room — over half of CA emissions — so cutting Vehicle Miles Traveled and electrifying fleets must be urgent priorities. Proud of Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins’ push for bold electrification efforts and sustainable infrastructure projects. Seeing Secretary Toks Omishakin talk about prioritizing partnerships and community engagement to create a cleaner, safer, more equitable and connected transportation system for California is inspiring for policy makers. Lauren Sanchez’s leadership as CARB Chair and Secretary Wade Crowfoot’s championing of smart innovative solutions were energizing and hopeful. #climateaction #resilience #equity #sustainability #cleanenergy #capandinvest #netzero Los Angeles Metro

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Our cities are on the front lines of the #EV revolution, which is why ComEd joined forces with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to create the EV Readiness Program three years ago. Yesterday at the Illinois Institute of Technology, we celebrated the third cohort of communities to complete the program, which helps communities shape policies and implement best practices for safe and effective regional transportation electrification. The City of Chicago, the City of Rockford Illinois, and the Village Of Glenview were among the 17 communities who recently completed the program, bringing the total to nearly 40 – with a fourth cohort of communities to be announced this week. Great to have EV champions at every level of government, including Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, EV Officer for Illinois Megha Lakhchaura, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rodkin Rotering, Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, Illinois Institute of Technology’s Raj Echambadi and Mohammad Shahidehpour. Read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/g-eEK4Sh #EVReadiness #EVInfrastructure #CleanTransportation #FutureOfEnergy

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Michigan is taking another major step forward in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)! The Statewide Mobility Challenges from the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) are now open — calling for proposals that bring together AAM innovators, local governments, and industry partners to demonstrate real-world applications that make Michigan’s mobility future more connected and sustainable. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gvj4dpYh

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The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) bridges state agencies and private industry to cement Michigan as the world’s transportation proving ground.   Recently recognized as a Leader in TIME 100’s Climate 2025 list, Justine Johnson shares how the MI Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) is driving a total transformation of the state's workforce and high-tech transit ecosystem across land, water and air. She also talks about industry changes during her 2 years as Chief Mobility Officer, highlights top projects and more. https://lnkd.in/gcnqpY7m Ann Thomas Battersby Link Bessert Jeff Marcero Marian Reich Glenn Stevens Tu Le Lisa Lunsford Jennifer Brace Michael Robinet Quentin Messer, Jr. CEcD Michigan Economic Development Corporation Hilary Doe Kelly Watkins Lindsay Kirchinger, CMP Erin Cornett Katie Bylin Mark Warner Libby McGaughey Evelyn Zois Sweeney Otie McKinley Melissa Roy Michelle Grinnell Melissa McKinley Brian Kandler

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Virginia and Indiana are leading the way in tapping unused power‑plant capacity to accelerate new generation and storage. This The Pew Charitable Trusts work explains why surplus interconnection service is a smart, pragmatic tool for meeting growing electricity demand. So interesting - faster, lower‑cost ways to bring clean energy online...

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🚀 Attention Michigan mobility innovators 📣 Two exciting grant opportunities are now open to help advance real-world testing and deployment of clean, electrified, and next-gen transportation technologies. The Michigan Mobility Funding Platform (MMFP) is offering: 📌 Real-World Deployment Grants for projects piloting mobility and electrification solutions in publicly accessible spaces with municipality or state agency partners. 📌 Test Site Deployment Grants to support pilot projects at one of Michigan’s pre-approved mobility test centers, to validate concepts in controlled environments. Grants typically range from $50,000 – $500,000 and aim to accelerate commercialization, build partnerships, and help innovators demonstrate real impact across Michigan’s mobility ecosystem. 🗓️ Round 1 applications are due February 27. Don’t miss your chance to secure funding and scale your project. Apply through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform today. 👉 https://hubs.la/Q041Bvv90 Let’s drive forward clean, equitable, and innovative transportation across Michigan! #cleantech #futureofmobility #michiganinnovation #transportation #sustainablemobility

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$20 Million in Funding Available for Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Rebuild Illinois Allocates Funding to Further Expand EV Charging in Illinois Springfield – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Director James Jennings today announced a Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the purchase and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) EV charging stations (Level 3) and alternating current (Level 2) charging stations to be located at publicly accessible locations in Illinois. This first-come, first-served opportunity is being made available through Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan for electric vehicle projects authorized under CEJA. Due to the first come, first served nature of this round of funding, Illinois EPA is posting the application materials today on Amplifund. This round will begin accepting applications on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. Central Time. “Governor Pritzker has prioritized electrification of the transportation sector to improve air quality and benefit the health of our residents,” said Acting Director Jennings. “To support that priority, we are committed to expanding the charging infrastructure necessary to power current and future electric vehicles throughout Illinois.” Each application for Level 3 chargers must include a minimum of two charging station locations. This NOFO will fund up to eight DCFC ports per location, and there is no limit on the number of Level 2 ports funded at a location. Eligible applicants must be an owner of a proposed charging station location and/or an owner of the proposed charging station. All applications must meet a minimum score to be eligible. Factors that are scored includes project readiness, location in a county where Illinois EPA has not previously funded projects, distance to public EV charging sites, and location at public transportation Park-and-Ride Facility. Additional funding will also be awarded to projects at a charging station location in an area identified as an Equity Investment Eligible Community through the EIEC mapping tool. At that link, projects qualify for the additional points if they are in either an EJ or an R3 Community. https://lnkd.in/gNZ9_sdk

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National leaders need intelligence and analysis that’s free from political agendas. From everything I’ve read—including the report below—the most current DoE Climate Report seems driven more by an agenda than by solid analysis. I’ll admit, I was initially skeptical about earlier climate reports, wondering if they were painting a “worst case” scenario. But over the past 20 years, the climate models and data have consistently lined up. If anything, previous reports have actually downplayed the impact of rising ocean surface temperatures. The planet is warming, and the evidence is clear: human emissions are the main driver. We can’t undo what’s already been done, and realistically, it’s unlikely we’ll act quickly enough as a species to fully mitigate the damage. But what we can do is plan responsibly for a future where weather events become more frequent and intense as the atmosphere holds more energy. We're not going to be inudated tomorrow, but we can plan for increased storm intensity and frequency; we can change the way we manage forests and ranges to mitigate increased fire risk, we can invest in more Coast Guard resources to protect the Arctic, and we can continue to invest in non-fossil fuel energy like nuclear & hydroelectric for base load power. Absent objective analysis to policymakers (and the public) however, we'll simply be less prepared for the next 100-year storm or wildland fire. #sciencematters #climate #resilience #emergencymanagement #energy

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🚌 In Illinois, school‑bus operators are piloting vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) tech, letting buses feed electricity back to the grid when not rolling—an innovative twist in clean transportation. https://lnkd.in/giyuQXZx #CleanTransport #GridInnovation #HeartlandClimate #Sustainability #Climate #ClimateJustice #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #KeepItInTheGround #CleanEnergy#GoodNewsletter

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If anyone is interested in developing their skills in Climate Resiliency, a quick thought based on my experience that might be helpful. 💬 Here are some tips for developing this skill: Align your selves with a group for which this skill is critical. For me it was the US armed forces, and their need for operational resilience.

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Michigan Saves is proud to join the Michigan Climate Investment Hub as an inaugural member alongside Lean & Green Michigan!🙌 This partnership is an exciting step forward in our mission to make clean energy financing more #accessible and #equitable. By embedding Michigan Saves team members in the Hub at Newlab #Detroit, we’re deepening our roots in the city while helping shape a statewide strategy that ensures communities of all sizes, especially those historically left behind, can benefit from #climate investments. 📖 Read more in the Planet Detroit article: https://lnkd.in/guimZTEY

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Check out our Clean Energy Columbus program all the way at the bottom - we’ve saved residents over $60 million while providing 100% clean energy, including from 2 solar projects right here in Ohio. Proud that our program rate is amongst some of the lowest rate offerings, and kudos to our team and my friends in all the cities working hard to provide clean energy and savings for residents!

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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is launching programming to focus on Battery Circularity to improve how batteries are collected, recycled, and reprocessed across the state. The program focuses on consumer single-use batteries, consumer rechargeable batteries, and electric vehicle (EV) battery units. We are hosting a Stakeholder Input session on 2/26 at 10:00am, and welcome your participation! Hope you can join us, register here: https://lnkd.in/e3i9VRdX

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