ATHENA
@athenax9.bsky.social
28 followers 36 following 13 posts
UCS federal policy advocate working to electrify our transportation system to solve our air pollution problems & protect our climate | opinions my own
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ucs.org
Our expert Samantha Houston is skeptical about National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program's final guidance under Trump. Read more: act.ucsusa.org/45GtH1a
Federal EV Infrastructure Investments Poised to Move Ahead: Here’s What’s Changed Under Trump
The next few months will be telling.
act.ucsusa.org
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eos.org
Eos @eos.org · Aug 19
Today marks day 1 of public hearings on the EPA’s reconsideration of the endangerment finding, a 2009 declaration that greenhouse gases threaten public health. Follow along with us👇🧵
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ucs.org
Electric trucks & buses = reduced climate-warming pollution & poor air quality. Thankfully, key policies can accelerate adoption. EPA’s Clean School Bus Program TRIPLED electric school bus deployment in the US. Learn more about MHDV deployment here:
Ready for Work 2.0
Electrifying our on-road freight system is the surest way to reduce truck pollution and improve air quality.
www.ucs.org
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ucs.org
We noticed something important when the administration was announcing they don’t want to regulate heat-trapping emissions. You can see more about the link between climate change and the extreme weather we see here:

➡️ dangerseason.ucs.org
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ucs.org
🧘‍♀️ Struggling to find a moment of calm amidst all the bad news this summer? MindLab offers practical, science-based techniques to help science supporters manage stress, regulate emotions & navigate uncertainty.

Join us for free virtual sessions every Wednesday, 11:30 am ET.

➡️ act.ucsusa.org/45bB0wj
A promotional graphic for "MindLab" weekly virtual mindfulness sessions, co-hosted by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Environmental Protection Network. The background shows two people walking on a forest path surrounded by tall trees. Text reads:
MindLab – Weekly Virtual Mindfulness Sessions. Open to all scientists, public servants, and science supporters. Facilitated by Dr. Lena Adams Kim. Wednesdays, 11:30am–12:00pm ET, through the end of October 2025.” A QR code in the bottom right corner invites people to scan to register.
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ucs.org
Think rail is a clean transportation source? Think again. 🤔 UCS Senior Vehicles Analyst explains why and how the rail industry has hindered progress in emission reduction over the past decade:
Railroads Are Running Dirty Diesel Trains Through Communities and No One Is Doing Anything About It
The case for rail electrification is clear in the benefits to the economy, public health, and environment.
blog.ucs.org
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ucs.org
🚂Yesterday, @markey.senate.gov and @deluzio.house.gov reintroduced the transformative All Aboard Act, which would dedicate billions of investments to modernize our nation’s rail, reducing locomotive emissions and securing critical labor protections:
Sen. Markey, Rep. Deluzio Introduce Legislation to Transform U.S. Rail Network | U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts
All Aboard Act dedicates $200 billion over five years to build transportation system of the...
www.markey.senate.gov
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ucs.org
Today, the EPA released a proposal that would gut the 2009 Endangerment Finding. “These actions by Lee Zeldin are anti-science and backed by the fossil fuel industry, said Chitra Kumar, Managing Director, UCS Climate & Energy campaign.
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ucs.org
Uber’s new Route Share shows people want affordable, flexible options—but it falls short and worsens climate impacts. What if we met that demand sustainably, by investing in public transit🚍, safe bike lanes, and walkable routes to get where we need to go?
A person leans into the back seat of a black Uber car, seen from the outside. Overlaid on the image is a quote in white text:
“Everybody will say, ‘Silicon Valley’s reinventing the bus again,’ but it’s more like [Uber is] reinventing a worse bus.”
—Kevin Shen, Transportation Policy Analyst.

At the bottom is the logo for the Union of Concerned Scientists. The image is credited to Mario Tama/Getty Images
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jacobbogage.bsky.social
A reprieve for the USPS trucks:

The Senate parliamentarian ruled overnight that this provision violates the rules of budget reconciliation

It **cannot** appear in Trump and Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
jacobbogage.bsky.social
👀 Scoop: Trump and Republicans want USPS to sell off its brand new EVs and chargers.

That would mean literally **ripping up post office parking lots** to auction off assets with no private-sector value.

It’s buried in the Senate’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
The Senate’s version of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill would see the General Services Administration take possession of the nearly 7,200 new postal EVs and associated infrastructure and put the assets up for auction. The proposal is unlikely to generate much revenue for the government; there is almost no private-sector interest in the mail trucks, and used EV charging equipment — built specifically for the Postal Service and already installed in postal facilities — generally cannot be resold.

“The funds realized by auctioning the vehicles and infrastructure would be negligible. Much of infrastructure is literally buried under parking lots, and there is no market for used charging equipment,” Peter Pastre, the Postal Service’s vice president for government relations and public policy, wrote to senators this month.
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ucs.org
🚨 Last week CA and 10 other states announced plans to sue the Trump Admin for their illegal attempt to repeal 3 clean air safeguards. @governor.ca.gov responded with an EO reaffirming CA’s commitment to a clean vehicle transition. 👏 Kudos to Gov Newsom for keeping CA moving forward.
California Leads States in Suing the Trump Administration Over Its Revocation of Air Pollution Standards
California and ten other states are suing the Trump administration over its revocation of three waivers that let California set standards to improve air quality, reduce climate-warming emissions and p...
www.ucs.org
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ucs.org
1/ The Trump administration is turning our government into a weapon to attack families and undermine our fundamental rights and freedoms. Its tactics of escalating violence against migrant communities in Los Angeles are deeply concerning and signal a further slide into authoritarianism.
For Trump, This Is a Dress Rehearsal
Ordering the National Guard to deploy in Los Angeles is a warning of what to expect when his hold on power is threatened.
www.theatlantic.com
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ucs.org
Hurricane season started last weekend—and acting FEMA head David Richardson reportedly told staff he didn’t know the US had one. Clueless? Joking? Either way, the guy running US disaster response is giving big Michael Scott energy—and that’s really bad. Some comments from his tenure:
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lcv.org
Call your senators at 202-224-3121 and tell them to stop the #BillionaireTaxScam 🗣️
Car swerving meme
Car labeled "Republican budget bill" swerving away from "helping ordinary Americans" lane into "Banning clean energy, cutting taxes for billionaires, raising costs for ordinary Americans" off-ramp.
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padilla.senate.gov
Republicans want to overturn half a century of precedent to undermine California’s ability to protect the health of our residents.

Why?

Because to them, it’s more important to appease big oil than it is for your kid to breathe clean air.
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ucs.org
Toyota has joined fossil fuel companies in asking the US Senate to prevent California from taking necessary steps to slow climate change and protect its residents from air pollution that is making people sick and shortening lives.

Learn the details in UCS's David Reichmuth's blog.
Why Does Toyota Oppose Clean Air?
There is no way to protect our health and our climate by simply making better gasoline cars.
blog.ucs.org
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ucs.org
#CA business and clean air organizations, including #IBEW CA, oppose the attacks on California’s Clean Air Act authority, which has put people to work across the state. Protecting the Advanced Clean Cars Program ensures more work is on the horizon! ibew.org/ibew-califor...
Brochure reads "The Advanced Clean Cars Program Creates Good Jobs in California. Over a quarter of a million people are now employed by our EV industry. The growth in charging infrastructure alone will create even more valuable union electrical jobs and skilled training opportunities. We are ready to power millions of zero-emission cars, trucks, and buses. Defend our EV jobs! Support California's clean car standards!
athenax9.bsky.social
🧑‍🔬 Scientists, technical experts, and STEM students: learn how to engage local media to save science! Join @ucsusa.bsky.social for a science advocacy webinar on April 17 from 8-9pm ET about how to write & submit a letter to editor. RSVP 👇 secure.ucs.org/a/2025-4-17-...
Sharing Stories of Science through Letters to the Editor
The Union of Concerned Scientists invites scientists and experts to a science advocacy training webinar on writing letters to the editor to inform and influence different audiences about the impacts o...
secure.ucs.org
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green2-0.bsky.social
Today and beyond, we celebrate the history and vibrant culture of Arab Americans who have enriched our communities.
athenax9.bsky.social
Are your Congressional representatives organizing a town hall near you? Join UCS’s upcoming training, “Holding Congress Accountable: How to Ask Tough Questions at Town Halls,” Next Tuesday, April 8, at 8pm ET. RSVP here: secure.ucs.org/a/2025-4-8-t...
Holding Congress Accountable: How to Ask Tough Questions at Town Halls
The Union of Concerned Scientists invites scientists and experts to a training webinar on
secure.ucs.org
athenax9.bsky.social
🚨 ICYMI: The automobile industry that once lobbied against *life-saving safety protections* like seat belts & air bags🚗 currently support a Senate bill that would prevent EPA & DOT from considering the best available technology to protect communities against tailpipe pollution -⚡electrification.
ucsdave.bsky.social
General Motors, Toyota, and Stellantis, as well as the trucking and auto industries broadly, are working with Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) to gut vehicle regulation via a bill that seems to have flown under the radar. Read about this disaster of a bill here: blog.ucs.org/dave-cooke/a...
Automakers are Partnering with an Ohio Senator to Decrease Consumer Choice and Increase Pollution
Proposed bill could prevent any future administration’s attempt to protect consumers and the environment.
blog.ucs.org
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ucs.org
🚝 Ever seen The Simpsons episode “Marge vs. the Monorail”? Turns out, life imitates art.

Remember when Elon Musk won a bid for high-speed transit in Chicago? He pitched futuristic tech that didn’t exist—and, surprise, his proposal was never built. Sound familiar?
Musk and the Monorail
YouTube video by Union of Concerned Scientists
youtube.com