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NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities today approved a settlement that will enable PSE&G to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure in New Jersey. With this approval, the state’s largest utility is expected to invest $166 million over an expected six years and create about 270 direct clean energy jobs while helping to build out the state’s EV charging infrastructure.

PSE&G’s investments are designed to increase the availability of vehicle charging and ease «range anxiety,» the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of power before reaching a place to plug in. Many drivers cite the lack of convenient charging options as the top reason they are reluctant to switch to electric vehicles. Cars, trucks and buses are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, and the New Jersey Energy Master Plan prioritizes electrifying the transportation sector as a key strategy to improve the state’s air quality and reduce health care costs. PSE&G’s program is expected to avoid 14 million metric tons of carbon emissions through 2035.

«EV adoption is critical to meeting New Jersey’s clean energy goals,» said Karen Reif, vice president of PSE&G’s Renewables and Energy Solutions group. «The scarcity of public and private charging infrastructure discourages more people from driving electric vehicles. PSE&G’s program will address those concerns and is designed to encourage people to make the switch to clean-running EVs and to help New Jersey enjoy the environmental and health benefits that will result from electrifying the transportation sector.»

«Electrifying transportation is an important component of PSEG’s Powering Progress vision for a future in which we help our customers use less energy, ensure that the energy they use is cleaner, and that energy is delivered more reliably than ever,» Reif said.

Making it easier to charge and drive electric vehicles is another step toward achieving Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean energy vision for New Jersey. PSE&G’s EV investment program includes supporting the infrastructure for residential charging equipment, EV chargers at multifamily buildings, government facilities and at public parking lots, as well as fast charging infrastructure along high-traffic corridors such as the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. The program also includes provisions for discounted charging during off-peak hours.

PSE&G is committed to universal access to EV charging and to serving all markets. The utility will not own EV chargers, but instead will support the infrastructure needed to place chargers throughout its service territory.

PSE&G’s program recognizes the widespread benefits of electric vehicles, including cleaner air, by displacing internal combustion engines. According to the American Lung Association, the widespread transition to zero-emission transportation technologies, including EVs, could lead to emissions reductions that could help New Jersey avoid premature deaths, prevent asthma attacks and lost work days, and yield close to $2 billion in avoided health costs in 2050.

Today’s BPU action follows its approval in September of PSE&G’s $1 billion investment in energy efficiency, and its decision earlier this month to allow PSE&G to invest approximately $700 million to provide its 2.3 million electric customers with smart meters. Each of these programs will advance PSE&G’s landmark Clean Energy Future proposal, an initiative designed to lower energy costs, reduce air pollution, create jobs and help make New Jersey a leader in clean energy.

For more details, visit psegpoweringprogress.com/electric-vehicles/

The remaining vehicle innovation portion of our EV proposal to support medium- and heavy-duty vehicles such as school buses, as well as our energy storage proposal, are pending before the BPU. 

More information about PSEG’s commitment to environmental leadership can be found in its Sustainability Report and ESG Performance Report. 

PSE&G
Public Service Electric & Gas Co. (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s oldest and largest gas and electric delivery public utility, serving three-quarters of the state’s population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2020, PSE&G was named the most trusted combined gas & electric utility in the East Region, by the Cogent Syndicated Brand Trust Index. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company. PSEG has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America for 13 consecutive years (www.pseg.com).

Visit PSEG at:
www.pseg.com 
PSEG on Facebook 
PSEG on Twitter 
PSEG on LinkedIn 
PSEG Energize! 

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SOURCE Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G)

CRESCENT CITY, Calif., Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Alexandre Family Farm has become the Regenerative Organic Alliance’s first and only Regenerative Organic Certified™ dairy farm in the United States. The Alexandre Family Farm is also the first dairy to obtain Ecological Outcome Verification certification by the Savory Institute. These certifications acknowledge that the farm’s practices go far beyond sustainability to continuously improve soil biology as well as the entire ecosystem – water, land, air and animals. 

«When we began farming this way 30 years ago, we weren’t intentionally trying to have an impact on climate change,» says founder Blake Alexandre. «We were focused on the health of the soil and manage our pasture by having our animals graze our land. When you increase organic matter in soil, you also capture carbon.  We soon came to realize that healthy soil not only has positive effects on our pasture, our cows and their milk, but it has a profound effect on our planet as well. Over the years, we’ve become increasingly proud of producing food that’s not only good for your body but good for the earth.» 

The Savory Institute’s Land to Market Program tracks outcomes in soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem function through the Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) protocol, which collects scientific data over time to prove regenerative outcomes.

«We strongly believe that regeneration must be measured. By using empirical data, the Alexandres show foresight and initiative in managing land with an ecological approach,» says David Rizzo, COO, Land to Market. «This is a major step forward for dairy, and we are excited to see these verified products in the marketplace that meet the consumers desire to know their purchase is supporting the shift to regenerative agriculture.»

The Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC™) program is based on strict standards for soil health and land management in addition to animal welfare and farmworker fairness.  Alexandre Family Farm was one of only 21 farms selected globally to be a part of the ROC Pilot Program, and joins leading brands Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s and Nature’s Path in attaining certification. 

«Dairies face unique challenges to earning a certification as rigorous as ROC. The Alexandres’ achievement of this high-bar seal is a true testament to their commitment to ecological, humane and ethical practices across the board,» says Elizabeth Whitlow, Executive Director of the ROA. «We are so proud to welcome them into the ROC family!»

Regenerative Organic A2/A2 Milk Becomes Available Nationwide On February 1st, 2021

Milk is an efficient superfood and a great source of energy, vitamins, electrolytes and protein. Milk protein is made up of whey and casein. Traditionally, the beta casein in cow’s milk was the same as the primary protein in human milk called A2/A2. This protein is easily digestible and is similar to breast milk, sheep and goat milk. However, over time, a genetic mutation resulted in the introduction of the A1 protein –which is difficult for humans to digest and linked to stomach upset and inflammation.

In fact, many people who believe they are lactose intolerant are actually A1 intolerant. After Blake and Stephanie Alexandre learned about this genetic mutation, they started to carefully crossbreed their cows to remove the A1 protein from their gene pool. After two decades, they now have the only regenerative dairy herd of 100% A2/A2 cows in the U.S. 

Starting February 1^st, Alexandre Family Farm milk will become the first 100% A2/A2 regenerative organic milk to be distributed nationwide. Alexandre cartons (59 oz) will be available at Whole Foods and other retailers throughout the country. 

About Alexandre Family Farm
As fourth generation dairy farmers with over 40 years of experience, Blake and Stephanie Alexandre founded Alexandre Family Farm in Crescent City, California in 1988, and began bottling under their brand in 2017.  Along with their five grown children and spouses, they operate the only certified regenerative organic and 100% A2 dairy and mobile coop egg ranch in the United States. Their products include 59 oz. eco-carton milks, distributed nationwide, and eggs, bottled milks and yogurts available west of the Rockies. 

Contact:  Sharon Egan

sharon@alexandrefamilyfarm.com 

208.309.3069

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SOURCE Alexandre Family Farm

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — More than one-fourth of American workers remain without a job that lifts them above the poverty level, presenting a major challenge for the new Congress and the Biden Administration, according to the latest analysis of the country’s unemployment rate released today by the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP). At the same time, racial and gender gaps have widened, exacerbating economic inequity.

«For any economic recovery to be sustainable, the rising tide must lift all boats,» said Gene Ludwig, LISEP chairman. «While we have seen some improvement in the government-reported unemployment rate since the pandemic began, many of these jobs are not sufficient to support a family. No economic recovery can succeed without the opportunity for all Americans to participate equally.»

In its monthly analysis of employment data, LISEP’s True Rate of Unemployment (TRU) – a measure of the «functionally unemployed,» defined as workers seeking but unable to secure full-time jobs that take them over the poverty level – came in at 25.1 percent for the month of December. This is a marginal improvement over the November TRU of 25.7 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) unemployment rate for December was unchanged at 6.7 percent.

While the overall TRU showed a slight overall improvement in living wage job growth, the improvements were not equal across all demographics. The slight decrease was fueled primarily by a 1.3 point improvement in the TRU for White Americans (now 22.7 percent), versus a 0.2 point improvement for Black workers, to 30.2 percent. The TRU rate for Hispanic Americans worsened, up 1.5 points to 31.6 percent.

Meanwhile, the TRU among workers with the highest education level (professional or advanced degrees) has fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels at 11.5 percent, a full percentage point lower than in February 2020. Living-wage job prospects worsened, though, for those with only a high school education, increasing from 21.8 percent to 24.1 percent, and for those with less than a high school diploma, with a TRU of 49.3 percent, up 0.8 points since November.

The gender gap among the functionally unemployed continues to widen as well, based on the TRU data. While the TRU for women improved by 0.3 points, the rate for men improved by 0.9, widening an immense gap between men and women – 20.6 versus 30.4 percent, respectively.

Ludwig was cautious regarding the overall TRU improvement, noting that the widening gender and race gaps are reasons for concern. He also noted that recent proactive measures by policymakers represent steps in the right direction.

«We must address inequality on all levels – gender, racial, economic – if we are to succeed as a nation, and that begins with the opportunity to secure a stable, living-wage job,» Ludwig said. «These numbers underscore the scale of the economic crisis facing the country, and strengthen the case for bold, decisive action by policymakers.»

LISEP issued the white paper «Measuring Better: Development of ‘True Rate of Unemployment’ Data as the Basis for Social and Economic Policy» upon announcing the new statistical measure in October. The paper and methodology can be viewed here. LISEP issues TRU one to two weeks following the release of the BLS unemployment report, which occurs on the first Friday of each month. The TRU rate and supporting data are available on the LISEP website at www.lisep.org. 

LISEP was created in 2019 by Ludwig and his wife, Dr. Carol Ludwig. The mission of LISEP is to improve the economic well-being of middle- and lower-income Americans through research and education, and seeks to advance the dialogue around policy solutions to improve the well-being of all Americans.

In addition to his role as LISEP chair, Gene Ludwig is founder of the Promontory family of companies and Canapi LLC, the nation’s largest financial technology venture fund. He is the CEO of Promontory Financial Group and chairman and CEO of Promontory MortgagePath, a technology-based mortgage fulfillment and solutions company. Ludwig is the former vice chairman and senior control officer of Bankers Trust New York Corp., and served as the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency from 1993 to 1998. He is also author of the book The Vanishing American Dream, which investigates the economic challenges facing low- and middle-income Americans. It was released in September by Disruption Books.

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SOURCE Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — A new poll shows that a super-majority of Virginia residents want the freedom to choose their energy supplier, choose clean energy, and want more renewable energy to be generated in the Commonwealth of Virginia. SurveyUSA interviewed more than 500 Virginia adults who rent or own their home, pay their utility bills, and have at least some input on their utility company’s household choice. Support for consumers being able to choose their renewable energy provider cuts across the typical partisan divide. The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats agree that they want the freedom to choose their energy provider. The poll bolsters the case for HB2048, a bill sponsored by Delegate Jeff Bourne (D-Richmond, 71st District), that would restore Virginians’ ability to select their own 100% renewable energy provider.

Highlights from the new survey:

• 83% of Virginia residents want the freedom to choose clean energy for their homes.
• 77% of Virginians want to be able to choose their electric supplier. 
• 66% of Virginia residents would like to see more clean, renewable energy in Virginia’s generation mix.
• 66% of respondents expressed an interest in community solar as a new way to support solar development without putting solar panels on their rooftop (assuming savings of 5-10% on electricity costs).

Restoring Virginians’ ability to shop for 100% renewable energy would promote and expand the Commonwealth’s growing clean energy economy and help it to meet its ambitious carbon reduction goals.

The poll was commissioned by CleanChoice Energy, a member of a broad coalition supporting HB 2048. For more information about HB 2048 and to contact legislators visit: www.EnergyChoiceforVirginia.com.

About CleanChoice Energy
CleanChoice Energy empowers people and businesses to cut emissions, support renewable energy, and live cleaner lives. Founded in 2012, the company has become one of the fastest-growing businesses in America, as ranked on the Inc. 500 and Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™. CleanChoice Energy is a Certified B Corporation, a member of the American Sustainable Business Council and the U.S. Green Building Council, and is certified with the highest available rating by Green America’s Green Business Network. For more information or to become a customer, visit CleanChoiceEnergy.com.

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SOURCE CleanChoice Energy