In buildings, land and industrial decarbonization news this week NetZero Insider’s Hugh Morley has the details on the debate around setting emissions limits for buildings in Maryland. The state’s Building Energy Performance Standards that passed in the Climate Solutions Now Act in 2022 covers about 9,000 buildings that have to start reporting emissions and electricity use next year. Emissions cuts would start in 2030. Building owners argued the rules present too many financial hurdles for compliance.

The California Air Resources Board is considering new rules to cut methane emissions from the state’s dairy farms, which so far have been exempt from emissions requirements that apply to landfills and other methane emitters, Canary Media reported. The potential regulations could upend the profitable biofuel subsidies the farms get now, which have been opposed by some who argue they amount to a perverse incentive to create more pollution. 

The Colorado Sun ran a story on a recent PUC decision approving Xcel Energy’s Public Service Co. of Colorado to tap additional funds for its building efficiency rebate program. The firm is getting an extra $34 million this cycle to fulfill demand for the program, which has been high due to the “indoor agricultural market” — or marijuana grow houses. 

CityLimits.org looked into the $5 billion available for residential efficiency retrofits in the New Efficiency New York (NE:NY) program, finding that only 7% of the funds have gone to small residential buildings (one to four units) even though the city has 863,000. The program also has missed out on low-income consumers with just 23% of its spending going to the group, which makes up 40% of the city’s population. 

Innovation Origins looks into the issues around data centers and electricity demand, noting their appetite for power continues to grow with new applications like artificial intelligence, despite efficiency improvements. The article notes that about 40% of data centers demand comes from the need to keep computers cool and that offers some hope for savings going forward. 

Read more stories in this week’s Intelligence Report: