&PEOPLE EVENTS

five decades cultivating Black energy leaders, to discuss how diversity, equity, and inclusion are key to leading the clean energy transition,” tweeted Butler.

New study sheds light on why pollution levels remain high during winter months

Exelon President & CEO Calvin G Butler gives keynote at AABE

The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) held its 46th annual conference May 2–5 in Houston, TX. Exelon President & CEO Calvin G. Butler gave a keynote on the importance of building connections and innovation within the industry while ensuring room for diverse perspectives. “It was a pleasure to speak with AABE, an organization that has spent nearly

The Wintertime Investigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER) project has revealed new insights into the impact of power plant and car emissions on hazardous particulate levels in the eastern United States. While previous studies focused on summer air quality, this research sheds light on why pollution levels remain high during winter. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supported the study with additional funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory. The research group—made up of scientists from North Carolina A&T State University, the University of Washington, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Colorado State University—spent six weeks on a C-130 aircraft operated by the NSF and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, conducting atmospheric physics and chemistry research.

Dr. Allanté Whitmore, U.S. director of the Autonomous Vehicle Initiative for Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE)

SAFE’s U.S. director of the Autonomous Vehicle Initiative for Securing America’s Future Energy

Dr. Allanté Whitmore has served as the U.S. director of the Autonomous Vehicle Initiative for Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) since January 2022. SAFE enhances the nation’s energy security and supports economic resurgence and resiliency by advancing transformative transportation and mobility technologies. Whitmore recently completed a joint Ph.D. in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She has an extensive background in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and policy expertise from researching AVs’ environmental, equity, economic, and ethical impacts.

Deep South Center for Environmental Justice releases two-year impact report

The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice empowers communities historically affected by racism. They prioritize communityled solutions to the climate crisis and promote ecological justice. Dr. Beverly Wright was appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council to provide recommendations on addressing environmental injustice. The administration’s Justice40 approach requires disadvantaged communities to receive 40 percent of federal clean energy investments. DSCEJ organized a “toxic tour” that brought EPA Administrator Michael Regan face to face with the effects of living with polluting industries. The EPA issued enforcement actions and announced the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights to advance environmental justice. S