{"630738":{"#nid":"630738","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"Virginia\u0027s roadway lighting upgrades buck federal backtracking on efficiency","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Public Policy alum Mary Shoemaker,\u0026nbsp;senior research analyst with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE), was quoted in an article in Energy News Network on Jan. 8, 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPer the article, the Virginia Department of Transportation is set to replace 9,600 lights along roads with LED lights, which consume less energy. Shoemaker spoke on the political context of the move.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClean energy nonprofits are praising Virginia for announcing plans to forge ahead with upgrades to roadway lighting within days of the Trump administration rolling back federal light bulb efficiency standards.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStarting this spring, the state will replace 9,600 lights on limited-access highways, interchanges, park-and-ride lots, rest areas and weigh stations with efficient light-emitting diode products. The LED changeover will reduce energy consumption by at least 50% and cut 8,800 tons of heat-trapping gas emissions, according to Virginia Department of Transportation estimates.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe irony of the juxtaposed \u0026mdash; and polar opposite \u0026mdash; state and federal announcements last month was not lost on Mary Shoemaker, a senior research analyst with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Virginia\u0026rsquo;s modernization project demonstrates that states can take steps to improve lighting efficiency and preserve taxpayer resources, in spite of inaction from the federal government,\u0026rdquo; Shoemaker said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energynews.us\/2020\/01\/08\/southeast\/virginias-roadway-lighting-upgrades-buck-federal-backtracking-on-efficiency\/\u0022\u003ERead the full article here.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"35266","created_gmt":"2020-01-08 15:28:22","changed_gmt":"2020-01-08 15:28:22","author":"ifrazer3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"research human subjects research","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"https:\/\/energynews.us\/2020\/01\/08\/southeast\/virginias-roadway-lighting-upgrades-buck-federal-backtracking-on-efficiency\/","dateline":{"date":"2020-01-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-01-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"174523","name":"Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"167078","name":"School of Public Policy"},{"id":"8732","name":"clean energy"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}