Clean car jobs booming in U.S. 

Electric car and truck sales continue to rise in the United States, supported by federal investments. These include upfront discounts for people buying electric vehicles, high-speed charging in all 50 states, and tax credits for manufacturers retooling existing factories and building new ones to produce electric cars.

EV sales numbers aren’t the only ones in the industry on the rise. Nearly 150,000 new U.S. EV jobs are in the works, too, as are more than 825,000 EV-related jobs in the wider economy. That’s according to a January report published by Environmental Defense Fund and the consulting firm WSP.

Private companies have invested more than $165 billion in  EV factories across the U.S. since November 2021, when the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was enacted.

Says Ellen Robo, a transportation policy expert at Environmental Defense Fund, “Federal Investments have given companies the confidence they need to ramp up manufacturing to meet growing consumer demand.” 

Solar surges in the European Union 

For the first time ever, countries in the European Union generated more electricity using solar power than coal. In 2024, solar power supplied a full 11% of member states’ electricity, compared to less than 10% for coal. 

In fact, all fossil fuel use was at record lows in the EU last year with gas declining for the fifth year in a row.  

Say goodbye to this red dye 

Red dye No. 3, which gives maraschino cherries, strawberry-flavored milk, and some toaster pastries their vivid color, has been linked to cancer in rats since the 1980s.  The dye has already been banned by the EU, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. 

On January 15, in the last days of the Biden administration, the federal Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on the synthetic dye. Responsibility for enforcing the ban now falls to the Trump White House. “Banning Red Dye No. 3 in food is a long-awaited action that will reduce health harms from our overexposure to toxic chemicals,” says Maria Doa, who directs chemicals policy for Environmental Defense Fund. “These types of cancer-causing chemicals have no place in our food.”   

Wildlife in Massachusetts get new crossing 

There are more than 1 million accidents involving vehicles and wildlife in the U.S. every year. A new wildlife crossing over a Massachusetts turnpike is designed to help lower that number.

“Too many Americans are injured or killed each year in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areas,” said former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement,  “which is why our Department created the first-ever program dedicated to crossings that make roads and highways safer for both humans and wildlife.” 

The Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program is a grant program aiming to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions. Grants were awarded this past December with construction planned on starting soon.