Energy
Power52 Prepares Citizens for Work in Solar Industry
THE AFRO — Ten individuals from Baltimore City and surrounding counties recently graduated from Power52 Energy Institute poised for a life of sustained success and self-sufficiency. The institute is the centerpiece of Power52, a solar initiative that provides employment training for at-risk adults, returning citizens, and underserved individuals in preparation for careers in the solar industry as well as other green job opportunities.
Ten individuals from Baltimore City and surrounding counties recently graduated from Power52 Energy Institute poised for a life of sustained success and self-sufficiency. The institute is the centerpiece of Power52, a solar initiative that provides employment training for at-risk adults, returning citizens, and underserved individuals in preparation for careers in the solar industry as well as other green job opportunities.
Connected over collective interests to create solutions to social challenges in disadvantaged communities, Cherrie Brooks, a Baltimore-based solar developer; Rob Wallace, a real estate executive; and Ray Lewis an iconic NFL star designed a workforce program dedicated to creating community solutions using solar initiatives for a long-term community development strategy of breaking cycles of poverty, unemployment, under employment and incarceration in urban communities across the nation.
From their deeply rooted faith, the three shared a vision of strengthening individuals from the inside and the pride that comes when one builds his future with his own hands.
Power52 Energy Institute in Baltimore City offers an accredited eleven-week comprehensive training program which includes services to help ensure that the people are successful. Power 52 believes that, “much like the power itself, the future and opportunities of those it benefits should be sustainable too.”
Here, former Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis tells the AFRO shares how Power52 has impacted lives and why he’s aligned his life’s work with this initiative.
AFRO: How did you get started with this initiative?
Ray Lewis: Well I think it was a collective vision that we all came together on with very quickly after the unrest of Freddie grey in 2015 you know, after walking the streets and trying to find out what the real issue was stemming from, you know the quality of jobs we came to hone in on. Then we sat down a few times and really thought about it, worked on it and Me, Cherrie and Daniel came up with how we could use what Rob and his father have done for many years with this energy, and solar. So, we sat down and thought how do we make this work for the community, how do we truly add to the workforce element. And I think that’s how this just naturally happened and with me being a part of it was kind of a natural thing.
AFRO: How does Power52 Institute prepare individuals with tools for self-sufficiency?
Ray Lewis: True tools! like tools you can actually steal. Things you can look at when you go through our course, and one of the reason we have an 85 percent placement rate. The moment somebody leaves or graduates Power 52’s 11 to 16-week program, we are getting people jobs immediately. And keep in mind, these are people that have been told, “You can’t,” and “No, your record does not show this,” and “You got this history of this.” Everybody has made a mistake somewhere in life and that’s why the rebuilding of individuals and giving them their imagination back again is important.
Think about solar energy and climate change. Think about all of these different things that are starting to happen. When I tell you we are one of the very few black companies in solar. But that’s the way we are going; our planet is going solar regardless. We have to; the climate is dictating it and everything around us is dictating it. So we are saying as a company, “No we will not be last in this field.” “No we will be more engaged in this field and we will educate people so they can understand how not to just hold a job.”
AFRO: Why makes this initiative unique?
Ray Lewis: I’ve been a part of Baltimore a long time. From day one living in Baltimore, I asked, “why don’t we have anyone from the community working in our community? The reason I am going this route is to show the power of Power 52. Power 52 takes us in each and every community; and it does not hustle the community, it does not ponder something that cannot happen. We promise you a new life, we promise you a new path, but you have to do the work. That’s the beauty of it!
This article originally appeared in The Afro.
Antonio Ray Harvey
Air Quality Board Rejects Two Rules Written to Ban Gas Water Heaters and Furnaces
The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units. “We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media
Two proposed rules to eliminate the usage of gas water heaters and furnaces by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California were rejected by the Governing Board on June 6.
Energy policy analysts say the board’s decision has broader implications for the state.
With a 7-5 vote, the board decided not to amend Rules 1111 and 1121 at the meeting held in Diamond Bar in L.A. County.
The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units.
“We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”
The AQMD governing board is a 13-member body responsible for setting air quality policies and regulations within the South Coast Air Basin, which covers areas in four counties: Riverside County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and parts of Los Angeles County.
The board is made up of representatives from various elected offices within the region, along with members who are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Senate Rules Committee.
Holly J. Mitchell, who serves as a County Supervisor for the Second District of Los Angeles County, is a SCAQMD board member. She supported the amendments, but respected the board’s final decision, stating it was a “compromise.”
“In my policymaking experience, if you can come up with amended language that everyone finds some fault with, you’ve probably threaded the needle as best as you can,” Mitchell said before the vote. “What I am not okay with is serving on AQMD is making no decision. Why be here? We have a responsibility to do all that we can to get us on a path to cleaner air.”
The rules proposed by AQMD, Rule 1111 and Rule 1121, aim to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters.
Rule 1111 and Rule 1121 were designed to control air pollution, particularly emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Two days before the Governing Board’s vote, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa asked SCAQMD to reject the two rules.
Villaraigosa expressed his concerns during a Zoom call with the Cost of Living Council, a Southern California organization that also opposes the rules. Villaraigosa said the regulations are difficult to understand.
“Let me be clear, I’ve been a big supporter of AQMD over the decades. I have been a believer and a fighter on the issue of climate change my entire life,” Villaraigosa said. “But there is no question that what is going on now just doesn’t make sense. We are engaging in regulations that are put on the backs of working families, small businesses, and the middle class, and we don’t have the grid for all this.”
Rules 1111 and 1121 would also establish manufacturer requirements for the sale of space and water heating units that meet low-NOx and zero-NOx emission standards that change over time, according to SCAQMD.
The requirements also include a mitigation fee for NOx-emitting units, with an option to pay a higher mitigation fee if manufacturers sell more low-NOx water heating and space units.
Proponents of the proposed rules say the fees are designed to incentivize actions that reduce emissions.
Bay Area
Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System
While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

The Richmond Standard
Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.
The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.
“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”
While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.
“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”
The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.
Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.
“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.
Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.
Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.
For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.
Bay Area
State Orders Cleanup of Former Richmond Landfill
There is no immediate public hazard at the fence line of the site, which is located on the city’s southeastern shoreline, at the foot of S. 51st Street. However, the “site’s wastes pose an unacceptable long-term risk,” according to a CDTSC statement. Also, since the uncapped site sits along a creek and the Bay, wastes can wash off during each rain and high tide, the agency stated.

The Richmond Standard
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) is ordering Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR) and Bayer CropScience, Inc. to clean up the former Blair Southern Pacific Landfill in Richmond due to findings of elevated levels of lead, banned pesticides like DDT, and radioactive material at the site.
There is no immediate public hazard at the fence line of the site, which is located on the city’s southeastern shoreline, at the foot of S. 51st Street. However, the “site’s wastes pose an unacceptable long-term risk,” according to a CDTSC statement. Also, since the uncapped site sits along a creek and the Bay, wastes can wash off during each rain and high tide, the agency stated.
Bayer and UPRR were ordered to clean up the site as it is their predecessor companies that are deemed responsible for the hazardous waste. The site was used from the 1950s to the 1980s, before modern environmental laws were in place, according to the CDTSC.
“During this time, the site was leased to landfill operators, who developed and operated the site as a series of landfills for disposal of industrial and non-industrial wastes,” the CDTSC stated.
The state’s order requires Bayer and UPRR to safely remove and dispose of the radioactive materials and includes penalties of up to $25,000 per day for noncompliance.
“There will be opportunities for public involvement during the development of the cleanup plan and at the Richmond Southeast Shoreline Community Advisory Group (CAG) meetings, which meet on Zoom the second Thursday of every month,” said Richmond City Councilmember Soheila Bana.
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