Coal ash retention ponds are so numerous and so toxic that they are now considered to be a potential threat to national security.
Back in December of 2008, a coal ash pond in Tennessee burst its banks and flooded some 300 acres with an estimated billion gallons of toxic sludge. Now there are concerns that the nation's other 44 such sites also pose a grave threat to surrounding communities.
We all knew the problem was serious. Now it turns out that it's so bad that the public can't be informed where those sites are. According to the Huffington Post,
"the Department of Homeland Security has told Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) that her committee can't publicly disclose the location of coal ash dumps across the country.
The pollution is so toxic, so dangerous, that an enemy of the United States -- or a storm or some other disrupting event -- could easily cause them to spill out and lay waste to any area nearby."
Read the full story: Coal Ash Spills Too Dangerous To Reveal To Public, Says DHS
This 55-year-old boat is NYC’s first step towards moving freight deliveries from land to sea
New York City hopes to reduce emissions by creating a 'blue highways' program that embraces boats as a means of transporting freight.
EPA to kill law requiring states to inform the public about new data centers
Over 200 advocacy groups and a dozen states have voiced opposition to this change.
First study of NYC congestion zone’s air quality impact shows improvements
The study also examined air quality around freeways which experts worried would see increased traffic from people avoiding the tolls.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Dallas releases zoning code overhaul to officials
The drafted overhaul is over 400 pages long.
NYC renovations for dangerous, ‘mercilessly crammed’ street delayed until 2027
Construction was supposed to begin this fall.
San Diego’s Midway Rising project gets greenlight from city council
The project looks to become the largest affordable housing development in California's history.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello