NEPA

"Environmentall sensitive area" sign on rustic wooden fence with tall green grass in background.

Misuse of Environmental Laws Betrays Their Intent

How laws written to protect natural resources and biodiversity are being reinterpreted by NIMBY groups to block development.

October 24, 2023 - Governing

Crowd Community Meeting

The Problem With Public Input

The current community input process often amplifies the voices of already powerful groups who act to stop valuable projects for their own benefit.

April 28, 2022 - The Atlantic

Train Rendering

America's Expensive Infrastructure

The cost of building roads and transit projects has skyrocketed in the last 50 years, but the reasons behind the rise are complex.

July 7, 2021 - Vox

San Francisco Gutter

New Rule Allows States to Bypass NEPA in Favor of State Regulations

Under certain circumstances, states can conduct environmental reviews under state rather than federal regulations.

January 20, 2021 - Progressive Railroading

Infrastructure

Trump's Latest Deregulatory Itch: The National Environmental Policy Act

In a move called "one of the biggest — and most audacious — deregulatory actions of the Trump administration," President Trump yesterday announced plans to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act for federal infrastructure projects.

July 16, 2020 - The New York Times

Gas Station SUVs

Republicans Reveal an Anti-Urban, Anti-Public Transit Platform

The Grand Old Party platform calls for an end to using gas taxes for public transit as well as other non-road purposes like "bike-sharing," opposes increases to the 23-year-old gas tax, and would eliminate the U.S. DOT Livability Initiative.

July 21, 2016 - Progressive Railroading

The Seat of Government

Transportation Reauthorization Now a Done Deal

The plan, now five years rather than six, still needs the sign-offs from both chambers before being sent to the president for his signature on Friday according to POLITICO. Ironically, another extension will be needed to allow a signing ceremony.

December 3, 2015 - Politico Morning Transportation

The Seat of Government

House Transportation Bill Misses Mark on Transit

Transit advocates have little good to say about the recently-passed Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act. While it doesn't cut transit funding, it does nothing to expedite transit-based solutions.

October 29, 2015 - Streetsblog Network

New House Transportation Reauthorization Bill Expected for Mark Up This Week

The current patch bill funding highway and transit spending expires on Oct. 29. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released a multi-year bill called the Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act of 2015 (STRR Act).

October 19, 2015 - The Hill

Florida High Speed Rail to Remain Privately Funded

Apparently some in Florida were uncomfortable with the much touted "privately funded railroad" using a $1.6 billion Federal Railroad Administration loan, so All Aboard Florida applied for tax exempt bonds to supplement or replace the loan.

December 24, 2014 - The Palm Beach Post

Arctic Lovers Can Thank Falling Oil Prices for this Gift

The high cost of drilling for oil in the Arctic, combined with the lowest oil prices in five years, have caused Chevron Corp. to drop their test well drilling program in Canada's Beaufort Sea.

December 19, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

CEQA and High-Speed Rail Foes Dealt Setback by Federal Board

Faced with seven CEQA lawsuits from rail opponents threatening to delay the high-speed rail project, the California High-Speed Rail Authority sought preemption of the California environmental law. The Surface Transportation Board agreed.

December 17, 2014 - The Fresno Bee

FLV California train

California High Speed Rail: Federal Aid Not Required

That was the message from Gov. Jerry Brown after a state appeals court unlocked a lower court's hold on $9.95 billion of state bond funds for the $68 billion project. He exchanged words with HSR opponent House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

August 5, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

In Key Ruling, Court Orders Study of Highway Expansion's Effect on Sprawl

A federal court has ruled that a proposed highway expansion said to be the largest single transportation project in Wisconsin history must consider regional impacts (on sprawl and transit-dependent populations) in its environmental analysis.

June 6, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Environmentalists Win Major Fracking Lawsuit in California

Environmentalists scored a major victory in federal court in their battle against fracking in California when a judge ruled that the BLM violated NEPA by not requiring an environmental review prior to auctioning rights for drilling in Monterey Co.

April 12, 2013 - The Monterey County Herald

Obama to Expand NEPA Reviews to Consider Climate Change

It what would be a significant policy shift that could impact major projects that are subject to federal oversight, the Obama administration is expected to guide all federal agencies to consider the impact on global warming in their NEPA reviews.

March 16, 2013 - Bloomberg

The Key to Shortening Environmental Reviews

A new report documents the dramatic growth in the average length of environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects. While some have called for easing environmental protections as the solution, the report authors have different suggestions.

July 3, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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