Energy

Wind Turbine

Wyoming Law Would Penalize Utilities for Using Renewable Energy

Republican legislators in the state of Wyoming are choosing sides in the energy market—with dire consequences for consumers and the environment.

January 15, 2017 - Billings Gazette

Electronic Waste

The Upside of the Looming Resource Crisis

The concept of the circular economy is starting to take hold on governments and business throughout the world. Peter Moskowitz discusses the various ways the concept is being translated into practical, real-world solutions.

January 11, 2017 - Doggerel

Nuclear New York

Indian Point Nuclear Plant to Shut Down by 2021

Continuing a string of high-profile infrastructure announcements, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a deal to shut down the Indian Point Nuclear Plant, located less than 30 miles from Midtown Manhattan.

January 11, 2017 - The New York Times

Shock at Mexican Fuel Price Hike Turns to Pandemonium

Reaction to the 20 percent hike in fuel prices on New Year's Day has been swift, causing riots and looting resulting in four deaths and arrests of over 700 people, but President Enrique Peña Nieto continues to justify the need to end fuel subsidies.

January 9, 2017 - The Associated Press

Fracking

EPA: Fracking a Threat to Drinking Water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally spoken out about the risks posed by fracking to drinking water supplies. The Trump Administration seems very unlikely to head the warning.

January 8, 2017 - The New York Times

Oil Companies Ordered to Cease Injection of Wastewater into California Aquifers

Seven oil companies, including Chevron, have been injecting wastewater into 10 aquifers for decades despite never receiving permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to do so. The aquifers are not currently used for drinking water.

January 7, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cancun gas station

New Year's Shock Greets Motorists at Mexican Gas Stations

Mexico began deregulation of gasoline prices to the dismay of motorists, as gas prices jumped about 20 percent on New Year's Day. People are so upset that pundits suggest the decision may imperil President Enrique Peña Nieto's re-election next year.

January 5, 2017 - The Washington Post

Coal Ash Waste

Coal Plants Are Closing—There's Not Much Trump's EPA Can Do About It

Natural gas and renewable sources of energy are quickly replacing coal-fired power plants in the nation's energy portfolio. Economics, not regulations is determining what gets built, and what gets burned.

January 3, 2017 - Brookings Institution

Climate CHange

The Political Map of 2016 Looks Like the Carbon Emissions Map of 2016

There's a trend here.

January 1, 2017 - The Atlantic

North Pole, Alaska

The Surprising Region with the Nation's Worst Particulate Air Pollution

It's not Southern California, with its ports and congested freeways, California's Central Valley, with its bowl-like topography, Houston, with its oil refineries, or the midwest, with its coal power plants. Hint: think Santa Claus.

December 27, 2016 - The New York Times

France Opened the First Solar Roadway Built For Cars

A bike path in the Netherlands has been generating solar power since 2014, but the first example of a solar roadway built for cars opened this week in France.

December 23, 2016 - The Guardian

President Obama Enacts Permanent Drilling Ban Along Arctic and Atlantic Coasts

In a precedent-setting action that supporters call creative and opponents view as abusive, President Obama has declared a permanent drilling ban off the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Maine and along much of the Alaska coast. But will it last?

December 22, 2016 - The New York Times

Electoral College

The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2016

No Electoral College needed: these were the most popular Planetizen posts from the year 2016.

December 19, 2016 - James Brasuell

Rex Tillerson

The Surprising Climate Change Believer Among Trump's Cabinet Picks

Compared to nominees for cabinet positions that deal with energy and the environment, Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for Secretary of State, appears to be the only 'climate believer' even though he heads America's largest oil and gas corporation.

December 17, 2016 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

Ryan Zinke

Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke Reportedly Tapped for Interior Secretary

Days earlier the presumed nominee was Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, a member of the GOP congressional leadership, but Zinke's interview with Don Trump Jr., the president's son, appears to have caused the change.

December 15, 2016 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

Texas Governor Rick Perry

Trump Picks Energy Secretary Who Wanted to Eliminate Department

In an infamous 2011 Republican presidential primary debate, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry stated he would abolish three federal agencies: Commerce, Education, and "Oops!" — he couldn't recall. That department, energy, he has now been selected to lead.

December 14, 2016 - Politico

Another Fossil-Fuel-Friendly Climate Skeptic Selected for Trump Cabinet

President-elect Donald Trump is reported to have selected Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington, for Secretary of the Department of Interior. Also, "Climate McCarthyism" emerges as a concern for federal employees.

December 12, 2016 - Reuters via Yahoo News

Scott Pruitt

Trump Picks Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to Head EPA

The selection of Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, who is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, signals the incoming Trump Administration's antipathy for the environmental legacy of its predecessor.

December 8, 2016 - The New York Times

Dakota Access Pipeline

Victory for Native Americans and Supporters at Standing Rock—for Now

The Army Corps of Engineers denied Energy Transfer Partners an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline under Lake Oahe, advising them to explore alternative routing and conduct an environmental review, granting indigenous peoples a rare victory.

December 7, 2016 - The New York Times

The Architecture at Zero Competition Imagines the Future of Net Zero Energy

The winners of the 2016 Architecture at Zero competition took a case study located in the fog-locked city of San Francisco and delivered a net-zero site plan for a mixed-use academic facility.

December 7, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.