Environment

How to Keep Billions of Gallons of Sewage Out of a Waterway
The Anacostia River Tunnel is just one component of DC Water's Clean River Project, but it's already making a huge difference.

5 Industries That Made the Most of Pruitt While He Lasted
Umair Irfan provides a post-mortem, of sorts, on the tenure of Scott Pruitt at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Los Angeles Express Lane Revenue to Fund Electric Double-Decker Buses
Solo drivers who paid a variable toll to use the 10 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles provided $1.4 million to assist in the purchase of the nation's first electric double-decker buses, to be operated by Foothill Transit

Study: Air Pollution From Cars and Trucks Causes Diabetes
A new study builds an even stronger case for setting pollution controls at PM 2.5 to prevent increased risk of diabetes. The EPA's clean air regulations set a threshold much less restrictive than that level.

California Reaches Greenhouse Gas Emissions Target Four Years Ahead of Schedule
It is possible to achieve state-mandated global warming reduction goals after all. The nation's first such goal, signed into law by Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, called for reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

Plan Released for Largest Dam Removal Project in U.S. History
A plan to remove four dams on the Klamath River took a crucial step forward at the end of June. Planners hope the dam removals will improve water quality, revive fisheries, create local jobs, and boost tourism and recreation.

With $768 Million in June, California Continues EV Infrastructure Investment
CPUC Commissioner Carla Peterman explains the state's investment plan for building out electric vehicle charging stations in public spaces and homes.

Controversial Green Neighborhood to Rise on Former Auto Plant Site
Plans for a sizable eco-friendly development on the site of St. Paul's Twin Cities Assembly Plant have drawn support from many, including the city's young mayor. But density opponents remain unconvinced.

A 'Wild Mile' on the Chicago River Utilizes Floating Gardens
An effort is underway to reintroduce a natural habitats along a stretch of postindustrial Chicago River canal-scape. Floating garden modules are being used to attract species back to the area.
CEQA and the California Dream: No Marriage, Except for Attorneys
A Habitat for Humanity Project in Silicon Valley is stymied by an effective, CEQA-wielding attorney who doesn't want his home office views obstructed and more traffic in his neighborhood.

Army Corps Proposes Sea Barriers to Protect New York from Rising Seas
A massive infrastructure project is on the table in New York, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a new feasibility study.

'Climate Gentrification' Is Exacerbating Economic Inequality in Miami
A new study shows that over the last several decades the price of real estate has been heavily influenced by the actual and anticipated effects of climate change.

Tips for Talking About Climate Change
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is the leading expert in how to have difficult conversations about climate change—like the kind when facts aren't enough.

California's Great Transportation Divide—Between Two Key Governmental Agencies
Two powerful governmental bodies that deal with very different aspects of transportation—one with meeting mobility needs, the other with its impact on health and the environment—met formally for the first time on June 27.

What Do Affordable Housing Developers Think of California's Potential Rent Control Initiative?
A California November 2018 ballot initiative seeking to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act could have unintended consequences, according to Related California's Bill Witte.

A Departing Blow to Clean Air on Pruitt's Final Day
Friday may have been disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's last day in office of the agency in charge of protecting the nation's environment, but he still managed to roll back a regulation to create lasting air pollution far greater than VW did.
Seattle Beats San Francisco to Plastic Straw and Utensil Ban
Seattle's ban took effect Sunday, while San Franciso's proposed legislation, if successful, would begin July 1, 2019. Other cities have plastic straw restrictions, but Seattle's is the first outright ban. Compostable alternatives are permitted.

EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Resigns
Climate change denier Scott Pruitt, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, submitted his resignation on Thursday, to take effect July 6. On Monday, EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler becomes the acting administrator.

Friday Eye Candy: Long-Hidden Panoramas of National Parks Now Online
The panoramas of Heinrich Berann had been locked up in a vault, Now they are available for download.
Monument Review: Recreation a Larger Economic Benefit Than Ranching and Timber Combined
Why is the Department of Interior considering a reduction of the size of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument?
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