Environment

All Eyes on California's New Emissions Reductions Requirement
As difficult as it was for the legislature to pass SB 32 on Aug. 24, reducing emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 will prove far more challenging. Brad Plumer, senior editor of Vox, explains the bill and what it will take to meet the goal.

Lessons from Louisiana
We should have seen the historic flooding in the Florida Parishes region of Louisiana coming—both in preparation and in response—says a pair of recent articles.

Native American Protest Grows in Response to North Dakota Pipeline Project
Comparisons to Wounded Knee have been common as a growing number of Native Americans are gathering in North Dakota to protest the construction of a new crude oil pipeline.

Green Spaces Are Making a Comeback in New Orleans
Some good news from a state that has seen far too much bad news this year: local officials report that the trees of New Orleans are making a surprisingly strong comeback after devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.
Air Pollution from Natural Gas Industry in Pennsylvania on the Rise
With a 32 percent increase in natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, it is no surprise that emissions are increasing as well, particularly sulfur dioxide. However, the increase was dwarfed by decreases from the power sector.

Jamaica Bay: Wilderness in the City
Created so people could "experience nature in the midst of crowds," New York's Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge embodies the characteristics of all modern national parks: abundant, welcoming, and threatened.

Planetizen Week in Review: August 26, 2016
It only takes two minutes and 55 seconds to catch up on the biggest news stories from the week in planning.

The Danger of Buying By the Sea
Zillow has released research on how many of the nation's homes may be underwater (literally) by the year 2100. Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Louisiana are at the highest risk.

Climate Change Requires a Different Paradigm for California's Water Supply
Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, explains how the impacts of California’s historic drought are already changing the landscape of the American Southwest.

Sacramento Rising: Mayor-Elect Darrell Steinberg's Vision for Sustainable Communities
Mayor-Elect Steinberg enters City Hall as a leader with a unique opportunity to enact sustainable infill policies he championed in the California Legislature.

Study: Economy and Population Growing Faster Than Humanity's Footprint
The study compares data between 1993 and 2009.

With Help from The White House, Key California Climate Bill Advances
SB 32, the bill that continues the Golden State's rigorous carbon-cutting agenda, had failed last year and looked like it would do the same this year. It cleared the Democrat-controlled state Assembly on Tuesday, receiving one, lone Republican vote.

President Obama Designates New National Monument in Maine
The announcement that 87,500 acres of land in Maine's North Woods would become a national monument came the day before the centennial of the National Park Service. The designation is also sure to be controversial.

Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service
"The fundamental idea behind the parks is that the country belongs to the people," says President Obama.

Unpredictable, High Risk, High Cost: Planning for the Worst Is the Worst
Ben Brown takes a hard look at our capacities and limitations in a world more complex than we’d prefer.

Americans Continue to Drive More, Reports Federal Highway Administration
New driving totals are out for June and and the first six months of 2016, and the news is not good for those who want to see a reduction in what is now the greatest source of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

How Built Environments Hyper-Activate Evolution
Welcome to a post-human era of biological evolution. Strap on your seat belts.

Looking to Add More Trees? Mind the 'Sidewalk Gray Zone'
A case study provided by the MillionTreesNYC program offers insight into complicated territorial boundaries that can challenge urban greening projects.

Change Coming to the Way New York City Collects its Trash
The de Blasio Administration has recommended that the city of New York is ready to collect its trash in a new way, with a system known as franchising.

The Wind Industry Is Going Gangbusters
A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy shows a wind industry making large, positive strides in the country's energy market.
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont