Government / Politics

Arizona and Nevada to Vote on Renewable Energy Initiatives
Voters in two Western states next month will determine whether to require energy utilities to increase their share of electricity from renewable sources to 50 percent by 2030. In Arizona, the campaign has become the costliest in state history.

Op-Ed: Treat Vancouver Election as a Referendum on Zoning Decisions
The decision to rezone most of Vancouver to allow for duplexes could have consequences in this weekend's municipal election.

Tacoma Setting Land Use Barriers for Fossil Fuel
Even with a year-long halt on new projects, the city is grappling with plans for industrial land use.

Toronto's Quayside Will Be Plugged In, But the Risks for Residents Are Unclear
Technology will be part of everyday life in a new Toronto neighborhood, planned by Sidewalk Labs. But looking to the future is also raising a host of privacy concerns.

Electric Vehicles See Progress at Local Level but Setbacks in Washington
The new IPCC report calls for decarbonization of transportation. While many cities are attempting to do their part, two recent federal developments in trade policy and tax legislation threaten to will make progress more difficult.

Utah's Campaign to Deregulate Public Lands
Newly obtained documents reveal the extent of the state's efforts to strip protections from federal lands around the United States.

Contractors in Limbo While Southwest LRT Waits for Federal Funding Promise
More evidence that the Federal Transit Administration under the Trump Administration isn't interested in capital investments.

The Cost of Ending Cap and Trade in Ontario: $3 Billion
The fallout from Ontario Premier Doug Ford's decision to pull the province from the Western Climate Initiative, a cap-and-trade program linked with Quebec and California.

Where Virginia's Innovative Climate Fund Went Wrong
Virginia designed a promising way to bolster coastal areas vulnerable to sea-level rise. But it was never funded.

Gas Tax Politics at Play in Wisconsin Gubernatorial Race
Incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker charges that his Democratic opponent, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, will hike gas taxes by as much as a dollar a gallon to fund road repair, on top of raising income and property taxes.

Trump Announcement Unites Big Oil and Environmentalists
President Trump announced at a campaign rally in Iowa that he would lift the ban on summertime sales of a 15 percent blend of ethanol, expected to increase smog levels. Both environmentalists and the oil industry oppose the action.

Study: Older States Tend to Have Worse Finances
A report suggests that the older a state is, the more likely it is that special interests have entrenched themselves, negatively impacting the public purse.

Deadly New York Limousine Crash Prompts Oversight Questions
The deadliest transportation accident in recent years has some asking whether more can be done to regulate modified vehicles, including limos.

Should Planners Run for Public Office?
In an opinion piece bemoaning the passage of legislation that gives the BART board new land use planning authority, BART Director Deborah Allen argues that planners won't make good directors because they lack independence.

Audit of New Jersey Transit Highlights Problems to Address
The agency is facing a multitude of funding, management, and organizational challenges.

Big Redevelopment Plan for Detroit Neighborhood, But Little Progress
The Detroit project was slated to become a massive sports and entertainment district. After five years, little has changed.

Another SB 827? Ambitious California Housing Bill Isn't Quite Dead Yet
It received a lot of press, but ultimately California's Senate Bill 827 went nowhere. Now, the state senator who introduced the bill is working with advocates who opposed it on another version that just might have better chances.

ExxonMobil's $1 Million Gift to Fight Climate Change Through Carbon Pricing
Two days after a Nobel prize was awarded to William Nordhaus for his work on carbon taxes to address climate change, the largest American oil and gas company announced a $1 million contribution to a group promoting a carbon fee and dividend plan.

Brown Signs Housing, Transportation, Clean Energy Laws
On his way out the door, California Governor Jerry Brown created plenty of opportunities for the next administration to continue in his footsteps.

Alaskans to Choose Between Salmon Habitat Protections and Resource Extraction
A contentious initiative on the Alaska ballot next month pits protecting salmon habitat protections against the interests of the oil and gas industry and mining companies.
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