Government / Politics
Friday Funny: Los Angeles' Newest Celebrity—Rain
A pair of large winter storms hit California this week, providing a sorely needed, if incremental, reprieve from an ongoing and historic drought. A new twitter account, @LosAngelesRain has personified that rarest of commodities, rain in Los Angeles.
How Agenda 21 Trumps Planning
Agenda 21, a nonbinding United Nations resolution signed in 1992 by 170 world leaders, was developed to encourage "sustainable development." Now it’s a political talking point that kills planning efforts all over the country.
Crude by Rail Declared 'Imminent Hazard' by Federal Regulators
The full declaration on CBR by DOT regulators was “an imminent hazard to public health and safety and the environment." An immediate safety order was issued requiring vigorous testing of crude and prohibition of use of some tanker cars.
Georgia Cracking Down on Fast-Lane 'Slow-Pokes'
A new bill approved by the state of Georgia's House of Representatives makes it illegal to remain in the fast lane when a faster vehicle approaches from behind.
Two Energy States Take Opposite Approaches Toward Regulation
PBS NewsHour reports on a new study that shows a lack of air quality regulations on fracking in the Texas Eagle Ford Shale play. NPR looks at new rules developed by regulators in Colorado, the first in the nation to restrict methane emissions.
Fight Fires with Funds: New Federal Funding Mechanism Proposed for Wildfires
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul” and “thumb in the dike” describe the way the federal government has been funding the cost of fighting the nation’s wildfires. President Obama’s new budget proposal could change the current arrangement.
California High Speed Rail Authority Gets Funding Break
The break really isn't that large—only an extra three month before the state must start paying for costs on July 1 (as opposed to April 1) to match federal funding, according to a new state funding contribution plan.
Successor Bill to California's Landmark Climate Change Legislation Introduced
AB 32, California's landmark climate change legislation, expires in 2020. Senator Fran Pavley (D-Calabasas), co-author of AB 32 in 2006, has teamed-up with Senator Ricardo Laro (D-Long Beach) to write a bill to continue emission reductions to 2030.
Urbanists Left and Right
Conservatives are becoming more visible within the smart growth movement; they differ in some ways both from liberal smart growth activists and from conventional conservatives.
Driverless Cars: A Boon to the Federal Budget?
The federal government is notorious for putting off road improvements. The good news? If driverless cars become a reality, they can keep putting them off—forever.
Opposition to Transportation Sales Tax Rides BRT in Gainesville
The Alachua County Commission and the Gainesville City Commission are considering a countywide referendum to raise sales tax revenue for transportation projects. Road repair is an easy political win, but bus rapid transit...not so much.
California Bill Proposes Carbon Tax to Replace Cap-and-Trade
Decisions, Decisions. What's the best way to add transportation fuels to California's cap-and-trade program? Charge a carbon tax at the pump, as Senate leader Steinberg proposes, or charge refineries in the same manner as applied to other industries?
Keystone XL Dealt a Setback in Court—But Not from the Usual Suspects
The lawsuit comes from three private landowners who successfully sued to prevent their properties from being seized so that TransCanada can lay their pipeline—turns out the state Legislature was in too much of a rush in 2012 to approve the project.
Church Parking a Key Campaign Talking Point in D.C.
D.C. mayoral candidates are making big promises about easing parking restrictions on Sunday in response to reports that churches are fleeing the capital for locations in Maryland due to difficulties with parking.
Highway Trust Fund Projected to Become Insolvent Earlier than Expected
As we've noted numerous times, the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent around the end of the fiscal year - Sept. 30, just when MAP-21, the transportation authorization bill, expires. We were wrong. The new HTF "ticker" explains the bad news.
Obama's Directive to EPA: Trucks to Get Leaner
Over strong objections from some auto and truck manufacturers, President Obama directed EPA to develop new fuel efficiency regulations for medium and heavy-duty trucks by March 2016 as part of his administration's effort to reduce carbon emissions.
New York Mayor de Blasio Details Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio gathered Police Commissioner William Bratton and Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg to make the potentially historic policy announcement: the Vision Zero plan, which treats all traffic deaths as preventable.
Getting Stuff Done: What City Planning Is All About
How can cities and towns narrow the gap between promise and performance and, in doing so, build a solid brand? Ben Brown offers a one step to-do list: Get stuff done.
Comments Close for CEQA’s Level Of Service Revisions—What Now?
California’s retooling of Level of Service (LOS) analysis is one of the most closely watched regulatory changes in the country. With public comments on the issue closing on Feb. 18, how are planners reacting to the potential changes?
Exit Interview: D.C. Planning Director Harriet Tregoning Departs for HUD
During Tregoning's seven years at the helm of the Washington, D.C. Office of Planning, she pushed the city to adopt smart-growth policies touching all aspects of life--not just land use, but transportation, the economy, and more.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
