Umair Irfan provides a post-mortem, of sorts, on the tenure of Scott Pruitt at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
While environmentalists and pundits sounded alarms about the consequences of Pruitt's policies while at the EPA, some commentators have said the effect of his actions have been overstated.
Irfan's approach to the question of Pruitt's legacy in the federal government and for the planet earth is to consider the industries that most benefitted by his time in office.
But while making (or unmaking) environmental rules is a process that takes years, the industries that chafe most at EPA regulations — automakers, big farmers, coal barons, and chemical manufacturers among them — found plenty of opportunities to celebrate during Pruitt’s time in office. And these gains for industry come at the expense of the health of all of us, particularly the poor and minorities.
Irfan goes industry by industry, looking for Pruitt's fingerprints. Sections of the article examine gilder kit (new trucks built from salvaged engine parts) manufacturers, auto manufacturers, big agriculture, the chemicals industry, and fossil fuel companies. As a final note, Irfan warns that Pruitt's resignation is unlikely to slow the Trump Administration's environmental agenda.
FULL STORY: 5 polluting industries that won big from Scott Pruitt’s tenure at the EPA
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.