A reminder of the intended purpose of environmental law.
[Updated: April 22, 2019] A new issue brief from the Center for American Progress examines the environmental impact statement (EIS) of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Blue Line light rail extension "to demonstrate how [the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)] strengthens infrastructure projects, as well as how federal environmental, civil rights, and historic preservation statutes guide the content of the review."
Kevin DeGood writes an article to introduce the issue brief, first recounting the story of an attack by President Donald Trump on the effect of NEPA for infrastructure developments. Here's DeGood's defense of NEPA, and the premise for the brief:
Missing from this threadbare caricature of Washington run amok is any recognition that federal environmental review exists as a response to a past littered with projects that were not studied in advance and thereby caused substantial social, environmental, and even economic harms. After all, infrastructure facilities are not an unalloyed good: They bring both benefits and burdens. A highway or rail line that connects people to opportunity may also tear up neighborhoods; degrade wetlands and rivers; destroy wildlife habitat; and generate air pollution, disruptive noise, and damaging vibrations, among other impacts.
FULL STORY: The Importance of NEPA Review for Infrastructure Projects
Trump Signs Two Executive Orders Limiting States' Authority Over Energy Pipelines
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Charlotte’s Changing Commute Patterns
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Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
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World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
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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.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
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AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
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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
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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