An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.

A new rule from the U.S. Department of Interior will make oil and gas drilling on public lands more expensive, reports Nick Bowlin in High Country News.
“The reform includes a jump in the amount of money that drilling companies must put forward to ensure cleanup of their wells. It also raises the royalty tax rate that operators pay on the minerals they extract on public land, which had not changed in more than a century,” Bowlin adds.
The rule is designed to reduce wasteful speculation and make companies responsible for the costs of environmental cleanup, according to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. The rule raises minimum bonds for oil and gas leases on public lands from $10,000 to $150,000 — but “Despite these increases, the new bonding levels are unlikely to cover the complete cost of cleaning up the more than 90,000 unplugged wells overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.”
Under the new rule, companies will pay a higher royalty tax rate on profits from extraction.
While many environmentalists praise the changes, some say updating rules for oil and gas extraction is not enough to reduce fossil fuel dependence and extraction in the long term. According to Gladys Delgadillo, a climate campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, “Updating oil and gas rules for federal lands without setting a timeline for phaseout is climate denial, pure and simple.”
FULL STORY: Drilling for oil on public land is about to cost a lot more

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Florida Seniors Face Rising Homelessness Risk
High housing costs are pushing more seniors, many of them on a fixed income, into homelessness.

Massachusetts Budget Helps Close MBTA Budget Gap
The budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $470 million in MBTA funding for the next fiscal year.

Milwaukee Launches Vision Zero Plan
Seven years after the city signed its Complete Streets Policy, the city is doubling down on its efforts to eliminate traffic deaths.
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.
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