The EPA is emphasizing economic development potential as a factor in prioritizing the cleanup of Superfund sites.
The EPA will begin using $49 million in startup money for new cleanups of 10 Superfund sites, while another 10 will be put on hold. According to the EPA, "the primary deciding factor was still the relative health risks posed by each site." Other factors, including "development potential, prospects for reimbursing the government and the impact of environmental injustices" were also considered. "There are 1,233 sites in the $3 billion annual Superfund program, which Congress began in 1980. The Bush administration added eight to the list this year, the fewest in a decade."
Thanks to Connie Chung
Read the full story: E.P.A. Begins Cleanup at 10 Toxic Waste Sites; 10 Others Will Wait
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority