The Energy Bill just passed by Congress has just given $15 billion in subsidies to inefficient, economically non-viable and dangerous energy industries.
"If our national interest is to reduce energy consumption, increase quality of life and provide sustainable, well-paying jobs, we should be decentralizing our power grid, not building massive new coal and nuclear plants. Decentralized power generation would reduce transmission load on our fragile grid, allow incremental, on-demand capacity increases with the latest and most efficient technology, would create an enormous market in high-tech generation and power management equipment, and reduce our vulnerability to disruption by distributing our generation assets.
"Instead, we just opened the door to massive subsidies for nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants are so expensive that a normal market will not invest in them, so they need government subsidies. They are so dangerous normal insurance companies will not take on the risk, so they need government-guaranteed insurance. And they are so much of a risk to local communities that they need the federal government to force through permits on local governments. All that, and because these new plants will be far from their customers, more than 30 percent of the power they generate will be lost in transmission. Subsidized, inefficient and hazardous."
Thanks to Michael Dudley
FULL STORY: Our Socialized Energy System

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie