Since 1975, environmentalists and their allies have fought to raise fuel efficiency standards in new vehicles. On Tuesday, another attempt was made. Meanwhile, an academic think tank testifies for an alternative approach, albeit an unpopular one.
In March, the Bush administration raised the efficiency standard for light trucks by 1.8 miles by 2011, a move Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta called a "bold step forward".
"Many in Congress say the time has finally come, after about 30 years, to significantly boost the 27.5 mile-per-gallon Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard first set in 1977."
"The latest idea came Tuesday when Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, proposed a sharp increase of 10 miles a gallon by 2016."
"At stake in the debate is nothing less than the future price of gasoline and the growing world of alternative fuels, the fate of tens of thousands of auto manufacturing jobs and the chances for lessening the impact of automotive emissions on global warming."
Thanks to ABAG-MTC Library
Read the full story: Administration, senators argue fuel strategies
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.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
After years of opposition to light rail, this L.A. city wants a $200 million station
Cerritos officials want the Southeast Gateway Line, a planned 14.5-mile light rail route through Los Angeles County, to stop in their city.
SpaceXAI may be fined $6 million for data center lacking water permits
A Mississippi agency also responds after a federal judge criticized the state’s Clean Air Act enforcement.
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