Using their large purses and incredible political strength in the California legislature, lobbyists for the oil industry have succeeded in killing any legislation they have deemed a serious threat to profits.
"With time running out on the current two-year session, oil company lobbyists have helped tie up or kill almost a dozen bills considered hostile to the industry, including a plan to tax windfall profits and a proposal to regulate refineries as public utilities.
'I cannot believe how many legislators don't have the courage to stand up to (oil company lobbyists),' said Assemblyman Johan Klehs, D-San Leandro, whose legislation to levy a 2 percent surtax on oil company profits of more than $10 million never made it out of the Democrat-controlled Assembly."
"Oil industry representatives said failed legislation is the result of bad ideas, not their political clout.
'There's a common thread that links (legislation opposed by oil industry) -- they all carry the risk of seriously disrupting a delicate and sensitive transportation fuel market,' said Tupper Hull, spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association."
Thanks to The Roundup
FULL STORY: Big Oil lobbyists stall bills in Legislature that industry opposes

What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like
An FRA study shows how new Amtrak lines could connect tens of millions more Americans to rail travel.

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Half of Altadena’s Black Homes Lost or Damaged in Eaton Fire
The community has higher Black homeownership rates than most of Los Angeles, but now faces an uncertain future as residents struggle to rebuild.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians
A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

Federal EV Charging Program Suspended
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program planned to fund the construction of hundreds of EV charging stations across the country.
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.
City of Brookings
City of White Salmon
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
M-NCPPC Prince George's County Planning Department
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service