Lawmakers in Oregon approved a bill to require state agencies to cut their energy consumption by 20% by 2015. Agencies will have to submit plans for how they will cut their energy use, which is expected to occur through facilities improvements.
"The proposal, which now advances to the Senate, could mean more sunlight and natural breezes will be flowing through Oregon's state universities, prisons and other government buildings as agencies look to cut energy use through skylights and more efficient cooling systems."
"Although the proposal requires state agencies to submit plans to the Oregon Department of Energy on how they will meet the reduction requirement, there is no penalty for not meeting the standards. Agencies failing to reduce their energy use in the allotted time must submit a biennial energy conservation plan to the department."
Read the full story: Oregon lawmakers pass green standards for state buildings
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.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
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