Austin and a number of other cities are working to reduce the carbon footprint left by their fleets of city vehicles. Austin officials are looking for ways to offset their remaining emissions.
"The City of Austin is trying to make its fleet of more than 4,400 vehicles "carbon neutral" by 2020, a goal set in Mayor Will Wynn's Climate Protection Plan that requires a mix of more efficient and cleaner-burning fuels.
Carbon-neutral plans involve reducing carbon emissions through various steps and offsetting the remainder through other activities, such as planting trees, which absorb carbon in the air.
The city has spent more than $8 million since 2007 to convert and replace traditional vehicles and fuel stations and is about halfway through the process. The fleet now includes six garbage trucks that run on compressed natural gas, 248 vehicles that can use E85 - a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol - 271 propane-powered vehicles and 151 hybrids, mostly Toyota Priuses and Ford Escape sport-utility vehicles.
Austin isn't the only city rethinking the types of vehicles and fuels its fleet uses. Dozens of municipalities across the country, including Portland, Ore., and Dallas, have started building "green fleets."
FULL STORY: Austin moves to greener fleet
U.S. to Help European Union Achieve Energy Security
President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Brussels the formation of a joint task force to help the European Union reduce dependence on Russian energy in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Summertime Ethanol Restriction Lifted to Help Corn Farmers—But at What Cost?
President Trump made good on his promise last October to lift the E15 ban in time for the summer driving season. Not mentioned by the Des Moines Register are the downsides to allowing the higher ethanol blend to be sold during the summer, e.g., smog.
U.S. Becomes Net Oil Exporter, If Only Briefly
Oil independence, a goal set by President Nixon in the depth of the 1973 energy embargo, was achieved in the last week of November thanks to a fluke in record keeping as well as an "unprecedented boom in American oil production."
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions