Presidential candidate Barack Obama has announced a $5 billion plan to restore the Great Lakes, funded by reductions in tax cuts for oil companies.
"Obama released a five-point Great Lakes plan, noting that he and his family have lived near the shores of Lake Michigan for two decades. Under the plan, he would create a Great Lakes czar within the Environmental Protection Agency, clean up polluted hot spots around the lakes and have a zero-tolerance policy toward invasive species by targeting the ballast water in ships. The plan also calls for funding expensive repairs to end sewer overflows throughout the region, which send harmful bacteria into the lakes."
"Obama's campaign said the $5 billion over 10 years would come from rolling back tax cuts and other incentives to big oil and gas companies. Heather Zichal, environmental and energy policy director for the campaign, said the trust fund is meant to jump-start restoration of the Great Lakes."
"A Great Lakes restoration bill has been languishing in Congress for several years."
Read the full story: Obama proposes $5-billion fund to restore Great Lakes
How Infrastructure Investment Became Political Fodder
Andrea Bernstein traces how, in four short years, partisan politics have infected discussions about investment in infrastructure.
Who is allowed to walk on the beach? It depends on where you live
Debate over who has the right to access beaches has sparked a slew of legal cases.
Op-Ed: The Great Lakes Could Be a Key Source of Wind Energy
States, not the federal government, have authority over wind power leases in the Great Lakes.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Philadelphia to invest $2 billion into upgrading city airports as PHL places last in customer satisfaction
Modernizations to Philadelphia's airports will include baggage system upgrades and a new automated parking garage guidance system.
The LA housing policies making developers turn away from the city
Despite LA’s housing shortage, developers say the city’s "mansion-tax" and pandemic-era policies make it an unappealing place to build housing.
New density bill would require 7 California cities to establish regional transit hubs
The bill would also require major cities in California to permit high-rise residential buildings.
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 Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello