The tri-state fight over water in Alabama, Georgia and Florida is still raging, but some believe a negotiated settlement is not far off. However, there is potential for the fight to go all the way to the Supreme Court.
The Economist gives the background on this decades-long fight, and why negotiations have so far failed.
"Congressional authorisation seems unlikely, since the combined delegations of Florida and Alabama are so much larger than Georgia's (and there is no guarantee that congressmen from downstate Georgia would side with their Atlanta counterparts). Negotiations are difficult too: since a failure to reach a negotiated consensus would principally harm Atlanta, Alabama and Florida have little motivation to come to the table. Sonny Perdue, Georgia's governor, asked his fellow governors in August for more talks, but all three are lame ducks and will be gone in January.
Still, a negotiated settlement appears inevitable. The alternative is escalating the fight to the Supreme Court, and there is little appetite for that; neither side has a clear road to victory."
FULL STORY: Chattahoochee blues
NOAA Great Lakes Lab Loses Key Funding
Cuts at a lab that monitors water quality in the Great Lakes region could harm efforts to prevent dangerous algal blooms.
Supreme Court Landlord Appeal Case Could Overturn Tenant Protections
A legal case claiming that COVID-era eviction moratoriums were unconstitutional could spell trouble for tenant protections.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)