New legislation is aimed at helping farmers as well as providing environmental benefits.
Current federal farm programs provide some financing for voluntary conservation programs, but the funds (about $2 billion a year)fall far short of demand. Three out of four farmers who apply are turned away. This year's farm bill would shift $2 billion from commodity payments to payments for participation in voluntary conservation programs, letting the US continue to support family farmers while also protecting natural resources and environmental quality. " It is in this progressive tradition that we have introduced legislation to restore conservation to the important place in the farm bill that it had in Roosevelt's day. In addition to providing an equitable distribution of federal assistance payments to small agricultural producers, our proposal would also work to protect wildlife habitat, reduce sprawl onto agricultural land, and improve air and water quality."
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: Better Protection for Farmers and Their Land

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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