The EPA announces new emissions standards for power plants that will "improve air quality for 240 million Americans living in states where the pollution is produced or where it travels downwind."
John Broder of The New York Times reports:
"The new regulation, known as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, is essentially a rewrite of one issued by the George W. Bush administration in 2005 but invalidated by a federal judge in 2008. The regulation, known popularly as the transport rule because it is directed at emissions that are carried eastward by prevailing winds, is a significant toughening of the acid rain program that was part of amendments to the Clean Air Act in 1990."
"The rule, which governs emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from fossil-fuel-burning power plants, does not explicitly aim at carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Those are covered by other, far more controversial, proposed regulations," Broder points out.
Effective 2012, the new policy will cost taxpayers less than $1 billion annually and is applicable to 28 states east of the Rockies save a few.
Read the full story: E.P.A. Issues Tougher Rules for Power Plants
EPA Guts Emissions Regulations
The agency is eliminating the endangerment finding that underpins the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA Grant Will Fund Air Pollution Tracking in Houston
The city wants to monitor air quality and measure cancer-causing emissions near two petrochemical plants, one of which announced plans for expansion last year.
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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