This week, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio announced that the city will wean itself completely from using coal as an energy source by 2025, when it will become "the largest municipal utility in the country to be coal free."
Although, as Ariel Schwartz notes, "L.A. already uses quadruple the amount of renewable energy sources compared to before Villaraigosa took office in 2005," the city sources 39% of its power from two coal-fired plants in Arizona and Utah. With the approval of a plan by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) Board this week, that relationship now has an expiration date: 2025.
"In practical terms, L.A.'s move means that emissions from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will drop 59% below 1990 levels, while citywide emissions will dip 40% below 1990 levels," says Schwartz of the landmark plan. "That’s a bigger reduction than any other major city in the U.S. has been able to achieve."
At her blog for the NRDC, Kristin Eberhard digs into the details of how the city will transition away from coal, and towards cleaner resources.
Read the full story: Los Angeles To Ditch Coal Power Completely By 2025
LA’s Trees Absorb More Carbon Than Expected, But Can’t Do It Alone
A USC study finds that Los Angeles’ urban trees absorb more carbon than expected, but while they provide crucial environmental benefits, they cannot replace the urgent need for systemic emissions reductions.
Texas Court Vacates Federal Emissions Rule
The decision vacates a USDOT rule that would have required states to establish emission reduction plans.
Making Natural Gas Power Plants Cleaner
Carbon capture and storage has long been associated with coal-burning power plants. Calpine Corp. hopes to apply the controversial technology to existing natural gas power plants, beginning with a pilot project to start this month in the Bay Area.
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.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Newsom kills bill requiring polluting factories near schools to undergo environmental review
In his veto letter, Newsom wrote that protecting communities and strengthening manufacturing “were not mutually exclusive.”
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello