The high cost of drilling for oil in the Arctic, combined with the lowest oil prices in five years, have caused Chevron Corp. to drop their test well drilling program in Canada's Beaufort Sea.
"Chevron Corp. told Canadian regulators Wednesday that it has 'indefinitely' suspended plans to drill for oil in Arctic waters, citing uncertainty over the outlook for crude prices," writes Chester Dawson of The Wall Street Journal.
Chevron holds an exploratory license to a Beaufort Seas lease 155 miles off the coast of Tuktoyaktuk, a town in the Northwest Territories. The company planned to start exploratory drilling by 2020, according to the [National Energy Board], Canada’s chief energy regulator
The second largest U.S. oil company is experiencing the fall-out from plummeting world oil prices, "50% since June." Unconventional sources, be they shale oil, oil sands, or drilling in the Arctic are all expected to see capital investment recede due to their higher drilling and exploratory costs. [See "Fracking's Formidable Foe"].
The Arctic holds billions of barrels of untapped oil reserves, but offshore-drilling costs there are among the highest in the world due to its remote location and severe weather.
On another Arctic front, but in a different sea, country and with a different oil company, Alex Guillen of Politico Morning Energy writes that over 100 House Democrats have written [PDF] Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to request that she reject a new Environmental Impact Statement [a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)] for a lease sale in the "Chukchi Sea off the Northwest of Alaska" originally sold to Shell OIl in 2007. Among the reasons they cite is the "complete inability to respond to an oil spill in this remote and sensitive region."

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.

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.

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.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling
An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.
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)