Electricity costs in California have risen more than $2 billion from October 2011 to September 2015, according to a new report studying the effects of California's historic drought.
"A new report shows reduced hydroelectricity generation, due to the drought in California, has increased costs to electric ratepayers and increased greenhouse gas pollution," reports Ed Joyce.
The report showed that electricity generation from hydropower dropped to 7 percent statewide in 2015. In a normal water year, according to Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute and the report’s author, that total reaches 15 to 18 percent. According to the article, "the additional combustion of fossil fuels for electric generation also led to a 10 percent increase in the release of carbon dioxide from California power plants."
The article includes more insight into the report's projections for the future as well (spoiler: it doesn’t look good).
FULL STORY: Study: California Drought Means Less Hydropower, More CO2 Pollution
Governor, Regulators Standing Up to Dirty Energy Interests in North Carolina
Can a Democratic governor in a state controlled by a Republic legislature achieve meaningful emissions reductions from the state's energy utilities? North Carolina Governor Gary Cooper is trying.
To Fight ‘Range Anxiety,’ Oregon To Invest $100 Million in Electric Vehicle Charging
The Oregon Department of Transportation plans to install EV chargers along crucial transportation corridors and expand charging options around the state to encourage more Oregonians to buy electric vehicles.
How Urban Sprawl Came To Dominate U.S. Cities—And How To Change That
The auto-centric development patterns of American cities are a result of decades of misguided, but reversible, policy decisions.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.
Number of Unhoused People Lower in San Francisco, but Growing Across the Bay Area
While the city saw fewer people experiencing homelessness for the first time in years, homelessness across six Bay Area counties grew by 8 percent.
Minneapolis Housing Activists Hope To Revive 2014 Federal Complaint
A 2014 complaint about segregated housing lodged with the Department of Housing and Urban Development could revive integrationist housing policies to improve opportunities for all residents.
El Salvador President Envisions Retro-Futurist ‘Bitcoin City’
In the same week that the cryptocurrency’s value took a nosedive, the president of El Salvador unveiled a model for a volcano-powered ‘smart city.’
DMR Architects
County of Sonoma
City of Malibu
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
