An op-ed argues that instead of building a more resilient and sustainable water supply infrastructure, two water bills before congress would rollback exiting environmental protections.

Peter H. Gleick, a hydroclimatologist who serves as thepresident of the Pacific Institute and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, writes an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times claiming that the federal government is on the precipice of enacting legislation that "wipe out decades of progress in sustainable water use."
Namely, "a California-centric bill sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a Western water bill sponsored by Rep. David Valadao both contain egregious, anti-environmental giveaways hidden behind modest provisions for modernizing California's water system," writes Gleick.
The laundry list of complaints voiced by Gleick include the bills' potential to undermine environmental protections for salmon and other endangered species, preempt the state's existing watershed rules for rivers, provide "pork-barrel federal funding for reservoirs that would produce little usable water, flood Native American cultural sites, or violate Wild and Scenic River protections."
The problem with the two bills is one of concept, according to Gleick. Both bills endeavor to "squeeze even more water out of an already overtapped system."Instead of the many bad parts of this bill, according to Gleick, in support of a few good changes, no bill would be preferable.
FULL STORY: Congress is about to wipe out decades of progress in sustainable water use

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie