A lawsuit in the state of Washington between environmentalists and BNSF Railway over the environmental impacts of coal trains has been settled out of court.
Samantha Larson reports: "After a week at trial and years of battles, the lawsuit brought on by a coalition of environmental groups against BNSF Railway was settled today, as both sides reached an agreement at the U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle."
The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the Sierra Club, Spokane Riverkeeper, and others sued BNSF for violating the Clean Water Act in 2013. By settling out of court, BNSF doesn't admit any violations of the Clean Water Act, but the rail system will pay $1 million to environmental projects in Washington States.
The question that will now go unanswered is whether coal trains are a point-source pollution that contributes to the pollution of waterways.
FULL STORY: Major coal train lawsuit settled by environmental groups, BNSF
Comments Closed for Significant Changes to 'Waters of the United States' Rule
The Trump administration has spent the first two years of its time in office trying to overturn key provisions of the "Waters of the United States" rule.
Trails and Rails Battle in San Francisco Bay Shoreline Park
Can freight trains and a scenic shoreline park along San Francisco Bay coexist, or are they incompatible uses? The East Bay Regional Park District voted to remove old rail tracks that BNSF Railway wants to reactivate. A local court may decide.
Court Overrules U.S. EPA in Baltimore Runoff Case
Environmentalists challenged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and won.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association