The Obama Administration's Department of the Interior released their report on coal mining on federal lands just days before the Trump team takes office.

After years of studying a system that environmental groups and government watchdogs have called broken, "…the Department of the Interior finalized a report Wednesday calling for major changes to the federal coal program by which the U.S. manages the leasing of land to companies for exploration and production across 570 million publicly owned acres," report Juliet Eilperin and Chris Mooney in The New York Times.
While coal extraction goes on in the United States, "A year ago, new leases were placed on hold pending this report," according to Eilperin and Mooney. The hold put a hard cap on what coal mines could do while the Department of the Interior looked for reforms for the industry. "Those reforms would include charging a higher royalty rate to companies, factoring in the climate impact of the coal being burned through an additional charge to firms and setting an overall carbon budget for the nation’s coal leasing permits," Eilperin and Mooney write. Trump meanwhile has pledged to increase coal extraction. He's likely to have support from the Republican congressional majority. "Montana Senator, Steve Daines, in a press release…termed the new Interior report 'laughable,'" according to the article. Still, while the Trump Administration may resist these reforms, plans to revive the coal industry might also face strong market headwinds.
FULL STORY: Obama’s Interior Dept. calls for major changes to ‘modernize’ federal coal program

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.
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
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