As details emerge from the Trump Administration's draft budget proceedings, more programs of relevance to the planning profession are queued up for the chopping block. The budget is still far from a done deal, however.

"A preliminary budget proposal from the White House would eliminate federal leadership of Energy Star," reports Emily Holden, "a popular voluntary program for companies to seek labels for energy-efficient consumer products and appliances."
"A spending blueprint would slash Energy Star and related programs, leaving $5 million 'for the closeout or transfer of all the climate protection voluntary partnership programs,' noting that achieving that might require changes to authorizing legislation from Congress," adds Holden.
The process of the Trump Administration and Congress passing drafts of the budget back and forth, and finally approving the budget, leaves some wiggle room for supporters of the Energy Star program. In a separate article, Chelsea Harvey shares the case made by Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, and Lowell Ungar, senior policy adviser with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Both argue that the Energy Star program is good for consumers and for business—as such it should have a case to be made with the Trump Administration for restoring its funding in the next federal budget.
FULL STORY: White House plans to 'close out' Energy Star, other programs

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
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
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Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
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