David Bookbinder argues that the Obama Administration dragged its feet on climate change, only implementing last-minute actions that will be easy to reverse.
According to David Bookbinder, the Obama Administration's climate legacy is being thoroughly greenwashed. Early in his presidency, Bookbinder writes, Obama's policies differed very little from Bush's: "Both fought mightily to avoid greenhouse gas regulation — Bush because he didn't care about the issue, Obama because it was a lower priority than health care and, after the Affordable Care Act passed, because of fear of the political consequences.">
While Obama did move on climate during his second term, most of those regulations will be easy for Trump and the Republicans to undo. "Regulations that came out in the second half of 2016 can be killed via the Congressional Review Act (CRA) — eliminated through a simple-majority vote of both houses of Congress, and the president's signature."
Bookbinder says credit belongs to California for establishing tougher emissions standard for the auto industry, which the EPA simply rubber-stamped. "Obama's climate strategy was a sound one, in short, only if he was 100 percent sure that Hillary Clinton (or another Democrat) would succeed him."
FULL STORY: Obama had a chance to really fight climate change. He blew it.
Supreme Court To Hear Challenge to EPA Powers
The Court's decision could limit the agency's authority to regulate carbon emissions in the power sector.
Sustainable Real Estate Investments Are No Longer Optional
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Scott Pruitt and the 'Paradigm Shift' at Trump's EPA
In just his first year, the high-profile and controversial cabinet member “has begun to dismantle former president Barack Obama’s environmental legacy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
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San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
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Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
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Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions