Environmental Justice

Coast Stream

Stream Restoration Projects More Likely in Whiter, Wealthier Areas

Stream restoration projects along the Central Coast of California tend to reinforce class and racial distinctions, just like so many other matters of environmental justice.

April 11, 2018 - UC Santa Cruz

Oil Pump in Los Angeles

Study: L.A. County's Urban Oil Wells Are Too Close to Homes and Schools

The Department of Public Health recommends taking action to better protect residents from oil operations that are sometimes only a few feet from where people live, work, eat, play and study.

March 7, 2018 - KPCC

Race Map

Pollution Does Discriminate in Orlando’s Parramore Neighborhood

Poor air quality has decimated the health of residents in this predominantly black community ringed by highways.

January 31, 2018 - Huffington Post

PlanIt Podcast: Environmental Justice

The latest episode of the 2017 PlanIt Training Program on Comprehensive Plan Updates by the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency in the Twin Cities area.

December 8, 2017 - PlanIt - Metropolitan Council

California

Integrating Environmental Justice Into Planning Processes

National City, California pioneered a model for implementing environmental justice considerations into planning processes—state law compels states to follow National City's leadership.

October 20, 2017 - Next City

I-94

Wisconsin's $1.1 Billion Highway Widening Project on the Ropes

The proposed widening of I-94 in Milwaukee is a $1.1 billion chunk of a $6.4 billion road widening program in the region. The NAACP sued the project as a matter of environmental justice.

October 5, 2017 - Wisconsin Gazette

Sequoia State Park

California Carbon Offset Program Judged Effective by Stanford University Study

The new study determined that carbon forestry offsets, which allow polluters to reduce carbon emissions out-of-state rather than in impacted communities near large pollution sources, is a beneficial climate program.

August 22, 2017 - The Washington Post

California's Business-Friendly, Bipartisan Approach to Climate Change

Gov. Jerry Brown, accompanied by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, signed legislation to continue the cap-and-trade program initially authorized under a bill signed by his Republican predecessor 11 years ago at the same Treasure Island location.

July 27, 2017 - KQED News

Environmental Protection Agency

How Long Will the Office of Environmental Justice Last in Trump's EPA?

Does environmental justice need its own office to help vulnerable populations impacted by pollution, or can all divisions within the EPA address the issue? The Office of Environmental Justice, established in 1993, may be shut down.

July 26, 2017 - ProPublica

California

California Legislature Approves Continuation of Cap-and-Trade Program

The nation's only state-run, market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will continue until 2031 without fear of litigation, as it passed with the required two-thirds supermajority needed for tax increases, along with two related bills.

July 19, 2017 - Planetizen

Pedestrian Danger

Complete Streets Policies Still Seeking Equity

Though the quick expansion of complete streets policies is worth celebrating, minority and low-income communities are still being left behind, and killed at a disproportionate rate.

June 21, 2017 - The Urban Edge

DAPL Protests

Standing Sioux Tribe Wins Court Case on Dakota Access Pipeline

A federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to fully comply with NEPA in allowing the controversial pipeline to cross under the Missouri River. The judge did not order Energy Transfers Partners to cease operations of the pipeline.

June 16, 2017 - NPR: The Two-Way

California Cap-and-Trade Overhaul and Extension Emphasizes Dividend and Equity

While California cap-and-trade survived a legal challenge last month, a haze still surrounds the program. Carbon permit sales are low, and the program's longevity is threatened after 2020. A new bill was introduced to transform the program.

May 15, 2017 - Vox

California Big Sur

The New California Coastal Commission

The commission spent a significant part of last year in the spotlight. Now, its new director is moving ahead on climate adaptation and resilience efforts as a federal policy change looms.

May 8, 2017 - The Planning Report

Air Quality and Environmental Justice Lead to Push for Zero-Emission Locomotives

The California Air Resources Board has petitioned the U.S. EPA to adopt more stringent emissions standards for locomotives in order to improve air quality at rail yards, many of which are located adjacent to disadvantaged communities.

April 23, 2017 - RailwayAge

Rally

Environmental Justice Champion Leaves EPA Ahead of Cuts

A founder and veteran of the EPA’s Environmental Justice Office has resigned over the White House's plans to shutter the program.

March 29, 2017 - The Washington Post

Denver

Denver Tackling its Troubling Public Health Disparities

A distance of two miles can mean the difference of living more than ten years longer in the city of Denver. The city and its residents are gathering resources to improve public health outcomes in all the city's neighborhoods.

November 26, 2016 - The Denver Post

Flint

The U.S. EPA Recommits to Environmental Justice

By releasing the EJ 2020 Action Agenda earlier this week, the U.S. EPA has taken on a more ambitious role in pursuing environmental justice.

October 28, 2016 - Grist

Climate Change Protest

Climate Equity Agenda Key to Passage of California's Climate Legislation

Environmental advocacy is not enough. Environmental and social justice must play a role in California's legislative effort to battle climate change, opine two professors from UC Berkeley and USC in the San Francisco Chronicle.

September 21, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Why Don't Environmentalists Support Washington's Carbon Tax Measure?

A largely revenue-neutral carbon tax proposal, similar to the carbon tax in British Columbia which began in 2008, qualified for the November ballot in Washington. Environmentalists and Democrats, not Big Oil, may cause it's defeat.

September 19, 2016 - Crosscut

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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