Tea Party

Macron Protest

President Macron Acquiesces to Yellow Vests' Demands on Fuel Tax Hike

Despite statements to the contrary just a week ago, Macron reversed position and caved to the demonstrators' demands that upcoming fuel tax hikes be suspended.

December 5, 2018 - CityLab

Solar Residential

Georgia's Conservative Path to a Solar Power Boom

Georgia politics haven't usually been friendly to renewable energy. But some unlikely alliances, and a healthy dose of economics, can go a long way.

June 30, 2018 - Inside Climate News

Congressional Hearing Addresses Transportation Funding Problem

Transportation for America recaps the first meeting in three years by the House Ways and Means Committee to address transportation funding. Chairman Paul Ryan decried the $63 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund but ruled out a gas tax hike.

June 21, 2015 - T4America Blog

Op-Ed: Stop Letting Alternative Transportation Slice from the Highway Trust Fund Pie

A Congressional bill has been introduced to "provide a long term solution" to the transportation funding problem by eliminating spending on transit, biking, and local projects rather than finding funding to maintain $50 billion in annual spending.

June 19, 2015 - Cincinnati Enquirer

Texas State Capitol building

Texas Legislation Would End Federal Funding for Transit

SB 1048, proposed by Senator Bob Hall (R-Rockwall), levels an unprecedented attack on transit in Texas. Although it's probably an extreme example of dead-on-arrival legislating, it's notable that an elected official would consider such a proposal.

March 11, 2015 - Examiner.com

Republican Co-Sponsors Rep. Earl Blumenauer's 15-cent Gas Tax Bill

The good news is that a House Republican now supports raising the gas tax to balance the ailing Highway Trust Fund. The bad news is that come Jan. 3, Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), a 36-year member, will be a former congressman—he is retiring on Dec. 26

December 8, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Tea Party Taps Hippie Wisdom: How’s that working out?

A local Tea Party type is making a passionate pitch for what his group considers Constitutional guarantees against government planning, and I get this deju vu tug. I’ve been here before. I’VE BEEN THIS BEFORE.

May 12, 2014 - PlaceShakers

County Income Taxes for Transit? Hoosiers to Decide

When it comes to allowing voters to decide whether to increase local or state taxes for transportation, the most common option by far is the local or state sales tax. But what about income taxes; has it been tried before? And for public transit only?

March 28, 2014 - Nuvo

A Transportation Funding Bill Named for the Tea Party

Make that a 'defunding' bill, technically described as a devolution bill. The concept is simple: roll back the federal gas tax to 3.7 cents per gallon, shift transportation responsibility to the states and use block grants to provide federal funding.

November 18, 2013 - The Hill's Transportation and Infrastructure Blog

Sipping from the Tea Party Cup: A Call for an Urbanist Revolt

Musing on the discussion at last week's Citylab conference, Jarrett Walker finds a surprising convergence with the ideology of America's Tea Party: "Big and active national government may not be the answer." Would cities be better off going it alone?

October 15, 2013 - Human Transit

One Major Flaw of Plan Bay Area

According to SF State University geographer, Jason Henderson, the adoption of Plan Bay Area by MTC and ABAG last Thursday was a "watershed moment in regional planning", but it also was a missed opportunity to improve transit to capture more trips.

July 26, 2013 - San Francisco Bay Guardian

Tea Partiers Try to Halt Indy Transit Vote

As the Indiana Senate begins to consider whether to allow residents to vote on a tax referendum to expand mass transit in Central Indiana, Tea Party-aligned groups are trying to derail the legislation.

March 21, 2013 - IndyStar.com

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck Plans His Ideal City

The conservative commentator has proposed a $2 billion "city-theme park hybrid" that "would bring several of Glenn’s seemingly disconnected projects into one place." You'll be surprised at the similarities with certain Smart Growth principles.

January 18, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

How Big Government Guides All Development

Conservative opponents of Smart Growth often decry the role of government in establishing the regulations and investments that incentivize it. But, as Bradley Heard points out, all development rights, smart or sprawling, depend on big government.

December 20, 2012 - Greater Greater Washington

Spiral Shops

Are Planners the Victims of a Dastardly Mind-Control Plot?

If you've ever led a public planning process you may be complicit in perpetuating a diabolical conspiracy to coerce Americans into accepting "a United Nations-run communist dictatorship in which suburbanites will be forcibly relocated to cities."

November 16, 2012 - Mother Jones

Arizona Activist Defends Planning from Tea Party Assault

Greg Hanscom profiles Stacey Champion, an environmental consultant and PR specialist who uncovered, and defeated, shady efforts to ban sustainability planning in Arizona.

September 10, 2012 - Grist

Who's Behind the Anti-Agenda 21 Firestorm?

Lloyd Alter investigates the individuals and organizations "manufacturing" the anti-Agenda 21 campaign, and argues that "Big Oil" is helping to bankroll anti-sustainability efforts.

July 10, 2012 - Treehugger

The Conservative Group That Seeks to Destroy Zoning

Anthony Flint reports on the actions of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative lobbying group that is working behind the scenes to weaken the power of local zoning restrictions.

June 27, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Sprawl Hits a Wall

In an opinion piece for The New York Times, Allison Arieff considers the next phase of the "American Dream," as the notion of trading in the ideal of the home as fortress for the home as part of a larger whole gains widespread traction.

June 19, 2012 - The New York Times

Alabama Outlaws Policies "Traceable" to Agenda 21

Isn't it great when our gridlocked government can finally come together to unanimously support vital legislation? That was the case in the Alabama state legislature last month when Senate Bill 477 passed both chambers unanimously.

June 6, 2012 - Press-Register

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