Hawaii
Michigan has joined a small but growing list of states that have passed laws prohibiting municipalities from banning single-use plastic bags or charging for bags, as is done in California. Critics assail it as an 'attack on local control.'
MLive
Unlike the more limited Oregon and California road usage charge programs currently in operation, Hawaii's program envisions over one million motorists participating in the demonstration program.
AASHTO Journal
The U.S. Department of Transportation is funding ways to transition from the gas tax to other user-based revenue mechanisms to fund transportation infrastructure. The federal gas tax hasn't keep pace with transportation expenditures since 2008.
U.S. D.O.T. Press Release
A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documents the increasing frequency of nuisance floods and "clear-sky flooding."
USA Today
The nation's first driverless train car was unveiled this week in Hawaii.
Pacific Business News
Honolulu Rail Transit, a 20-mile, elevated metro rail line, continues to suffer cost overruns and has lost popular support, according to a recent poll. But the tide could change with the arrival of the first rail cars.
The New York Times
A bill to phase out coal-powered electricity by 2030 is advancing in the legislature. It would also double the state's renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2040 for Oregon's two largest utilities.
Think Progress
With gas prices the lowest since 2009, ten state legislatures and governors consider raising state gas taxes, though many are accompanied by fiscally questionable tax shifts. Some tried and failed last year. All of the proposed increases are modest.
Tax Justice Blog
Add another $200 million to the $910 million shortfall already facing Honolulu's rail project. The changing circumstances surrounding the project won't make it any easier to create a viable funding plan to make up the difference.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Honolulu's one protected bike lane on King Street, while still a pilot project, has proven so successful that the city plans a major expansion to form a protected bike lane grid that will also tie-in with the new bike share and rail transit.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
It's called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC, and the world's largest plant was dedicated in Hawaii on August 21. It produces renewable energy by using the temperature difference between the ocean's deep cold water and warm surface water.
EcoWatch
Bikeshare Hawaii is seeking public input on the technology of choice for the eventual roll out of the city's bikeshare system.
KITV4
This may be one of the more egalitarian parking measures proposed in any city in America: it enables the establishment of a residential parking permit district in any neighborhood in the city, requiring both residents and visitors to pay.
KITV4
Walker wants to do away with Wisconsin's 2009 "complete streets" law and add a $25 retail tax to anyone purchasing a bike. Could this be because his re-election opponent was a former Trek Bicycle executive, or is he just anti-bike?
The Cap Times
Real estate website Trulia has released its most recent Rent vs Buy report, breaking down the value proposition of buying a home relative to renting one for cities around the country.
The Washington Post - Wonkblog
A growing body of evidence shows that bike lanes put more people on bikes while also helping those people on bikes stay off sidewalks. The latest example: Honolulu.
People for Bikes
A detention center that interred Japanese Americans during World War II, once called Jigoku Dani, or Hell Valley, will become a National Monument.
Los Angeles Times
Looking for the best examples of municipal websites? Look no further.
Government Technology
If you forget to bring a bag, pay a dime for either a paper or reusable plastic bag. Single-use plastic bags will disappear from grocery stores and pharmacies on July 1, convenience and liquor stores a year later. A composting bill was also signed.
Los Angeles Times
After clearing two lawsuits in February, and weathering a contentious mayoral election, the Honolulu light rail project is under construction.
Honolulu Civil Beat
