South Carolina
Despite the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters, some vulnerable states are relaxing building regulations and leaving the federal government to pick up the tab when tragedy strikes again.
Bloomberg
It is an understatement that Increasing fuel taxes is challenging. If there is an opportune time to do it, it's when gas prices are relatively low, when the state decides to cut other taxes, and when there's bipartisan support.
St. Louis Public Radio
The crash in Cayce, South Carolina on Sunday killed the engineer and conductor riding in the Amtrak locomotive, injuring over 100 passengers and crew members. A locked switch had directed Amtrak #91 into a siding where it hit a parked CSX train.
The State
“It has to be one of the greatest wastes of money in any state’s history,” Alan Greenblatt writes.
Governing
If you want to understand rural America, critics say, look beyond Hillbilly Elegy.
Chitucky
Not even Uber can boast this kind of ubiquity.
Smart Cities Dive
A 33-year GIS professional lets loose his geospatial and population analysis skills on the occasion of a lifetime: today's "Great American Eclipse."
Great American Eclipse
Two new reports on transportation funding issued in advance of the July 4th weekend focus attention on gas prices and vehicle travel. Seven states will increase gas taxes on July 1 according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
The Democratic-controlled New Mexico legislature passed a 5-cents per gallon fuel tax increase and the Republican-controlled Assembly in Wisconsin backed a plan to apply sales tax to fuel, but their Republican governors oppose any tax hikes.
Wisconsin State Journal
After a slow 2016, four states this year have already passed state gas tax increases. South Carolina may be next if they override the governor's veto. A new analysis should help legislators do just that.
Governing
A political battle over a large withdrawal of water for use by a Google server farm has one reporter deploying words like "war" and "free-for-all" to tell the story.
The Post and Courier
Pennsylvania, the state that had the highest gas tax last year, saw the highest gas tax increase of 7.9 cents per gallon, the final increment of a 2013 law. Michigan's 7.3 cents tax increase, signed into law in 2015, is the second largest increase.
Tax Justice Blog
Traffic Congestion, Parking Shortages, New Shopping Opportunities, Housing for Millennials, Economic Development! Charleston, South Carolina residents' reaction to over 6,000 planned or in development apartment units runs the gamut.
The Post and Courier
The rupture reveals the hazards of pipelines, but also shows how important they are to the economy. Six governors declared states of emergency to deal with gasoline shortages resulting from the pipeline shutdown in Shelby County, Alabama.
The Huntsville Times
A bill to replenish the state transportation trust fund by increasing the gas tax 23 cents per gallon stalled in the Senate because it would also cut $2 billion annually to the state's general fund.
Planetizen
Included among a budget proposal that likely won't go anywhere, the Obama Administration is recommending the end of a project that would create nuclear power by dismantling nuclear weapons.
The New York Times
When they're not extinguishing actual flames, fire trucks can seem comically over-sized on city streets. Replacing portions of the fleet with smaller response vehicles might save money without sacrificing capability.
CityLab
South Carolina recently experienced the impacts of what was called a 1,000-year storm. The problem? The state experienced the same level of storm just 26 years ago, and can expect more of the same in the future.
NRDC Switchboard
The state of South Carolina is struggling to deal with a catastrophic sign that all of the warnings about the state of the nation's dams and bridges have gone unheeded for too long.
CNN
The basics of South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice's "Highway Trust Fund Certainty Act": Increase federal gas and diesel taxes by 10.1 cents in one year, index to inflation, and issue an income tax credit for $133.
The Hill
