Environment

More National Attention Focused on Controversial California Housing Bill
Conor Dougherty, a Bay Area-based New York Times economics reporter, and Brad Plumer, a Times climate reporter, team-up to tackle the controversy surrounding SB 827 that has hit a raw nerve with groups that purport to support the bill's goals.

FEMA Strikes the Words 'Climate Change' From its Strategic Plan
Coming off a year of historically catastrophic extreme weather, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has decided to avoid using the "double C word."

The Moral Foundations of Public Support For Environmentalism and Public Transit
Why do green transportation policies attract less intense support than environmentalist policies related to waste and litter?
EPA Loses Court Ruling After Failing to Identify Smog Nonattainment Regions
As a result of a federal court ruling on March 12, the Environmental Protection Administration will be compelled to do what it should have done by October 1: Identify regions of the country where the air quality violates smog standards.

Why Did the Mountain Lion Cross the Road?
It doesn't matter why—but how is pretty important.

Why Are the Feds Suddenly in Favor of Raising the Shasta Dam?
Despite state opposition and potential violations of California law, the Trump Administration has revived a project that was deemed impracticable only a few years ago.

Celebrating the 'Greenspace Gems' in the Cincinnati Region
An advocacy organization in the Tri-State area (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) is raising awareness about the region's 116,000 acres of preserved greenspace.

New Mexico Made Streams and Rivers Private Property
And now those property owners are putting barbed wire over the river to keep out "trespassers."
Congress Asks that USGS Nominee 'Protect the Scientists'
After recent resignations, there's a new part of the job description: "maintain a sort of firewall between their scientific work and any political agendas."

Can Water Supply Keep Up with the Need to Build More Housing?
Population growth creates a collision course in the American West.

April 1 Showdown Between U.S. EPA and California Looms
At stake are greenhouse gas emission standards for 2022-25 model year passenger vehicles. Relaxing these standards would likely doom efforts to reduce these emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 as required by 2016 state legislation.

A Shuttle Ride to the Trailhead
A pilot program by King County Metro and the King County Parks Department in the state of Washington found success in 2017, and is spending the beginning of 2018 looking at options to expand.

Is Mass Timber the Solution to California's Housing Crisis?
One writer argues that cost, versatility and visual appeal makes this new building material exactly what the state will need if planned regulatory changes go through.
How to Fight 'Coastal Squeeze' By Engineering Nature
A Rutgers professor restores natural processes to help shorelines adapt to rising sea levels.

This Is What Really, Really Cheap Water Is Actually Costing Utah
The state's widespread practice of supplying unlimited untreated water to homes may be part of the reason it has to spend billions on a new pipeline and dam.

Five Key Takeaways from the 2018 World Urban Forum
Insight into the hard work of implementing the New Urban Agenda.

In California, Policies Spur Rebuilding in the Wildland-Urban Interface
After the worst wildfire season ever, changes to local land use and state insurance rules essentially ensure that the same thing will happen again.

Songs About Places: Water, Rain, and Rivers
A playlist for those who seek inspiration from water—whether it's falling from the sky or running downhill.

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.
Ballot Initiative Launched After Gov. Jay Inslee Withdraws Carbon Tax Bill
Environmental, labor, and community groups in Washington State filed an initiative for placement of a carbon fee on the November ballot. Unlike a similar measure in 2016, revenues would be used to mitigate emissions.
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service