The city of Honolulu, Hawaii, has received initial approval for a $20 million federal grant for engineering studies on a planned rail system in the city.
"The appropriation still needs to clear the full Senate. The U.S. House is expected to vote on a similar appropriation of $10 million next week, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said. The differences will be hammered out in conference committee."
"The Honolulu High Capacity Transit Project is one of 20 transportation and housing projects for Hawaii approved in the Senate 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill."
The city has been seeking federal grants for the project for years. "The difference this time around is the approval of the 0.5 percent general excise tax increase to fund mass transit locally, a key sign to the federal government that the city is serious about transit."
FULL STORY: Congress backs city's play on transit plan

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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