Sierra Club

It's the Tech Industry vs. the Sierra Club in California's Big Housing Debate
California State Senator Scott Wiener made a big splash this month by announcing a package of pro-development bills, and now interest groups are taking sides in a heated debate over housing and density.

Trial Over San Francisco Waterfront Development Height Limits Begins
The State Lands Commission filed suit shortly after San Francisco voters approved Prop. B in June 2014, requiring waterfront developments exceeding height limits to obtain voter approval rather than go through the Planning Commission process.

New Hampshire Bills Target Vehicles That Don't Guzzle Enough Fuel
Two bills target hybrid and electric vehicles and even fuel efficient vehicles with new registration fees to increase road funding, as nine states did last year. However, many of those states also hiked gas taxes in the same legislation.

Keystone Pipeline Leaks Oil in Advance of Crucial Decision on Sister Pipeline
Thursday's massive oil spill in South Dakota is not a good omen for TransCanada for a favorable decision on Monday on an application before the Nebraska Public Service Commission on the routing of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

And Then There Was One
Donald Trump ran on an "America First" platform for president. The latest news from the climate talks in Bonn, Germany, though, shows that it is now "America Alone" in terms of nations who haven't adopted the Paris climate agreement.

Budget Gap Spotlights Oklahoma's Onerous Three-Fourths Supermajority Requirement
California legislators have it easy compared to their counterparts in Oklahoma and Arkansas who seek to increase revenue through tax increases. A bill to hike gasoline and cigarette taxes and revise alcohol taxes faces a high hurdle.

Confronting Wisconsin's $1.1 Billion Highway Widening Proposal
A coalition of environmentalists, civil rights activists, and other community interests teamed up to successfully oppose a Milwaukee highway widening proposal. In an interview, one of the leading lawyers discusses his work.
An Island of 3.4 Million Living Off the Grid
Living off the grid usually refers to a lifestyle choice to live far from power lines and other basic infrastructure that most of civilization takes for granted—until a natural disaster wipes it all out.
Maryland's $9 Billion Project Would Be the Nation's Largest P3 for Highways
Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) announced last week plans for the largest highway contract awarded to a public-private partnership: adding four express toll lanes to the Capital Beltway and I-270. A third highway widening will be completed internally.

Appeals Court Deals Second Setback to Trump Administration on Methane Regulation
Another unpleasant reminder for the Trump Administration that there are three equal branches of government: A federal appeals court ruled 9-2 that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt must enforce a rule to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas wells.
Appeals Court Rebuffs Trump's EPA on Methane Emissions Suspension
In a win for the environment, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt could not arbitrarily suspend the starting date of a landmark Obama rule that would reduce methane emissions from new and modified oil and gas wells.
Tolling May Finance Repair of Bay Area Highway Threatened by Sea Level Rise
Officials have begun tackling the problem of adapting low-lying State Route 37 in the North Bay, closed several times this year due to flooding, to climate change. With no identified funding, a working group is leaning toward road tolling.

How the San Francisco Branch of Sierra Club Advocates NIMBYism
Despite the pro-infill position of the Sierra Club's national organization, San Francisco's branch advocates to preserve the buildings that are currently there at the expense of density and subsidized housing.

Best Fuel to Power Buses: Renewable Natural Gas or Battery-Electric?
Next month the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority will decide what type of buses to purchase to replace 1,000 aging diesel buses. Two op-eds in the Los Angeles Daily News present alternative viewpoints.

Electric Vehicle Fees: Where's the Controversy?
Some may find it silly to get worked up over an annual fee of about $100 to pay for road maintenance when electric vehicle purchasers receive a $7,500 federal tax credit, on top of generous state perks, but electric vehicle supporters object to them.

Remember Trump's Pledge to Save Coal Jobs?
The West's largest coal power plant and two Ohio coal plants will be closing, and the coal mines that supply them may shutter as well. The Arizona utility "is tired of overpaying for power," words that surely the president should understand.

Oroville Dam Crisis Foreseen Over 11 Years Ago
Had federal authorities acted on the motion filed by three environmental groups in October 2005, nearly 200,000 people in three counties would not have been forced to evacuate due to a poorly constructed emergency spillway for Oroville Dam.

Trump Reverses Obama's Rejections of Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines
Fulfilling two campaign promises, President Trump conditionally approved two controversial pipelines to transport oil sands from Alberta and Bakken oil from North Dakota, certain to stir opposition from environmentalists and Native Americans.
EPA Rejects Automakers' Bid to Reduce Fuel Economy Standards in Midterm Review
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that existing technology allows for increased efficiency in model years 2022 to 2025. The 2011 rule to achieve 54.5 mpg by 2025 required a 'midterm evaluation' to see if the final target was achievable.

The Surprising Climate Change Believer Among Trump's Cabinet Picks
Compared to nominees for cabinet positions that deal with energy and the environment, Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for Secretary of State, appears to be the only 'climate believer' even though he heads America's largest oil and gas corporation.
Pagination
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