Rhode Island

Storage Tank

$3 Billion Natural Gas Pipeline Shelved in New England; Controversy Remains

Controversy seems to follow natural gas pipelines everywhere they go, including New England.

July 5, 2017 - The Boston Globe

Environmentalism

Let the Climate Resistance Begin

States and cities are reacting to President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement on Thursday. Three states formed the U.S. Climate Alliance; by Monday, it had grown to 13. Initially 30 mayors signed in support; it's now over 200.

June 6, 2017 - Planetizen

Wind

Maryland Positions Itself as Nation's Leader in Offshore Wind Power

In a few years, Maryland is expected to be the nation's leader in offshore renewable wind power made possible by the Public Service Commission's approval on May 11 of credits to two projects by U.S. Wind and Skipjack Offshore Energy.

May 15, 2017 - Planetizen

Providence Ditches Streetcar Plans; Goes With High-Frequency Buses Instead

A decade ago, Providence considered a streetcar for land that once moved cars along the former path of Route 195. Now transit planners have once again shifted gears, targeting a high-frequency bus corridor for the area.

April 11, 2017 - Providence Journal

Utah

The State with the Worst Drivers…

A new study from Quote Wizard finds Utah and Rhode Island have the worst and best drivers, respectively.

December 8, 2016 - Quote Wizard

Newport, Rhode Island

New Tool Prepares Rhode Island for Rising Seas

A new mapping tool shows the potential devastation along the Rhode Island coast caused by rising waters from climate change and storm surges.

December 7, 2016 - Providence Journal

Providence

Op-Ed: Programming the First Priority for Keeping Public Spaces Safe

Providence, Rhode Island is looking ways to make Kennedy Plaza, located in the city's downtown, safe for all users. Increased law enforcement in only one way to achieve that goal, according to an op-ed in the Providence Journal.

October 10, 2016 - Providence Journal

Providence to Get Plan C for Highway Intersection Rebuild

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will go out to bid on a design-build contract to reconstruct the Routes 6 and 10 interchange in Providence, with the hope of completing construction in four years. Some will remember what might have been.

September 15, 2016 - Providence Journal

Suburb

New App Rents Driveway Parking Spaces for $1 an Hour

A pair of entrepreneurs has launched an app that allows property owners to rent driveway spaces to people looking for parking. Also, the app helps people find the parking they are looking for.

August 10, 2016 - RI Future

Wind

The Good News that Almost Was for U.S. Offshore Wind Advocates

The anticipated approval of the largest proposed offshore wind farm in the U.S., a 90-megawatt facility off Montauk on Long Island, was unexpectedly delayed. But what will soon be the nation's first offshore wind farm did receive some good news.

July 24, 2016 - Innovate Long Island

Are State Rebates Necessary for Electric Vehicle Sales?

Campaigners for the Sierra Club's electric vehicle initiative make the case that New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to offer a state rebate of $2,000 to $4,000 to make EVs more attractive to car buyers now that he's phasing out coal power.

February 17, 2016 - Sierra Club Compass

Newport, Rhode Island

Rhode Island's Unique Funding Option to Repair Roads and Bridges Approved

After an eight-hour debate, the Rhode Island House of Representatives approved controversial truck-only toll legislation that will make Rhode Island the only state to apply tolls to large trucks but not other motor vehicles.

February 13, 2016 - NBC 10 News

Providence Scraps Streetcar Plans in Favor of an 'Enhanced' Bus Line

Citing the drastically reduced costs of a bus line, the city of Providence is hoping to replace its proposed streetcar line with the Providence Enhanced Bus Circulator. The new proposal requires federal funding to display a similar flexibility.

January 13, 2016 - Providence Journal

Structural Deficiencies on 600 Missouri Bridges Reach 'Critical Condition'

Missouri's inability to pass transportation funding legislation or ballot measures has come home to roost in the growing number of bridges classified in "critical condition"—just one or two steps from being closed, according to MoDOT.

September 8, 2015 - AASHTO Journal

Offshore Wind Ambitions Stall in New Jersey

The Garden State once dreamed of becoming a global leader in offshore wind electricity generation. Now its plans look dead in the water.

September 1, 2015 - The Record

From the Ashes of a Freeway—a New Neighborhood Rising in Providence

A part of the city of Providence once lobotomized by the I-95 freeway is ready to be born anew as LINK, with three projects already in the works and 19 acres of developable land.

August 20, 2015 - The New York Times

Northeast Rail Corridor Woes Extend Far Beyond Hudson River Tunnels

While Amtrak's century-old Hudson River rail tunnels may capture the public's attention, particularly when they are closed, infrastructure problems on the Northeast Corridor also plague the line from Rhode Island to Washington, D.C.

August 1, 2015 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Foundations for First U.S. Offshore Wind Power Towed to Construction Site

Last week the foundations for five wind turbines were towed into place off Block Island, 13 miles east of Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. Scheduled to go online in 2016, they will be the first offshore wind turbines in the United States.

July 29, 2015 - The New York Times - Business Day

State Gas Tax Changes Effective July 1: Six Up; One Down

Carl Davis, Research Director of the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy (ITEP) writes where gas taxes used to fund transportation infrastructure increased, if only by decimal points, and about the aberration—the six-cent plunge in California.

July 2, 2015 - Tax Justice Blog

Pop Quiz: What State Has Highest Percentage of Deficient Bridges?

Hint: It's also the smallest by area. And the next two on the "first is worst" list are in the Northeast as well. According to 2014 FHWA data, over 50 percent of this state's bridges are considered deficient, either structurally or functionally.

May 24, 2015 - GoLocalProv

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