West Virginia
The 'Shale Crescent,' Also Dubbed the 'Plastic Belt,' Removes the Rust
The region spanning Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania is claiming a new name.
The Chesapeake Bay Comeback
Scientists say the Chesapeake Bay hasn't been this healthy in more than three decades. It's a testament to federal environmental regulations.
Keeping Our Children Safe After the Parkland High School Shooting
In the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in Florida, the debate has been wide-ranging, from gun safety to arming teachers. All agree students must be safe, so why not look at architecture? The NRA has some tips.
Will GOP Reconsider Redirecting Amtrak Funding After Train Crash?
Republican lawmakers got a first-hand lesson in train safety Wednesday when their chartered Amtrak train hit a trash truck at a grade crossing in Virginia, killing one in the truck. Trump's infrastructure plan redirects Amtrak and transit funding.
What is Appalachia, Really?
If you want to understand rural America, critics say, look beyond Hillbilly Elegy.
The Mason-Dixon Line Is Turning 250 Years Old
The traditional dividing line between north and south will celebrate a major birthday this weekend.
West Virginia Becomes the Seventh State to Hike Gas Taxes, But Not by Much
Democratic Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation to increase its 32.2 cent state gas tax by about 3.5 cents per gallon and add substantial hybrid and EV fees. He also signed legislation to increase and expand road and bridge tolling.
New Year's Day State Gas Tax Increases, Decreases, and What Lies Ahead
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.
Clean Power Plan Showdown in U.S. Appeals Court on Tuesday
The Obama Administration's most powerful environmental initiative, the Clean Power Plan, was put on hold by the Supreme Court last February. It was heard by 10 judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. on September 27.
Paris Climate Agreement Signed, but Troubles Loom in the U.S.
On Earth Day, NPR looked at the intersection of the Paris Climate Agreement, which Secretary of State John Kerry signed at the U.N. on Friday, and President Obama's Clean Power Plan which has been given a pause by the Supreme Court.
Hillary Clinton's Surprisingly Blunt Message to Coal Workers
The message was so atypical for a politician wooing votes. "We'll put coal miners out of business," Hillary Clinton warned the audience at Sunday night's Democratic Town Hall in Columbus, Ohio, giving credence to President Obama's "War on Coal."
Supreme Court Puts Obama's Key Climate Initiative on 'Hold'
In an unusual move that doesn't portend well for the EPA initiative, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Power Plan Rule that reduces emissions from existing power plants be suspended while it is heard by the Court of Appeals this summer.
Michigan Governor Finds Himself at Center of Flint Water Crisis
A case is made that Gov. Rick Snyder's handling of the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan is analogous to former President George W. Bush's bungling of the crisis resulting after Hurricane Katrina touched-down on the Gulf coast in August 2005.
State Gas Tax Changes, Up and Down, Took Effect January 1
In case you were wondering if any state gas taxes, other than Utah as previously posted, changed on New Years Day—eight others did, but only slightly, due to required, automatic adjustments. Most telling was that more went down than up.
Controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline Project Moves Forward
This week Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas submitted permits to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a 550-mile natural gas pipeline across three mid-Atlantic states.
Appalachian Coal's Last Wheezing Breath
As the nation abandons old-school West Virginia coal, a scarred and cratered landscape remains. Can residents build a new economy and overcome the legacy of an often-brutal industry?
West Virginia Communities Respond to a Growing Number of Food Deserts
Communities in West Virginia are organizing and working to fill their needs for healthy, fresh food as grocery stores in the region close.
Mountain Removal Coal Mining Down 62 Percent Since 2008
The mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky can much less likely to be stripped and gutted for the purposes of coal extraction that they were even a few years ago as natural gas continues its ascendance.
Charleston Planning a Bike Infrastructure Update
The capital of West Virginia has hired Alta Planning and Design to undertake a ten-month process to update the city's bike and trail plan.
Crude-by-Rail's New Workhorse No Better than the Old Workhorse
The new oil tank cars were supposed to be key to preventing the fiery explosions associated with oil-train derailments. However, four recent explosions since Feb. 14, with two occurring last Thursday and Saturday, all involved the new tankers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
