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Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

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Weaving Together Vibrant Communities through Transit-Oriented Development

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
TOD Strategies

RECONNECTING AMERICA
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a community development model focused on nurturing healthy people and places and better connecting them to one another through a robust, “multimodal” transportation network. At its core, TOD is about connecting, or reconnecting, the fabric of our communities— imagine a quilt, if you will—where neighborhoods and places of varying shapes, colors, sizes and textures are integrated into a vibrant and cohesive region. Implementing equitable TOD involves rethinking the current paradigm, where a person’s zip code can determine important outcomes such as educational attainment or employment opportunities.

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Posted in Buses, Competitiveness, Congestion, Environment, Equity, Infra Views, Land Use, National, Public Transportation, Rail, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Transit, Urban Planning

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IN HARM’S WAY: Lack Of Federal Coal Ash Regulations Endangers Americans And Their Environment

Monday, August 30th, 2010
Contaminants

ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY PROJECT
An investigation led by expert hydrogeologists has identified 39 more coal combustion waste (CCW) disposal sites in 21 states that have contaminated groundwater or surface water with toxic metals and other pollutants. Their analysis is based on monitoring data and other information available in state agency files and builds on a report released in February of 2010, which documented similar damage at 31 coal combustion waste dumpsites in 14 states. When added to the 67 damage cases that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has already acknowledged, the total number of sites polluted by coal ash or scrubber sludge comes to at least 137 in 34 states. This total represents nearly a three-fold increase in the number of damage cases identified in EPA’s 2000 Regulatory Determination on the Wastes from the Combustion of Fossil Fuels.

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Hazardous Waste, Infra Views, National, Pollution, Solid Waste, Wastewater, Water Treatment

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Solar Waste Recycling: Can the industry stay green?

Monday, August 16th, 2010
solarrecycling

CROSSCURRENTS
Solar energy is the most widely available resource we have. Every hour, enough solar energy strikes Earth to meet human energy needs for more than a year, according to NASA. Now the solar industry is poised for huge growth in the United States, thanks to policy changes, incentives, technological improvements and economies of scale. Solar photovoltaics have recently become less expensive than nuclear energy on a per-kilowatt-hour basis, according to a new report from Duke University. Also, solar is widely expected to reach cost parity with fossil fuels in most markets by 2013.

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Green, Infra Views, National, Pollution, Sustainability

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Thermal Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2010: Economics and Impacts

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
U.S. District Energy Fuel Consumption by Fuel Type

INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT ENERGY ASSOCIATION (IDEA)
Even if a U.S. climate bill is passed in 2010, it is likely to be many years before a cap-and-trade system has an impact on energy use. With continued uncertainties regarding U.S. climate legislation, it is now more essential than ever that the U.S. implements other policies that move us toward reduced fossil fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Thermal Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2010 will stimulate increased use of renewable energy sources to heat and cool buildings throughout the country.

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Posted in Clean Air, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Funding, Green, Infra Views, Land Use, Local, National, Policy, Public Transportation, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Technology, Urban Planning

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Video: Green City, Clean Waters

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

When it rains in the City of Brotherly Love, problems soon follow because more than half the city has “combined” sewers – pipes that carry both storm water and sewage. When it rains, the system fills quickly. The surplus, which includes raw sewage and road oil, backs up into basements and gushes untreated into rivers through 164 overflow pipes.

Instead of going the route of many other cities and building miles-long, multibillion-dollar tunnels to hold storm-water overflows–and then pumping it back into the system when the rain stops–Philadelphia’s 20-year stormwater management plan is based on “green infrastructure” and offers benefits that can be appreciated above the ground.

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Posted in Aging Infrastructure, Drinking Water, Environment, Green, Inland Waterways, Land Use, Local, Policy, Show Us Your Infra, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Urban Planning, Wastewater, Water Treatment

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Antarctica for wind AND solar energy

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
20100715_antarctica2_large

“While the Eastern Seaboard sears under triple-digit temperatures, clean energy systems certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory are supplying ice-bound research bases at the bottom of the world with critical power during the frigid darkness of the Antarctic winter.

Later this year, other systems being tested by the NREL engineering team are expected to generate power during the endlessly bright polar summer months.”

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Show Us Your Infra, Sustainability

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An Alternative Development Scenario for San Diego County

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Infill Zones

CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION
GREENINFO NETWORK

In order to protect natural systems and rural landscapes, as well as to ensure urban growth occurs primarily in incorporated areas, it is reasonable for the County of San Diego to consider a growth alternative in its General Plan process that reduces by approximately two-thirds the number of housing units current proposed for unincorporated areas and to re-allocate these units to cities within the County. Such a scenario would, by 2030, still leave substantial residential capacity in cities for future growth needs…The San Diego County proposed General Plan Update has been used, in consultation with CNFF, to determine what growth might be redirected. Data from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), has been used to assess the feasibility of allocating that increment of growth to existing cities.

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Posted in Congestion, Environment, Equity, Funding, Infra Views, Land Use, Local, Policy, Private Investment, Sustainability, Urban Planning

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All Aboard: Clean Energy Transportation Opportunities Favor Ohio Economy

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
picture-1

POLICY MATTERS OHIO
America once led the world in production of rail cars, buses and other forms of transportation capital stock. As national attention shifted to highways and air transit in the second half of the twentieth century, investment in rail and public transit dwindled. New interest sparked by climate change and the dangers of dependency on fossil fuel and foreign oil have brought attention to pent-up demand and investment needs in this sector. National investments to repair existing stock and implement plans already in the works would provide sufficient demand to start rebuilding the public transit manufacturing sector…

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Posted in Aging Infrastructure, Buses, Clean Air, Climate Change, Competitiveness, Economic Stimulus, Employment, Environment, Highway, Infra Views, Jobs, Policy, Public Transportation, Rail, Roads, Transit

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RENEWABLE ENERGY – MEETING THE GOAL: A PROGRESS REPORT

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
screen-shot-2010-07-07-at-43333-pm

25 x ’25
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – also called the stimulus package – included $37.5 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. However, the expiration of a critical production tax credit has depressed the production of biodiesel from soybeans and other farm products, and Congress has not yet adopted comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will establish a long-term national energy plan to guide America’s transition to a cleaner and more secure energy future.

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Posted in Clean Air, Climate Change, Congestion, Economic Stimulus, Energy, Environment, Green, Infra Views, Jobs, Policy, Pollution, Sustainability, Uncategorized

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Video: Wind Energy at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

It is a pure, plentiful natural resource. Right now wind is in high demand and it holds the potential to transform the way we power our homes and businesses. NREL is at the forefront of wind energy research and development. NREL’s National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is a world-class facility dedicated to accelerating and deploying wind technology.

-NRELPR on YouTube

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