The Latest

  • Aerial view of rooftops in a suburban neighborhood. A street curves through the houses.
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    Haizhan Zheng via Getty Images
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    30 neighborhood decarbonization pilots allowed under bill passed in California

    If the governor signs it, the legislation will let natural gas utilities planning to replace old gas pipelines decarbonize pilot areas instead.

  • A rendering of an aerial view of a sprawling gray building surrounded by roads.
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    (2024). "South Dade Transit Operations Center - Video Rendering of the entire facility - March 24, 2024" [Video illustration]. Retrieved from Miami-Dade County/YouTube.
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    20-acre electric bus operations center under construction in South Florida

    The "largest all-electric bus maintenance and transit operations center" in the U.S. will be home to 100 articulated 60-foot buses, a county official said.

  • A shot of three construction workers mid sections.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    OSHA sets late December comment deadline for extreme heat standard

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed rule would require employers to develop heat injury and illness prevention plans, among other actions.

  • Wide view of row houses leading to skyline of downtown Philadelphia.
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    ChrisBoswell via Getty Images
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    How Philadelphia cut crashes on one of its most dangerous roads

    Automated speed cameras led drivers to slow down on segments of Roosevelt Boulevard. Now, a federal grant will help the city improve pedestrian safety infrastructure.

  • A cityscape in front of a snow-capped mountain.
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    Associative Memory Photography via Getty Images
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    ‘Housing production strategy’ passes in Portland, Oregon

    In its first such plan, the city outlined dozens of ways to meet housing needs in coming years as rents and home prices outpace income.

  • DOT headquarters in Washington, D.C., showing the name of the department.
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    Retrieved from FHWA.
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    Low-carbon materials a ‘huge opportunity’ to green the transportation sector

    The U.S. Department of Transportation is releasing $800 million for state, local and other agencies to reimburse builders for using cleaner construction products, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said.

  • A person in a suit speaks in front of a seal for the state of California.
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    California tackles housing shortage, homelessness with 2 new laws

    “The homelessness crisis demands immediate and innovative action, not the status quo,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has recently cracked down on encampments of people experiencing homelessness. 

  • An illustration of a high-speed train in California's Central Valley.
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    Tracker

    US high-speed rail projects: The latest news

    San Francisco's downtown rail extension moves forward with AECOM named as project and construction manager. It will bring commuter and high-speed rail trains to the city's transit center.

    Updated Aug. 30, 2024
  • An image of a sidewalk robot with pink and orange painting.
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    Courtesy of Coco
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    Uber expands robotic delivery

    Urban robot delivery company Coco started delivering for Uber Eats in Los Angeles this week. It will expand to more cities in coming months.

  • A woman holding a young child in a darkened room next to a fan.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Cooling is expensive, and more federal assistance is needed, advocates say

    The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is “chronically underfunded,” argues a policy brief by the Natural Resources Defense Council and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. 

  • A man in a wheelchair crosses a street in Manhattan pushed by another man.
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    Kena Betancur via Getty Images
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    US DOT proposes rule on pedestrian accessibility standards

    The Department of Transportation wants to clarify how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to pedestrian facilities including transit stops.

  • A parking space painted with "EV charging only" with a charger behind it
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    DOT awards $521M in EV charging grants amid slowing sales growth

    Grant winners will deploy over 9,200 electric vehicle charging ports and build alternative-fueling infrastructure across 29 states, eight tribal areas and Washington, D.C., the Department of Transportation says.

  • Passengers with luggage standing by buses under a shed.
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    Tim Boyle via Getty Images
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    Chicago intercity bus station could close next month

    City leaders and bus operators are scrambling to find a short-term solution to handle the more than 500,000 yearly bus riders.

  • Large office buildings against a blue sky.
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    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    State, local building energy codes get makeovers with over $240M from US DOE

    Nineteen states and localities, including Seattle and New York City, got grants announced Tuesday by the Department of Energy. The agency encouraged more communities to apply by Sept. 13 for a second round of funding.

  • The financial district in Boston, seen against the Boston Harbor at sunrise showcasing a mix of contemporary and historic buildings.
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    Marcio Silva via Getty Images
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    What to know about BERDO, Boston’s building performance standards law

    While many buildings already meet 2025 emissions limits, facility managers and owners should start planning now for how they’ll meet future requirements, city officials say.

  • A photo of people riding Bird scooters.
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    Mario Tama/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
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    Lyft app adds Bird scooters in over 25 US cities

    "Working together with Bird allows us to expand access to scooters,” said a Lyft executive. Riders nationwide will be able to access thousands more scooters through the Lyft app.

  • A white and orange painted Chevy Bolt EV operated by Cruise parked in front of a cafe in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.
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    Courtesy of Cruise LLC
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    Entire Cruise robotaxi fleet recalled for unexpected braking

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that a software fault contributed to 10 crashes, four of which involved a vulnerable road user and resulted in injury.

  • A person pushes a gurney with a person on it into a vehicle
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Cities assert tenants’ right to cooling in a warming world

    Grappling with fatal heat waves, local governments are passing laws that make landlords provide working air conditioning. Financial and other challenges remain, however.

  • Two people carry equipment into a building on a busy city sidewalk.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Will New York City make landlords provide air conditioning? Its climate chief is optimistic.

    Coordinating any such mandate with the city's building decarbonization law requirements could reduce the burden it might create for building owners, Rohit Aggarwala explained.

  • New York Gov. Kathy Hochul at a podium.
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    (2024). "Pausing Congestion Pricing to Address Affordability and the Cost of Living in New York" [Video]. Retrieved from Governor Kathy Hochul/Youtube.
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    New York’s congestion pricing plan may return with lower tolls after November elections

    Faced with a $16.5 billion budget gap, New York transit agency Chair Janno Lieber said “it’s good news" the governor may reconsider the program.

  • DOJ lawsuit against RealPage
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    Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
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    DOJ sues software firm RealPage over algorithm that allegedly drives up rents

    The attorneys general of several states joined the suit, which accuses the company of an “unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords.”

  • Rendering of modern train station with people on a plaza. Sign reads "Parkchester/Van Nest."
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    Retrieved from New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority on August 23, 2024
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    NYC rezoning allows transit-oriented development around four new train stations in the Bronx

    The New York City Council plan includes 7,000 new housing units around the stations in the East Bronx, currently considered a transit desert.

  • A person stands in between bookshelves looking up at a transparent ceiling, behind which are tall city buildings.
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    Ron Wurzer/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Seattle libraries get $5.5M for air conditioning in FEMA grant offered post-pandemic

    The city is betting on the upgraded facilities to serve as cooling and clean-air centers to protect residents from the rising danger of extreme heat and wildfire smoke.

  • The Colorado Capitol building.
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    4nadia via Getty Images
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    Colorado sees a wave of landlord-tenant rules

    Local governments recently gained a right of first refusal on affordable housing sales, as well as a first offer on market-rate housing. Other new laws focus on for-cause evictions and rent stabilization after natural disasters.

  • Window AC units in a large building from the outside.
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    Johan_Spinnell via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    An air conditioning law, the first in its region, changed tenants’ rights in this Maryland county

    Montgomery County began requiring landlords to provide AC in 2020 amid climate concerns and renter complaints. Despite a shaky start, officials say things are going smoothly now.