It’s Not Easy Being Green, or Tuesday’s Headlines
While President Biden's has long-range plans to tackle climate change, in the short term he's embracing pro-car policies for political gain.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on August 17, 2021
- The Biden administration talks a good game on climate change, but its short-term policies are focused on bringing gas prices down, which will encourage more driving. (Politico)
- Senators are spending the August recess in their home states either touting or demonizing the infrastructure bill. (Bloomberg)
- The federal government should fund transit at the same level as highways, because cities can’t afford to build transit projects by themselves. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
- The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating Tesla because vehicles on autopilot have hit emergency vehicles at least 11 times. (CNN)
- A New Orleans native and architectural critic documents how the Claiborne Expressway erased a vibrant Black neighborhood. (Washington Post)
- Some New Yorkers who bought cars during the pandemic will go back to public transit, but unfortunately others have fallen in love with them. (Car and Driver)
- With ridership down 90 percent on commuter rail, Virginia Railway Express could become something more like a second D.C. Metro. (Virginia Mercury)
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill fast-tracking high-speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis. (Smart Cities Dive)
- Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA is testing two bus-only lanes in Center City. (WHYY)
- We love to see parking garages repurposed — but not as COVID wards. (Jackson Clarion-Ledger)
- Sound Transit is partnering with the city of Seattle on a community of tiny homes for low-income residents. (Progressive Railroading)
- Detroit’s MoGo is using community outreach and education about safe biking and its health benefits to overcome skepticism about bike-shares in neighborhoods of color. (Shareable)
- Aspen’s WE-cycle is piloting solar-powered e-bike chargers. (Denver Post)
- Low-rise but high-density cities like Paris are in the best position to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a CU Boulder study. (Phys.org)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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