Thursday’s Headlines Are Hot-Blooded, Check It and See
Hopefully the Earth won't have a fever of 103 when judges get done with the Trump administration's proposal to dismantle greenhouse gas regulations.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on December 18, 2025
- The Trump administration is running into legal obstacles over their assertion that the EPA can’t regulate greenhouse gas emissions (E&E). The climate contrarians in charge may be boxed in when it comes to policy changes like rolling back tailpipe emissions or fuel efficiency standards.
- States should be leaning into transit-oriented development, as 49 of 50 are already greater housing growth near rail stations. (Urban Institute)
- The Trump administration’s abrupt shift in policy away from electric vehicles and back toward promoting fossil fuels is costing Ford more than $19 billion. (New York Times)
- Minority transit users are exposed to more heat than white ones, according to George Mason University researchers. (Eos)
- Old Town — located on the outskirts of Columbus, Georgia — may not be old, but it embodies the old-fashioned New Urbanist principle of walkability (CNU Public Square). In fact, many cities are trying to remake their cores to look and feel more like the pre-car downtowns of yore. (Dwell)
- A new study shows that residents of eastern U.S. states generally don’t know how roads are paid for. (Citti Magazine)
- California’s thirst for freeways is fueling its housing crisis. (CalMatters)
- The first phase of the massive Gateway project building a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River to speed up rail service all along the East Coast is almost done despite the Trump administration freezing funds. (NJ.com)
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill providing $1.5 billion to stabilize Chicago transit agencies. (Capitol News Illinois)
- Tampa is looking to extend its free Ybor City streetcar line because it brings more foot traffic to businesses. (Tampa Bay Times)
- Axios predicts that cyclists will be excited about the Kansas City streetcar’s new Armour stop.
- What is Portland doing about its high-crash network? (BikePortland)
- Paris just unveiled Europe’s longest cable car connecting the suburbs to the city’s Metro system. (Metro)
- Following Germany’s lead, Spain is launching a monthly pass allowing residents to travel anywhere in the country by public transit for 60 euros a month, or 30 for young people. (The Guardian)
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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