Wednesday’s Headlines Power Up
The environmental tradeoff between mining for battery materials and burning fossil fuels is tilting further toward the former, Jalopnik reports.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 24, 2026
- Lithium mining isn’t great for the environment, to say the least, but burning fossil fuels is so bad that the average electric vehicle owner will come out ahead in about two years, depending on how much they drive and how dirty their power grid is. As new types of batteries are developed, that length of time will continue to drop. (Jalopnik)
- Unlike in the U.S., where trucks and SUVs keep getting bigger, European automakers are pushing compact, practical EVs. (The Guardian)
- The collapse of federal support for EVs under the Trump administration means state policies are more important than ever. The Brookings Institute ranks mainly West Coast and Northeastern states as having the best EV policies related to incentives, emissions standards, charging infrastructure and other factors, while Midwestern and Southern states lag behind.
- The traditional suburban street design of winding roads and cul-de-sacs is just as responsible for car dependency as the distances created by sprawl, according to new Yale research.
- The Eno Center for Transportation reports that a shrinking number of coach manufacturers and transit agencies’ insistence on customization are contributing to the high cost of purchasing buses.
- Another report, this one by the Chicago DOT, found that bike lanes don’t hurt businesses. (Block Club Chicago)
- Pedestrian deaths continue to rise in Charlotte after seven years of Vision Zero. (Observer)
- Regional planners in Kansas City are using the “stress test” of the World Cup to make future transportation decisions. For example, if buses are stuck in traffic, maybe the area needs bus-only lanes. (KCUR)
- State legislators are considering consolidating Northern Virginia transit agencies to save money. (Mercury)
- Spokane Falls Boulevard could be going on a road diet. (KXLY)
- Baton Rouge is making improvements to several railroad crossings where trains have hit cars. (WAFB)
- An Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist went to the College Baseball World Series and fell in love with Omaha’s bikeshare.
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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