Photo by Steven Vance - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbondsv/
If the House Ways and Means Committee’s proposed transportation bill passes tomorrow as currently drafted, it stands to fundamentally alter transportation policy as we know it and roll back mass transit funding by 30 years.
This unprecedented move kicks transit funding out of the Highway Trust Fund and into the annual appropriations process, which means that every year transit will have to compete against all federal domestic spending. Meanwhile, funding for highways would go back to having all the user fee funding— as it was until the Reagan Administration, despite clear evidence over decades of transit’s contribution to congestion relief, clean air, among other benefits. Read more »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 5:18 pm
An analysis by CNT of the Chicago region’s affordable housing developments has found that some are not very affordable when transportation costs are considered. Typical transportation costs, the second largest expense in a household budget, ranged from $750 per month in many Chicago neighborhoods with affordable housing units to more than $1,000 in more distant suburbs. The report also found that suburban Cook County, which has comparatively low transportation costs, has fewer affordable housing units compared with the city of Chicago and the region’s collar counties. Read more »
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
The Fisk Generating Station in Pilsen is the second biggest greenhouse gas emitter in Chicago, after the Crawford power plant. Photo credit: Flickr User- swanksalot.
Communities in the United States have a useful new data resource to help them with climate and sustainability planning. The U.S. EPA requires facilities emitting over 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually to report emissions, and it has just released 2010 reported data to the public.
The maps and charts at http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgdata/index.html can help a community identify large sources of emissions in their area. This is especially important in small communities, where a large emitter, such as a power plant or landfill that supplies the region, might make up the majority of the community’s greenhouse gas footprint.
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Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 2:57 pm
CNT, as a partner in Livability Solutions, has been selected to provide technical assistance to the Lower Eastside Action Plan (LEAP) of Detroit, Michigan, and the Toledo-Lucas County Sustainability Commission of Maumee, Ohio. CNT will assist both communities in learning how to use CNT-designed tools to quantify and advocate for the benefits of green infrastructure as a means of stormwater management. CNT’s tools—the Green Infrastructure Valuation Guide and the Green Values® National Stormwater Management Calculator—were designed to assist communities in promoting sustainability to improve their quality of life and implement local development plans.
“We are pleased to be working with these two community organizations which are committed to improving the quality of life of their residents,” said Scott Bernstein, CNT’s president. “Each of these communities have specific challenges to address—from developing and implementing plans to address vacant land and blighted property to engaging residents in sustainability planning.” Read more »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 10:58 am
Energy efficiency upgrades in multifamily buildings could save building owners and residents up to $3.4 billion nationwide, according to a report released by CNT Energy and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: Multifamily Housing and Utilities demonstrates that energy use in multifamily buildings can be reduced substantially, and cost-effective upgrades can result in utility cost savings of 15 to 30 percent in buildings with five or more residential units. The key to unlocking the savings is for energy utilities and apartment building owners to work together more closely to develop effective energy efficiency policies.
“We have billions essentially sitting untapped in our apartment buildings. We can harness that by simply setting better policies for efficiency for apartment buildings,” said Anne McKibbin, CNT Energy policy director and coauthor of the report. “Partnering with utilities is a crucial part of the process. Building owners and other housing industry players need to work with their utilities, engaging them directly and in local and state regulatory proceedings,” she said.
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