tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53436535535185794382011-12-18T09:04:01.062-08:00This is the blog site for the Environmental Council of Sacramento's Air, Transportation and Climate GroupEnviroMacnoreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-14898459233031233562009-01-10T06:56:00.001-08:002009-01-10T07:07:17.770-08:00

The Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the division of government charged with administering the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has released draft "guidelines" instructing state agencies how to evaluate the impact of projects they approve or undertake on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). Anyone who was hoping for real help from OPR in how to tackle this difficult issue

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-51999633489449105812008-09-24T08:19:00.000-07:002008-09-24T08:34:39.935-07:00

The latest edition of the High Country News just arrived in my inbox. They've published a nice piece on the experience and politics of walking in Phoenix compared to Portland. The piece is available online, but you have to subscribe to HCN to access the full text.The major reason why people don't walk in Phoenix, according to the article, is a principle of urban design and land use known as "

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-57395822894478073462008-09-16T21:22:00.000-07:002008-09-16T21:37:06.023-07:00

Looking for a little engaged interactive theater in your life? Check out two "PARKing day" events being organized in Sacramento. The idea is to (temporarily) convert parking spaces into, well, park spaces to illustrate the potential for increasing usable, green space in urban areas by reducing our reliance on automobiles and the space they demand.Sous les pavés, la plage!

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-55943863852050127722008-08-28T15:44:00.000-07:002008-08-28T16:04:54.103-07:00

The Sacramento River Watershed Program has released a fascinating online report on suburban sprawl and the demise of agriculture in the Sacramento Valley. It appears to be a work in progress, and the "best management practices" identified for governments to cope with sprawl are nothing new. But there is plenty of interesting information and analysis packed into the presentation. The GIS layer

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-53970213595372209812008-08-07T07:12:00.000-07:002008-08-07T07:18:47.140-07:00

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Darrell Steinberg may have found a way to include climate change impacts in regional government transportation and land use plans under Senate Bill 375. Something the ARB dramatically failed to do with their AB 32 Scoping Plan:Fortunately, the Air Resources Board may be about to get strong guidance from the Legislature. State Sen. Darrell Steinberg,

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-13066738449553145262008-08-06T13:30:00.000-07:002008-08-06T13:38:19.663-07:00

Today's Sacramento Bee has some encouraging news in this era of baffling transit cutbacks. The City of Sacramento and RT are teaming up to provide shuttle service to connect neighborhoods south of Highway 50 with the Zinfandel light rail stop! The story appears here.Kudos to both the City and RT for implementing this program. I hope we'll see more of the same in coming years.

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-49165643942935691542008-07-29T12:19:00.001-07:002008-07-29T12:21:19.938-07:00

Here, courtesy of MSNBC, is another testament to the intimate link between good urban planning and public health... and another reason to leave your car at home if you can:A new study found that the year your neighborhood was built may be just as important as diet and exercise for shedding pounds. Those who live in neighborhoods built before 1950 are trimmer than their counterparts who reside in

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-67796376439391644672008-07-17T13:33:00.000-07:002008-07-17T13:36:08.513-07:00

Judge Frawley today released his order in the NAST/ECOS lawsuit challenging the adequacy of Caltrans' environmental review of the proposed Highway 50 expansion. The short story is that we won. Here's a quote from the soon-to-be-distributed press release:Judge Timothy M. Frawley of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, issued a ruling halting the progress of CalTrans’ plan to

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-6527416205364200232008-06-11T11:24:00.000-07:002008-06-11T11:39:33.432-07:00

Here's an interesting piece about traffic congestion in Los Angeles, where they know a thing or two about traffic nightmares.The story really makes two noteworthy points: 1) traffic congestion is less a question of infrastructure capacity and more a problem of lifestyle choices; and 2) voluntary congestion relief measures will not by themselves induce people to make the changes that need to be

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-72094896215254295502007-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:002007-11-06T10:16:43.830-08:00

Sacramento's blueprint for transportation over the next 28 years is prepared and ready for comment. Of interest is the over-emphasis on road expansion and maintenance at the cost of fewer options for transit riders.You can access the MTP documents on line, each section downloads individually due to size constraints. The core of the plan can be found in the summary of the budget and

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-26557125033202110752007-08-08T20:37:00.001-07:002007-08-09T01:17:01.386-07:00

Sacramento County has one of the most innovative and progressive affordable housing ordinances in the country. The ordinance was crafted with a coalition of building industry representatives and housing advocates and went into affect in 2005. Yet, just as soon as a more politically favorable climate emerged on the County Board of Supervisors, the Building Industry Association began to backtrack

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-11985096067803265152007-08-07T21:31:00.000-07:002007-08-07T22:03:14.182-07:00

I make a conscious effort not to put together too many posts that unreflectively link to other sites. In my humble opinion, any blog worth its salt must provide some original content, thought, or synthesis. Simply pointing people to other writers’ posts is journalistic parasitism, and it doesn’t usually make for good reading.Nevertheless, I think it’s worth sending out some recognition to other

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-83131742851826074962007-08-05T21:48:00.000-07:002007-08-07T22:07:28.493-07:00

As an advocacy organization, ECOS naturally is especially concerned with public policy issues that affect transportation and natural resources. But it's worth noting that there are private sector enterprises that see opportunity in providing people with alternatives to the individually owned automobile as a way of getting around. Here are two examples.Notwithstanding the French love of the Tour

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-21035026404493278052007-07-27T10:41:00.000-07:002007-07-27T11:31:56.506-07:00

ECOS and NAST have jointly filed a lawsuit challenging the adequacy ofCaltrans' environmental analysis for the Highway 50 expansion project.While it's unfortunate that we had to resort to litigation, it's alsoexhilerating that we've been able to put together a coalition toforcefully stand up to the state's leading transportation agency to demandhonesty and accountability concerning the impacts of

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-48568230366251970942007-07-12T00:45:00.001-07:002007-07-12T00:54:54.815-07:00

Neighbors Advocating Sustainable Transportation (NAST) has begun collecting funds for a CEQA lawsuit to challenge the environmental impact report done by Caltrans for its Highway 50 expansion project. While the group continues to discuss how to best use its resources to forcefully advocate for sustainable, neighborhood-friendly transportation, they have decided that they need to raise money now

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-87438505761321700232007-07-10T20:52:00.000-07:002007-07-10T21:20:43.190-07:00

Governor Schwarzenegger, who has crafted a political persona as a "green" politician, has made some curious policy proposals for an allegedly environmentalist governor. Most recently, his proposal to raid state transit funds to pay for other state programs raises the question of whether he has the courage to be anything more than a cheerleader for alternative-fueled Humvees.The Governor's

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-2193241559738650422007-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:002007-07-04T00:15:00.808-07:00

Three transportation agencies are circulating the initial (Tier 1) DEIR for a proposal to build a new four- or six lane road connecting State Route 70/99 in Sutter County with State Route 65 in Placer County, near Lincoln. Just for laughs, they've given the project an amusingly pseudo-conservationist monicker: "Placer Parkway Corridor Preservation."The agencies-- the Federal Highway

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-14185136079683149002007-07-03T13:15:00.000-07:002007-07-03T13:51:22.631-07:00

SABA's Walt Seifert was kind enough to send along a link to this opinion article by Heather MacDonald in today's L.A. Times:CALTRANS' crusade to add more carpool lanes to Southern California freeways continues unabated; too bad the department doesn't know how many real carpools use them. Unless the department can show that the high-occupancy-vehicle lanes are actually reducing the number of cars

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-53327067635972491662007-06-28T20:47:00.000-07:002007-06-28T20:57:01.733-07:00

On June 25, Caltrans filed its Notice of Determination indicating that it had completed environmental review of the proposed Highway 50 expansion and approved the project. This is the so-called "bus/carpool lane" project that would increase the freeway's carrying capacity by 20 to 25 per cent. By approving the project, Caltrans started the 30-day clock for legal challenges to the project's

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-66722148264175423202007-06-28T12:05:00.000-07:002007-06-28T12:24:50.909-07:00

Global warming has become something of a cause celebre in the U.S. recently, and California has been a leader among states in passing legislation that attempts to address the issue in the wake of the federal government's years of neglect of the issue under the Bush administration. AB 32 codified the state's commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by phasing in an emissions cap that will drop the

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-40462450788796077642007-06-25T07:09:00.000-07:002007-06-25T10:06:29.698-07:00

Does this item surprise anybody?The Federal Highway Administration has notified the state its carpool lanes are too slow – slower than an average of 45 miles an hour during peak periods. The lanes have been under the agency’s oversight since the state started allowing solo hybrid drivers to use them.The short news byte also adds a delicious bit of dramatic irony when the Caltrans spokesperson

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-27546188380495962992007-06-24T22:35:00.000-07:002007-06-24T22:56:09.195-07:00

A good transportation policy must provide an effective way of moving people and goods around. But, given the potentially crushing impacts of poorly designed transportation systems on our land, our air, and on the lives of the people who live in the region, there are a variety of other objectives that must guide the decisions we make. In the Sacramento area, one of the key objectives is that our

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-62057615772697192672007-06-21T18:04:00.000-07:002007-06-22T12:10:58.807-07:00

This Saturday is shaping up to be a great day to be on a bike. For starters, head over to the Mercy General Hospital & E. Sacramento Community Spare the Air Transportation Fair. Looks like they'll have free lemonade, free ice cream, free bike tune ups, and free banjo music from 10 AM until 2 PM at 40th and J Streets. Who can beat free ice cream and free banjo music?Later that evening stop by the

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-53875304883817752212007-06-21T09:50:00.000-07:002007-06-22T14:23:14.746-07:00

California's budget problems are so complex and recalcitrant that many have abandoned hope. But how can we stand by when the Governor's 2007-2008 proposes to shift money from transit to education, at a time when the State is faced with severe impacts from climate change? The Governor's budget proposes taking $1 billion from transit to pay for teacher tax credits, child care, and home-to-school

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-88365005770101697782007-06-20T13:35:00.000-07:002007-06-28T13:39:07.045-07:00

Better late than never... Here is an electronic copy of the comments that ECOS submitted on the Draft Environmental Impact Report released by CalTrans for its I-80 Expansion project (a so-called bus/carpool lane project).The DEIR is available on the CalTrans website here.

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-29524682307327143242007-06-20T11:04:00.000-07:002007-06-20T11:23:42.080-07:00

In a testament to the power of neighborhood groups to affect transportation policy, at least at the municipal level, the Bee reports that the Sacramento City Council will consider alternative locations for a new Sacramento River Crossing. And in what appears to be a developing rhetorical theme, at least one council member contends that transit access should be a central consideration in the

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-12691950929476795972007-06-20T09:19:00.000-07:002007-06-20T09:30:04.106-07:00

Courtesy of the Walkable Neighborhoods blog, here is a bit of encouraging news from our neighbors to the North.In a surprise announcement before the fall provincial election, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty unveiled plans Friday to spend $11.5-billion over 12 years on a lengthy list of public-transit projects in what the government boasted was the largest such investment in Canadian history.[snip

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-3476750106686921472007-06-18T22:49:00.001-07:002007-06-18T22:51:54.462-07:00

The June Report for the ECOS Transporation/AQ Committee is available here.

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-40432879444189594562007-06-09T18:12:00.000-07:002007-06-18T23:43:47.318-07:00

While California remains mired in indecision concerning the future of high-speed rail, French citizens celebrate the expansion of the TGV network into northeast France and Germany.

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-78274555230856105812007-06-03T00:22:00.000-07:002007-06-18T23:41:55.022-07:00

It's hard not to be impressed with the lofty goals in SACOG's MTP, the long-term transportation plan for the Sacramento region. It includes such laudible goals as:3. AIR QUALITYDevelop a transportation system and related strategies that contribute to achieving healthy air in the region...9. HEALTH AND SAFETYImprove the health of our residents by developing systems that would encourage walking

Fargo Pentameterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06155869037277989587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-74810892962598692612007-05-20T20:38:00.000-07:002007-05-20T21:35:52.997-07:00

Talk about being stuck between a rock and hard place...Sacramentans are not only paying the highest national average for a gallon of gas, but our alternatives may cost us a pretty penny too. And if the Governor has his way we will be paying more for less. At least that's the assessment of the Sacramento Bee. Sacramento transit riders could pay higher fares and find fewer buses on the streets

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-11874076507655338042007-05-10T20:59:00.000-07:002007-05-11T16:42:27.115-07:00

Do new bridges in an urban area give commuters shorter routes and encourage neighborhood residents to walk, bike or use transit more? Will they save gas and ease freeway congestion? Or, will bridges, built mainly for cars, encourage more driving and clog nearby neighborhoods? According to city planners it's the former and environmentalists contend the latter. This is a big question facing the

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-17347071702217353032007-05-08T20:32:00.000-07:002007-05-10T19:56:46.610-07:00

I just returned from a trip to Japan where I had a chance to ride the incredible bullet train. There really is nothing like it--and I can't imagine how the Tokyo metropolitan population would manage without it. There is absolutely no way the airports in the Tokyo area could handle all of the domestic travel needs of the 35 million residents in and around Tokyo. We are quickly approaching the

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343653553518579438.post-3022264800132122862007-04-24T14:01:00.000-07:002007-04-26T11:07:25.435-07:00

Does anyone really know what kind of shell game is being played at the capital with our bond and transporation money? There seem to be two different opinions on this. First it's "armageddon" from the story on the Governor's light rail trip:In his January budget, Schwarzenegger proposed shifting $1 billion in gas tax funds away from transit to help fill the state budget deficit.The move caused

EnviroMacnoreply@blogger.com0