Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!
How Green is Your State?
This interactive map allows you to compare the overall “greenness” of each U.S. state. Just choose your state and see how its environmental impacts compare to the rest of the U.S. overall and in the individual categories of mass transit, renewables, water quality, air quality, recycling, gas, and CO2 emissions. Read More…
Technology Will Make or Break Oregon’s Mileage Tracking Program
For more than a decade, Oregon has been studying alternative transportation infrastructure revenue sources to replace the dwindling revenues being collected by the gas tax. Vehicle Miles Traveled is already accepted by many to be the future of transportation taxation, but with question looming about the technology it takes to track a vehicles traveled mileage, Oregon’s pilot program has a lot to prove. Read More…
Cities Launch Anti-Poverty Centers
Even with tough federal cuts to discretionary domestic spending that affect programs that serve the poor, cities throughout the nation are finding ways to alleviate urban poverty on their own. Through the creation of economic opportunity/empowerment offices, cities are testing social service programs themselves, and reinvesting in the ones that work best. Read More…
House Awaits Senate Energy-Efficiency Efforts
As the House waits for the Senate to begin considering an energy-efficiency bill, members worry that a delay in the Senate could derail all action on the issue. Despite skepticism, Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled he plans to bring up the issues before the 5-week August recess begins Friday. Read More…
Study: Sea-Level Rise Threatens 1,400 U.S. Cities
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences predicts that prior emissions have already locked in a sea-level rise of 4 feet in the future; a rise that will submerge parts of 316 American cities and towns. The timing of the sea-level rise is not clear, but experts say if global warming continues at this rate, at least an additional 1,100 municipalities will be partially submerged in the distant future. Read More…
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