Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Environmental Review

Council Mem James Oddo: Require Enviro Review for All New Bike Lanes

By Ben Fried | Jan 24, 2011 | 36 Comments

Last week’s release of “before” and “after” stats on the Prospect Park West bike lane tells an increasingly familiar story: A DOT redesign has increased cycling while making the street safer for pedestrians and drivers. Since safer streets make it easier for New Yorkers to get around without a car, and since biking and walking […]

Land Use Process Likely Safe in Charter Revision, But Major Issues Simmer

By Noah Kazis | Jun 25, 2010 | 1 Comment

Former Staten Island Council Member Stephen Fiala defends the role of borough presidents in land use decision-making. Image: SI Advance. The city’s Charter Revision Commission held its fifth issue forum last night, discussing the city’s complex land use process. Based on the commentary of a panel of expert witnesses, a major revision of the city’s […]

New GOP Bill Would Bar Enviro Reviews From Considering Climate

By Elana Schor | Apr 20, 2010 | No Comments

Republicans on the Senate environment committee, who months ago began criticizing the Obama administration for evaluating federally funded infrastructure projects for their impact on climate change, today introduced legislation that would bar the White House from making climate a factor in environmental reviews. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), one of the new NEPA bill’s sponsors, holds […]

New San Francisco Bike Lanes: Feel the Ecstasy

By Ben Fried | Dec 4, 2009 | 16 Comments

SF MTA Chief Nat Ford and Mayor Gavin Newsom work the green rollers. Photo: Matthew Roth. These are heady days for San Francisco cyclists. After three years that saw the addition of pretty much zero bike infrastructure, this week the city hailed the arrival of its first new bike lane since 2006 and its first-ever […]

Does the State Senate’s MTA Plan Pass Environmental Muster?

By Ben Fried | Apr 22, 2009 | 3 Comments

Where’s the Assembly’s eco-warrior when you need him? The Municipal Art Society came out with a report yesterday urging New York State to start analyzing greenhouse gas emissions in its environmental review process (SEQRA). MAS argues that the policy could be adopted without changing existing laws, which raises an interesting question to ponder on this […]

Senate Requires Environmental Approval For Stimulus Projects

By Damien Newton | Feb 9, 2009 | 7 Comments

NEPA oversight should prevent the Garden State Parkway from being widened using stimulus funds. The final draft of the Senate’s economic recovery bill will require all projects funded by the stimulus to have approval under the National Environmental Protection Act, or NEPA. Sponsored by Barbara Boxer, the NEPA amendment (full text after the jump) was […]

Show More Stories