en-us GOVERNING magazine provides leading intelligence articles on management, policy and politics to help guide and inspire innovative leaders across state and local government. Thu, 9 Feb 16:13:31 PST http://www.governing.com/news/federal/ap-reports-shows-lax-federal-oversight-of-gas-drilling.html Thu, 9 Feb 9:10:00 PST Federal policing of oil and natural gas drilling on public lands is lax and inconsistent, with only 6 percent of violations resulting in monetary fines over 13 years, House Democrats said in a new report. http://www.governing.com/news/state/gov-will-air-quality-rules-put-power-reliability-at-risk-.html Wed, 8 Feb 11:0:00 PST Do new air quality rules announced by the EPA raise the risk that some electrical utilities could have reliability issues in keeping the lights on? That was a chief question debated by attendees at a utilities forum in Washington, D.C. Tuesday. http://www.governing.com/news/local/ap-san-francisco-expands-plastic-bag-ban.html Wed, 8 Feb 10:17:00 PST Shoppers in San Francisco will have to pay 10 cents per bag and more retailers are now banned from handing out plastic bags under a proposal approved Tuesday by the city's Board of Supervisors. http://www.governing.com/news/state/AP-pennsylvania-gas-drilling-fee-bill-debate-ends-without-vote.html Wed, 8 Feb 9:5:00 PST Pennsylvania, the only major gas-producing state that does not tax the taking of natural gas from its soil, moved closer Tuesday to imposing a fee on the drilling in the vast Marcellus Shale reserves that have transformed the state in recent years. http://www.governing.com/news/politics/AP-ron-paul-states-should-resolve-land-management-issues.html Fri, 3 Feb 9:10:00 PST Republican Rep. Ron Paul railed against the federal government during campaign stops in Nevada on Thursday, saying states are in the best position to resolve conflicts over the management of wild horses and roads on public lands. http://www.governing.com/news/state/AP-obama-pushes-for-veterans-jobs-programs.html Thu, 2 Feb 14:30:00 PST In an effort to cut the unemployment rate among veterans, President Barack Obama is calling for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands. http://www.governing.com/idea-center/gov-university-of-vermont-latest-to-ban-plastic-water-bottles.html Thu, 2 Feb 12:0:00 PST Hoping to save money and the environment, a dozen colleges have stopped selling bottled water on campus. http://www.governing.com/news/federal/AP-report-proposes-dividing-great-lakes-mississippi.html Thu, 2 Feb 9:15:00 PST Groups representing states and cities in the Great Lakes region on Tuesday proposed spending up to $9.5 billion on a massive engineering project to separate the lakes from the Mississippi River watershed in the Chicago area, describing it as the only sure way to protect both aquatic systems from invasions by destructive species such as Asian carp. http://www.governing.com/topics/energy-env/gov-old-architecture-buildings-pit-preservation-vs-progress.html Tue, 31 Jan 14:0:00 PST A new generation of old structures is raising fresh questions about the rehabbing of architectural gems. http://www.governing.com/topics/energy-env/gov-curbside-composting-added-to-major-city.html Tue, 31 Jan 12:0:00 PST Nearly 100 cities now divert food waste from landfills. It’s far from becoming the norm, though, considering most major cities still don’t even have curbside recycling.