A recent EPA assessment found that Illinois has the fourth-highest need in the country for drinking water infrastructure improvements and the sixth-highest in the need for wastewater infrastructure improvements.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Pennsylvania |
October 18, 2012
State attorneys were contesting the Commonwealth Court's July decision to overturn a portion of the law that limited what local zoning rules can and cannot address regarding drilling activity.
Montana’s next governor must capitalize on the current oil boom, build infrastructure to keep it going and develop industries that will make Montana less susceptible to market highs and lows.
The resistance is forcing state and local governments that have embraced wind, with strong Obama administration backing, to pay closer attention to where wind farms are located and how they impact surroundings.
Source: Seattle Times | Seattle |
October 16, 2012
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Seattle can't limit distribution of yellow-pages phone books with an opt-out registry or charge a fee to publishers.
President Obama signed legislation that would compel the Army Corps to speed up the study, though the Army Corps said it likely would not make their deadline.
Source: Wall Street Journal | Wyoming |
October 12, 2012
New tests of water surrounding natural-gas-drilling sites near Pavillion, Wyo., have turned up results that are "generally consistent" with earlier findings showing a link between contamination and hydraulic fracturing.
Source: AP/Casper Tribune | Wyoming |
October 10, 2012
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar authorized what he described as potentially the largest wind energy project in the United States, if not the world: A Wyo Tming wind farm with up to 1,000 turbines that would provide electricity to some 1 million homes.
Source: AP/Seattle Times | Washington state |
October 5, 2012
The high court upheld a King County Superior Court ruling that found the state is not precluded from using the current tax of 0.7 percent on oil products, pesticides and other chemicals for environmental cleanup projects.
Nationally, six straight years of revenue declines have put enormous pressure on state and local governments, nevertheless, some are thriving. Standard & Poor's, the credit-rating agency, reports that it issued more bond upgrades than downgrades in 2012.
The Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act are in full swing. With the influx of people who will be applying for benefits and the ACA requirement for online enrollment, it is more important than ever to verify the identities of those accessing benefits up front.