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Carl Smith

Senior Staff Writer

Carl Smith is a senior staff writer for Governing and covers a broad range of issues affecting states and localities. For the past 30 years, Carl has written about education and the environment for peer-reviewed papers, magazines and online publications, with a special focus on conservation and sustainability. He has guest-edited special issues of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health focused on the Precautionary Principle and the human rights dimensions of environmental degradation. Carl attended the University of Texas and the University of Georgia. He can be reached at carl.smith@governing.com or on Twitter at @governingwriter.

Tens of millions of Americans now work remotely on a full-time basis. Relocation incentives are helping to redefine the concept of “suburb.”
Though a large share of the country’s clean electricity comes from nuclear power plants, states have made plans to retire them. But as they set steeper emission targets, many are reconsidering the role of nuclear energy.
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009. In the absence of action from Congress and state legislatures, local governments are adding capacity to their programs to support workers.
Chronic absence soared during the pandemic, and graduation rates dropped for the first time in 15 years. The first step out of this dangerous trend is knowing more about who’s missing.
In a political landscape already divided over climate action, the ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA effectively leaves state and local government to face a global challenge on its own.
Election officials are working in an unprecedented climate of antagonism, with threats on the increase. A nonpartisan group of election and law enforcement officials have joined forces to give them resources and support.
The pandemic brought the weaknesses of public health data systems into plain view. A new survey of public health officials finds that fixing this is a top priority. But high costs and politics remain a problem.
Congress responded to the COVID crisis by allocating unprecedented sums to help cities and states recover. Early data about how they are using the money suggests that big spends can have complications.
With billions of broadband infrastructure dollars at stake, states have to ensure that digital equity programs are sustainable long after federal money has been spent. Here’s how they can do it.
Deaths and injuries from motor vehicle accidents were once rampant. Research showed how to decrease the number of fatal crashes and it worked. Patrick Carter believes we can achieve similar results with guns.