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You know I hate to editorialize, but this judicial decision is just awful: A federal judge dealt a blow on Friday to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s efforts to improve air quality in the city, blocking a rule that all new taxis must meet stringent fuel efficiency standards. The rule, which was scheduled to take effect on Saturday, would have made it mandatory for most cabs to be hybrid gas-and-electric vehicles...

Whatever our transportation foibles—and we have plentyofthem—Northwest cites are not exactly in the Texas League of transportation planning. A ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday inaugurated a big new freeway in the Houston area. I mean it’s almost comically big: Opponents of the project have noted its extreme size—18 lanes, counting toll and frontage lanes from Texas 6 to Washington, and more lanes at entrances and exits. The widening uprooted numerous businesses along the...

I recently mentioned funding green-collar jobs programs that are authorized but not yet financed. Another good way to stimulate the clean-energy economy fast with federal funding is through targeted tax incentives. In fact, Congress has already done so. We already described the new tax benefit for employers of bike commuters. What other green stimulus went into the $700 billion economic stabilization package for the financial sector? I found summaries here,...

Editor’s note: In honor of our “Escape to Vancouver” Sweepstakes, we’re “recycling” one of our most popular posts. Sign up for Sightline Daily emails between now and October 29 and you, too, could experience a car-less vacation to Vancouver, BC!   Our car-less family vacation in Vancouver, BC, was a big success. Here’s a full report, for those of you who shared your own car-lessvacation stories and are interested in...

[Update, 1/28/09: Go read this post instead. The charts below are outdated now and have been updated to include final energy price data for 2008. Read all about it here.] *** Take a look: Americans are falling behind—most of us anyway. We’re working longer than ever before to maintain a standard of living that once we took for granted. With respect to gas prices, average Americans are much worse off than...

Seattle voters will be deciding on a new parks levy this November. Former Sightline intern Todd Burley reminds me that parks confer a whole range of benefits that sometimes get overlooked. (Todd’s now involved with Seattle Parks For All.)  So in the interest of not overlooking those benefits, here are some intriguing studies from The Trust For Public Land: The Benefits of Parks (white paper) The Health Benefits of Parks Quantifying...

“Buy one, Daddy!” That’s what my daughter Kathryn said after her recent ride behind Daily Score reader Jay Morrison on his all-electric scooter. Jay’s Vectrix captured her fifteen-year-old heart. Just seeing it roll up in front of the house sent her scurrying to her closet for her most Italian-looking scarf, which then fluttered in the breeze as she toured the neighborhood. She rhapsodized about being picked up from soccer practice...

Update: We now have all of Sightline’s Western Climate Initiative work compiled in one handy page. The Western Climate Initiative—North America’s biggest cap-and-trade system — just released its final proposal: here. This is historic stuff. The proposal leaves room for improvement — I’ll get to that in a minute — but let’s take note of where we are. This will be the first major climate policy to tackle all the principle sources of climate...

Here’s a thought.  Wall Street is in turmoil.  Real estate doesn’t look like it’ll be a good investment for a while.  Commodity prices have been falling like a stone.  The dollar is gaining strength against international currencies, making many overseas investments seem riskier. So if business or home investors are looking for a place to park some money—and don’t want to just stuff it in a mattress—what should they do? ...

You may have heard that in the face of high gas prices, there’s been a fairly dramatic sea change in public opinion when it comes to offshore oil drilling. And it’s true that poll after poll shows increasing willingness on the part of Americans to lift the moratorium on domestic oil exploration. (57 percent favored drilling in August compared to 35 percent in February). But public opinion is often far...