News Feeds

• Intercity buses are back: Since Flix acquired Greyhound five years ago, the company has upgraded its fleet, improved on-time performance and added 37 new lines. Cities are also investing in bus terminals after many shut down. That’s more important than ever in an age of high gas prices and the demise of discount airlines. (Smart Cities Dive)
• Stephanie Nakleh gives you all the ammunition you need to argue about induced demand on the internet. (We Can Have Nice Things)
• Even People picked up on the ridiculous “DEI bike lanes” story.
• Public transportation is one of the few places where people from different backgrounds still mix. (Northeastern Global News)
• Chill out, Bellevue residents, Sound Transit’s Crosslake light rail connection didn’t bring in criminals. (Seattle Times)
• Homeless individuals in Seattle make up 27% of the people killed by drivers, even though they’re just 1.2% of the population. What is the city doing to address that discrepancy? (KIRO)
• Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s bus redesign is threatened by a looming budget deficit in 2028, unless the Pennsylvania government comes up with a long-term funding solution (Public Source). In Philadelphia, SEPTA is facing similar uncertainty despite better-than-expected revenue (Inquirer).
• Los Angeles, which promised a car-free 2028 Summer Olympics, is reserving 369 miles of roadway specifically for athletes, coaches and officials. (CBS)
• Two L.A. cemeteries spent $500,000 to lobby California lawmakers in Sacramento to halt an L.A. bike lane project. (L.A. Times)
• Charlotte sales tax growth is flat, endangering future transit projects. (WFAE)
• The Houston Metro is proposing as-yet-unspecified service hour cuts to deal with a budget shortfall. (Chronicle)
• Denver’s Regional Transportation District launched a new strategic initiative called Building a Better RTD. (Mass Transit)
• Lexington, Kentucky started fining drivers who park in bike lanes. (Herald-Leader)
• New Delhi built a world-class subway system larger than New York City’s for less than the cost of one NYC subway line. (NY Times)
• The Chinese city of Chongqing opened a farmers market next to a subway station. (China Daily)

Tom Geiser from Good Heat on the technologies to provide carbon-free industrial heat. Plus: LNP's diesel delusions, One Nation's burning effigies, and the biggest CIS wind project to reach FiD.

The post Energy Insiders: Zero carbon heat, Australia’s next big challenge appeared first on Renew Economy.

Days apart, one Australian minister called for reduced dependence on fossil fuels, while another literally turned the tap on new fossil gas supply, as a UN report warns we’ll overshoot 1.5 degrees.

The post Australia’s climate hypocrisy on show as world braces for global warming “overshoot” appeared first on Renew Economy.

Swiss storage giant completes purchase of the project site for big four-hour battery, setting a tentative start-date for early 2027 construction.

The post Gigawatt-hour battery plan edges closer to construction as Swiss giant takes full ownership of site appeared first on Renew Economy.

Installation of the "golden" turbine is being hailed as a "huge milestone" for a wind farm that has survived the LNP government sell-off and remains 100 per cent owned by a state utility.

The post “Golden turbine” complete, in huge milestone at rare state-owned wind farm appeared first on Renew Economy.

A paddock of solar and an innovative converter could allow Visy to cut gas use by 40% on one site without the added cost of a new grid connection.

The post Can you run a paper mill on solar and “hot bricks”? Visy says it can – on paper, at least appeared first on Renew Economy.

Australian thermal storage developer takes full ownership of energy precinct that once proposed to host a landmark solar thermal plant before evolving into a hybrid renewables and storage hub.

The post Molten silicon storage hopeful 1414 Degrees takes full ownership of Aurora Energy Precinct appeared first on Renew Economy.

RNs at two Prime Healthcare hospitals in Nevada and California and nurses and health care workers at a Prime facility in California gave notice that they will hold a sympathy strike for one day on September 15 in solidarity with striking nurses at Olympia Fields Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Nurses at another Chicago hospital and at a hospital in Lewiston, Maine, will hold informational pickets in solidarity with Olympia Fields RNs on the same day.

Nurses at Olympia Fields Hospital in Olympia Fields, Illinois, gave notice to Prime Healthcare today that they will hold a strike for one day on September 15 to protest the administration’s retaliation against nurses who speak up and fight for their patients.

Supporting Arizona’s water infrastructure is vital to protect our water supplies and way of life. To gain a fresh perspective on the different types of water-related infrastructure we rely on to...

The world should brace for extreme heat as an exceptionally strong El Nino develops, the World Meteorological Organisation warns.

The post “No room for doubt:” Supersized El Nino threatens to become strongest ever recorded appeared first on Renew Economy.

Electric cars account for 24.9 per cent of new vehicle sales in August and outselling petrol-only and diesel vehicles individually. Plus, news of the week.

The post The Driven Podcast: EVs outsell petrol and diesel cars in Australia appeared first on Renew Economy.

Order for 313 railcars to be built in Ontario and Quebec includes 25 domes among nine car types Read more.

We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear APEN Oakland Leader Steering Committee Member, 陳冬花, Debbie Chen. She was such a beautiful spirit bringing joy, care and warmth in any space she joined and we will deeply miss her. She is survived by her husband and two sons.

陳冬花, Debbie Chen, born in October 1959 came to Oakland with her family from Taishan, Guangdong, China in 1994. After arriving in Oakland, she demonstrated the characteristics of resilience and diligence of Taishan women, working tirelessly in electronics and chocolate factories before dedicating herself to the In-Home Care Society (IHSS) industry, selflessly caring for the elderly and patients. Throughout her life, she worked diligently and persevered, and what she was most proud of was raising her two sons to be successful and accomplished individuals.

In addition to fighting for environmental justice with APEN, as an active member for over a decade, she was a leader in Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA), a core member of the Toishan Family Association, and an active union member with SEIU 2015 and a community fitness group, Healthy Friends, that performs and practices tai chi and dance. She dedicated her life to advocate for working women and a healthy community for all. Her contributions to our community have improved our air quality, workers rights, access to jobs, clean and healthy places, safer communities, and stronger policies, both locally and statewide.

In her personal life, Donghua was full of charm and vitality. She loved singing and dancing, often displaying her confident style on stage; she diligently practiced Tai Chi, radiating boundless energy; she was also passionate about photography, always capturing beautiful moments in life through her lens, leaving countless precious memories for those around her. She loved traveling with friends and experiencing different landscapes, from Yosemite National Park to Alaska on a cruise.

Her legacy will live on through all she has accomplished, in all the ways she touched our lives, in the smiles and warmth she exuded. As another Leader Steering Committee member, Lisa Peng, has said more eloquently than we could: “Donghua, you lived a life of integrity and brilliance. You left love for your family, warmth for your community, and beauty for each and every one of us. Although you have left us today, your smile, your kindness, and your spirit will live forever in our hearts.”

 

 

The post Honoring 陳冬花, Debbie Chen appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

Cassin’s, Botteri’s, and Grasshopper sparrows – the songs of these grassland specialists are emblematic of summers on the Research Ranch where they nest within dense, native grass, feast...

Twelve independent chapters operate within the Audubon Southwest region. Consider joining a chapter near you to participate in bird-related events near you and engage on local issues. Read on...

The Interim Land Grant Committee of the State Legislature met on August 26 for a presentation by Enrique Romero, Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty Division. The agenda was the Ruben A. Valerio, et al. v. Cristobal de la Serna Land Grant lawsuit.

In layman’s language, this is the lawsuit that resulted from Cultural Energy KCEI radio station’s attempt to erect a radio tower on Picuris Peak to increase its broadcast range and expand the station’s capacity. The radio station currently owns 142 acres on the mountain top that it acquired from Roy Cunnyngham but must quiet title the land with a wide range of various property claims—from individuals, deceased persons, and the Cristobal de la Serna Land Grant. These are mostly varas, or narrow strips of land that extend from the top of the mountain down through Llano Quemado to the Francis Martinez acequia.

What makes this process so difficult is that many people have not perfected the title to their land. Instead, they use the 1941 assessment survey to describe the land they own. It’s called a survey but it’s really just a map to determine who to tax. The 1941 assessment survey has no field notes, recording where the information came from, and it doesn’t show any point of origin for the survey. There are no dimensions or compass bearings for any of the lines drawn on the map. It’s not a survey that can show where exactly your land is. If you want to get a second mortgage on your property, if you want to sell your land and get title insurance, you have to actually have a professional survey made and be able to quiet title it.

In the lawsuit, Ruben A. Valerio represents his deceased father Candido Valerio, who filed the first quiet title complaint against Cultural Energy, subsequently negotiated with Robin Collier, KCEI manager, and became a plaintiff along with Cultural Energy. Cristobal de la Serna Land Grant, represented by Northern New Mexico Legal Aid, filed a motion to dismiss Cultural Energy’s quiet title suit.

In 2004 a new law was added to Chapter 49 of the Statutes of New Mexico that created a new designation of land grants that have to apply to the legislature to become political subdivisions of the state, giving them sovereign immunity from quiet title suits. The remaining Federal land grants would not have this immunity. These are the two additions:

• Section 42-11-1 grants immunity from suit to “[t]he state of New Mexico and its political subdivisions” for cases “involving a claim of title to or interest in real property except as specifically authorized by law.”

• Section 49-1-1 states that “[a]ll land grants-mercedes in the state or land grants-mercedes described in Section 49-1-2…shall be managed, controlled and governed by their bylaws, by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and as provided in [the Land Grants Act] as political subdivisions of the state.”

In 2024, when the Cristobal de la Serna Land Grant filed a motion to dismiss Cultural Energy’s quiet title suit, it cited the two above statutes. But after Cultural Energy’s attorney Ernest Padilla filed a strong brief, Eighth Judicial District Judge Emilio Chavez affirmed Cultural Energy’s right to quiet title and also noted that there has been no case law on this issue since 2004 that sets any precedent. The Land Grant appealed the district court decision to the Court of Appeals.

After the New Mexico Court of Appeals and the New Mexico Supreme Court both turned down appeals, on August 6th the NM Court of Appeals wrote a definitive 13-page opinion in favor of Cultural Energy and the Valerio estate:

“While Section 42-11-1 grants immunity to ‘political subdivisions’ from suit to quiet title, Section 49-1-1 does not declare that land grants-mercedes are political subdivisions in all respects and instead directs that land grants-mercedes should be ‘managed, controlled and governed….as political subdivisions.’ Considering the language and purpose of the Land Grants Act, as well as the nature of land grants-mercedes and common lands, we conclude that the Legislature did not intend to provide blanket immunity to land grants-mercedes for quiet title action.”

“The Land Grants Act was passed in order to ‘create a board of trustees’ that would ‘manage their common lands’ (the boards).” The common lands managed by the boards “are jointly held as private property by the heirs of the land grant,” (Rayellen, 2014-NMSC-006, ¶ 39), and the purpose of a quiet title action is “to determine and quiet the title of real property . . .  against any person or persons, claiming title thereto, or parcel or portion thereof,” (see NMSA 1978, § 42-6-1 (1945). Thus, any quiet title action involving the common lands of a land grant-merced does not involve a governmental function but instead is a private property dispute.”

If the court had decided in the Land Grant’s favor, individuals as far away as Walmart and Cruz Alta would be denied their right to quiet title their properties. It’s hard to know if the 2004 legislators understood the ramifications of their decision to amend state statutes to give land grants power over quiet title. The Court of Appeals more specifically answered that question:

“[W]e decline to rely solely on the shared language between [the statutes] and conclude that based on the nature of land grants-mercedes, the purpose of the Land Grants Act, as well as its other provisions, the Legislature did not intend for its 2004 amendment to Section 49-1-1 to extend Section 42-11-1 immunity to land grants-mercedes for suits to quiet title.”

The Cristobal de la Serna has the right to appeal to the New Mexico Supreme Court by September 8, although that court previously declined to hear the argument and sent it back to the Appeals Court. In all probability, organizations like the New Mexico Land Grant Council that supported the Cristobal de la Serna Land Grant will push to bring the issue before the legislature once again. That was expressed at the Interim Land Grant hearing by several of the attendant legislators, none of whom were in the 2004 legislature.

During that discussion, Assistant Attorney General Romero emphasized that he thought the court is stepping into the legislative role and didn’t agree that there is a distinction between land grants’ internal and external governance that inhibited their right to deny quiet title.

The Interim Committee will meet next in Taos on September 16th & 17th

 Editor's Note: Acclaimed essayist, novelist, and poet Wendell Berry was a native Kentuckian and a strong proponent of living in harmony with nature. This essay, which appeared in the May 1971 issue...

In a new op-ed published by CalMatters, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director at Restore the Delta, and Gary Mulcahy, government liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, condemn the Newsom Administration’s efforts to advance controversial land and water-use proposals, including California Forever, voluntary agreements and the Delta Tunnel. 

Drawing on their years of experiences throughout Newsom’s governorship, the authors describe a pattern of disingenuous engagement with Tribes and communities, as well as backroom deals that circumvent public input and legislative due process.

They argue that these closed-door deals are being used to advance environmentally and economically harmful boondoggles at the behest of billionaires, lobbyists, and administrative insiders. 

Barbara and Gary contend that Californians have the right to a meaningful say in decisions that will shape their future.

Read the full op-ed here. 

Late summer is a time of change for many—vacations ending and school years beginning. It’s also a season of celebration as we enjoy autumn harvests and fall festivals and begin our preparations...