A roundup of headlines curated for state transportation environmental professionals

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HOT TOPICS

‘Hole in the data’: Coronavirus fight puts environmental fieldwork on hold – StarTribune

Federal Judge Prohibits Use of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Nationwide Permit 12 for Utility and Pipeline Projects – National Law Review

Integrating Tribal Expertise into Processes to Identify, Evaluate, and Record Cultural Resources – National Cooperative Highway Research Program (Report Announcement)

COVID-19

Water quality could change in buildings closed down during COVID-19 pandemic, engineers say – Purdue University

COVID-19 Draining The Highway Trust FundYahoo Finance

Detroit’s poor air quality could be worsening the city’s COVID-19 outbreak – WJBK

How COVID-19 will redesign urban mobility – GreenBiz

How the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the face of transportation in cities – Tech Republic

Waze Community Deploys Data To Aid The Global Fight Against COVID-19 – Forbes

Businesses, groups call on INDOT to stop planning highway project during coronavirus pandemic – Indianapolis Star

New Data Show Air Pollution Drop Around 50 Percent In Some Cities During Coronavirus Lockdown – Forbes

Coronavirus lockdown gives animals rare break from noise pollution – Deutsche Welle

How One Mobility Innovator Is Supporting Cities And Envisioning The Post-Coronavirus Future – Forbes

Wary of public transport, coronavirus-hit Americans turn to bikes – Reuters

Coronavirus lockdowns have sent pollution plummeting. Environmentalists worry about what comes next.NBC News

The Pandemic Could Be an Opportunity to Remake Cities – Wired

WATER QUALITY/WETLANDS

Vice Chair Appointed for AASHTO Water CouncilAASHTO Journal

County approves NFM water quality project – North Fort Myers Neighbor

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE and SUSTAINABILITY

Weakening environmental reviews for transportation infrastructure is a bridge too far – Brookings (Commentary)

Get Ready for More, Longer Blackouts – Bloomberg Green (Limited access, Subscription Required)

Summertime Heat to Florida’s Early Spring – Bloomberg Green (Limited access, Subscription Required)

Why Can’t We Build Infrastructure Cheaply, Quickly and Well?Governing (Opinion)

TRB Webinar: Greener in many ways: Environmentally sustainable funding and financing – Transportation Research Board

As Other Carmakers Retrench, Volvo’s Battery Lab Plugs Away – Wired

AIR QUALITY/GHG/ENERGY

EPA retains Obama-era air quality standards despite staff questions of adequacy – The Hill

How will reduced activity affect air quality and the environment? – Johns Hopkins University

NC State professor says more people will die if air quality standards left unchanged – North Carolina Health News

Shell Sets Bolder Emissions Goal Even as Virus Hits OilBloomberg

Agriculture’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks – Farm Bureau

New Website Will Help Steer the U.S. Away From Fossil Fuels – Columbia University

California Cities Install EV Chargers as Symbol of Future – Governing

City Planning $5.25 Million Solar Farm At Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant – Daily Chattanoogan

Funds from Regional Clean-Energy Initiative to Electrify NJ’s Transportation SectorNJ Spotlight

NOISE

Traffic noise reduces bats’ ability to feed – The Guardian

FAA Supersonic Proposal Draws Environmentalist Ire – AINonline

As Online Buying Surges, So Do Noisy Cargo Flights – The New York Times (subscription required)

What’s that annoying buzz? PennDOT considers daytime construction after noise complaints – Billypenn.com

FEDERAL ACTIVITY/FUNDING & FINANCE

An infrastructure stimulus will make America more resilient, if we get it right – Environmental Defense Fund (blog)

Highway Users urges Congress to invest in infrastructure in next stimulus package -Transportation Today

Gazette opinion: Now’s the time to rebuild and re-employBillings Gazette

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Environmental Justice Inseparable from Economic Justice – TAP into Bloomfield (Press release)

4 Principles for Environmental Justice: Lessons from Hawai‘I – Nonprofit Quarterly

Recent & Recommended Books on Environmental Justice – The Washington Informer

50 Years On, Earth Day’s Legal Legacy Looms Large – Earthjustice

EPA Pandemic Enforcement Policy Draws Environmental Lawsuit – Bloomberg Green (Limited access, Subscription Required)

INVASIVE SPECIES/VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

Boaters still required to stop at aquatic invasive species inspection stations – KTVZ

Controlling Invasives: States urge residents to help stop spread of invasive speciesGreatLakesNow

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Public transit’s “road to recovery” could include more ridesharing partnerships says DePaul study – Mass Transit

An “Under-21” position is open on the state’s Bike/Ped Advisory Committee – Oregon DOT

Bike Walk Savannah giving free bikes to essential workers left without transportationWSAV-TV

Companies Pull Scooters from Atlanta After City Order – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Helsinki smart mobility pilots deemed a success – Intelligent Transport

Active transportation plan coming to Sandy and Draper – Sandy Journal

Santa Barbara City Council supports grant applications for safety improvement projects – Santa Barbara News-Press

Madison traffic lanes to close to help cyclists and pedestrians keep social distance – WKOW

Philly should close streets to cars, open space for social distancing, advocates say WHYY

Anyone Feel Like Saving Electric Scooters? – CityLab

Lime reactivates scooter fleets around the world – Intelligent Transport

WASTE MANAGEMENT/RECYCLING

Garbage Pickups Tell a Tale of Two Cities, With Part of Manhattan Shrinking – The City

Building a circular economy: five key concepts – National Geographic

Murphy signs bill to boost food waste recycling in New Jersey – NJBIZ

Plastics Had Been Falling Out of Favor. Then Came the Virus – Bloomberg Green (Limited access, Subscription Required)